In the end all that matters is that you win the game so we should be happy with the Ravens win over Arizona. Yet their performance was uneven (to say the least). Inconsistency is still stamped all over the Ravens. Let’s take a look at a few reasons why the consistency just wasn’t there.
Defending the Run Trouble – A (One Game?) Reversion By Patrick Queen
Forget tackle numbers, as they rarely tell the whole story. Patrick Queen played arguably the worst game I’ve seen since Roquan Smith joined the team. If you’re wondering why the Ravens yielded so many yards on inside runs just watch Queen on the game tape. From the Cardinals first possession of the game, Queen regularly took himself out of position on interior runs, jumping right or left and engaging blockers on his own, when he should have stayed clean and held his position. On several running attempts, the ball carrier wound up in the hole that Queen vacated. On another occasion Patrick was simply late to fill the hole when he wasn’t impeded. There was another play when he filled the hole then simply missed the tackle. And to finish it off, late in the game Queen had a sack directly in his sights but whiffed.
These types of plays (failures) suggest Queen wasn’t focused as well as he should have been. He was impatient and wasn’t as mentally sharp as we’ve become accustomed to over the last year. It showed. The Ravens’ problems in defending the run last week can be placed largely on Queen.
The Interior Defensive Line Was Great
What a shame Queen was so off of his game. Yes, Michael Pierce was as utterly dominant as it appeared. Mind you the Cardinals starting center left the game early. But you can only beat the man you’re assigned to, and Pierce brought his drums. Not to be overlooked was the similarly excellent play by Travis Jones. He provided excellent bull rush penetration, great effort and efficiency. I loved seeing Jones running down the line against a zone blocking scheme and making the tackle. Jones is coming along nicely.
On the other hand, Justin Madubuike was missing in action for much of the game. Madubuike’s inconsistency from one week to the next persists, and frankly I’m not sure why. Broderick Washington simply didn’t make much of an impact, and Brent Urban is average from one play to the next.
More Ronnie Stanley and the Offensive Line
The woes with Stanley continue to pile up. I’m singing the blues with Ronnie. He continues to cheat in his sets (with no call against him yet). But more troublesome, he also continues to be batted around fairly easily by edge rushers, whether with a powerful punch that throws Stanley off-balance, or with redirect that finds him reaching when he should be reestablishing a base. Stanley was stumbling on his heels when he gave up a sack later in the game.
Let’s face it. At this point Stanley is – I can’t believe I’m saying this – below average. He’s a liability overall in pass protection, though he’s better than any alternative on the roster. Why the decline from last year to this year? Without going back to tape from last year, there’s an obvious instability in the bottom half of his body, and whether it’s the ankle, the knee, or both is problematic.
Ronnie’s still OK in the run game, though on the move he doesn’t display as much power – to me – as I’ve seen in the past. Last week he was unable to get out in front of a pass in the flat to Zay Flowers, and on another occasion, he was ineffective pulling. On yet another running play Stanley was blown up by a linebacker. The Ravens, and fans, are just going to have to live with the reality of where Stanley’s body is at this point. Can he improve? Who knows.
Tyler Linderbaum’s strength has improved this year. He has a stronger base and more power in fighting off penetrating tackles. He is excellent on the move. The line as a group, however, still has challenges against well-timed stunts, and we saw it again against the Cardinals.
Beckham, Bateman and Mark Andrews
Odell Beckham is struggling to get any consistent separation. I continue to maintain that Rashod Bateman, who is having a far easier time getting free, should be much more prominent in the offense. There is real play-making ability in Bateman and Todd Monken needs to focus on exploiting it. I know Monken is making a serious effort to incorporate Beckham into the offense. I’m sure Odell won’t be happy if he doesn’t get his targets. But Bateman is the better playmaker at this point, and the necessary complement to Zay Flowers. Notwithstanding the comments of some of the beat writers about Ravens’ receivers against Arizona, Bateman was open quite a bit against them.
Believe it or not, much of the problem with the Ravens receivers last week came from Mark Andrews. Why? Because on numerous occasions Andrews’ free-lancing took him into the flightpath of other receivers who were on their routes, particularly Flowers. I counted at least four routes where Andrews was looking for a soft spot and he wound up interfering in the routes being run by others. Andrews must be more aware of what’s happening with the wide-outs because on these plays he eliminated other receiving options for Lamar. Andrews, by the way, was frequently open on designed routes.
I do not want to see any more passes in the flat to Zay Flowers where the lead blocker is Odell Beckham. Odell just can’t get it done blocking, and these plays place all of the burden on Flowers. Because Lamar frequently doesn’t get the ball to Flowers on these routes in a position where Flowers can instantaneously become a runner, the probability of turning one of these flares into a big play is low. And please don’t put Isaiah Likely out there in front of Flowers either. His blocking – if you want to call it that – is atrocious. Monken, if you’re going to run these routes please put Mark Andrews out in front, or Nelson Agholor, or even me!
I’m still waiting for Monken to run some variations off of these too-heavily utilized plays. Fake in the direction of Flowers because you are sure to draw the defense to him given these tendencies. A pass back in the other direction might work wonders.
Potpourri After the Week of Inconsistency
Some idle thoughts from the couch.
Blocking Tight Ends
We knew that Isaiah Likely can’t block, whether inline or on the move. He’s a whiffer. But Charlie Kolar’s inline attempts last week were ghastly. He has the body to be better and Kolar has to work on this because it’s a way to get on the field. When the Ravens run those big, short-yardage formations, they need a second tight end (in addition to Pat Ricard) on the field, and Kolar, especially against Arizona, failed. Kolar was an Isaiah Likely blocking whiffer in this game , and that doesn’t cut it.
The Steelers
This team gets out-gained every week yet keeps on winning. Don’t sleep on them. They are improving. Jaylen Warren is a better running back than Najee Harris, notwithstanding Harris’ physical ability. Harris is generally indecisive as a runner; he dances too much instead of just hitting the hole. Warren is a tough dude who runs with decisiveness, a low center of gravity and power – the type of player I love. How much better can Kenny Pickett become? He lacks a big arm and won’t be confused for Josh Allen. But he’s surrounded by one of the best receiving duos in the league. As I’ve said before, Pittsburgh will go as far as their offensive line allows.
Odafe Oweh
I really want Oweh to become a star and I found myself “hoping” with my eyes too often. As an edge rusher, I’ve yet to see Oweh rush into the inside shoulder of a tackle. Perhaps I’ve missed a few, but every attempt by Oweh starts with a first step to the outside, followed by a second step to the outside. Oweh must learn how to use his hands to rip back to the inside. And use a dip in his inside shoulder to get tackles off balance. He shows no evidence of utilizing counter moves. Watching him closely reveals that he has not yet incorporated elements into his game that are necessary for him to become a dominant threat as a rusher. He’s just not there yet. We are in year three with Oweh and though he’s improved we want a lot more from him.
The power in Oweh’s rush game is being put to better use. On his sack play he used his strength to shed his blocker, then cut under the tackle to the inside to nab his target.
Gus Edwards
This guy just brings it. What’s not to love in his game? And he can catch the ball too. But can Edwards maintain his performance with an increasingly heavier load. Justice Hill, who has been very effective every week, gets only a handful of carries per week, and one worries about Edwards wearing down as the season goes on. This is something to watch.
Kyle Hamilton
Readers know my concerns with Hamilton on the back end. He hasn’t done anything to alleviate them yet. But whenever he’s tasked with coming forward Hamilton is decisive and has been a strong tackler. He destroyed a screen pass in front of him last week, and on a run blitz he nailed the ball carrier. Tasking Hamilton to handle a quick receiver in the slot remains a fool’s challenge. Hollywood Brown easily beat Hamilton from the slot to the outside on his touchdown catch. I’m not blaming Hamilton; he can’t cover Brown.
Brandon Stephens
Someone asked the coaches this week whether Stephens is a corner or will go back to the safety position. Heck, Stephens is the best corner the Ravens have! Stephens is almost always in very good position on routes, is an excellent tackler, and has learned how to get his head back to the ball. Kudos to him for all of the improvement he’s shown. He has really developed. Stephens’ reaction on his interception last week was impressive.
Geno Stone
Let’s not crown Stone as the top safety in the league quite yet. He’s obviously been great creating big plays. But the downside to his game is he’s an inconsistent tackler; there’s room for technique improvement. Stone will never be a pure centerfielder. But within his tasked area he’s maximizing his skills.
Offensive Inconsistency
I’m toning down my offensive cheerleading just a smidgeon. We are through eight games now, and it’s still not consistently clicking like it should. Is the Lions game an aberration? I’ll say this. To reach their offensive potential the Ravens must develop another receiving threat who commands attention. I believe that’s Rashod Bateman, but whether it’s him or Odell Beckham is problematic – it has to be someone. Frankly, if we don’t see more out of Beckham should the Ravens consider a little bit more of Likely as a second receiving tight end? I’m not there yet but we can’t forget about what his matchups might bring.
Lamar’s statistics are gaudy, but he still needs more consistency. He missed (didn’t see) free underneath receivers last week even though he often held the ball a beat too long. We are going to need to see more of Lamar’s feet if this offense is going to threaten all over the field.
