Getty A.J. Brow runs through Ravens for a score.
The Baltimore Ravens are 6-4, and while that record might seem decent to some teams, it puts a team with Super Bowl aspirations in absolute dire straits.
After a tough loss to Tennessee, the Ravens have fallen behind the pack in the AFC North race and are also threatening to fall behind in the AFC playoff race as a whole. As a result, there’s a lot of questions swirling about Baltimore at this point in time, and several folks think they have an idea of what’s wrong with the team relative to how well they played in 2019.
NBC Sports analyst Chris Simms explained that the Ravens simply don’t look like they are powerful at the moment, and there is no imagination on offense, leading to their current problems on the field.
It can’t always be about Lamar and the run game. There has to be more WR involved in the pass game, it’s always just Mark Andrews and Lamar running the football. That’s not going to get them to the Super Bowl
The toughness element is shocking for the Ravens, considering they were one of the tougher teams in the league last year. This season, in a couple of late collapses, that mindset seems to have been missing which is alarming for Baltimore to say the least. Simms would not be the first one to make this kind of argument
Dan Orlovsky Also Frustrated With Ravens
Orlovsky has watched the Ravens this year just like Simms, and has come to a similar conclusion. As he recently said, the team is being out toughed up front and also doesn’t have the same offensive game plan that they have long had to carry them through which revolves around abject toughness and playmaking. As a result, Orlovsky said a few weeks ago the Ravens are in trouble. He look like a prophet now.
This is NOT last year’s Baltimore Ravens. @danorlovsky7
“I’ll keep it real, their season is on the brink. Their season is on the brink of being lost.”
Orlovsky said:
“This is not last year’s Baltimore Ravens and we all need to accept that. Last year on offense Baltimore was 2 things. They were explosive and they were dominant. Explosive both in the run and the pass game. That’s not happening this year. They were dominating at the line of scrimmage. That’s not happening this year… This offense doesn’t do anything well. It doesn’t do anything that a defense is going to look at and go ‘that scares me’ or ‘we got to be focus on stopping that.’ Last year it was Lamar (Jackson) in the run game, the 3 tight end package. It was the play action game. This is not last year’s Ravens team. I’ll keep it real. Their season is on the brink. Their season is on the brink of being lost.”
The Ravens look lost on offense at this point, and though they are still in the mix in the second half of the season for the AFC playoffs, the team is a far cry from one that felt like a major pick to dominate on a run to the Super Bowl. Now, it seems as if it will simply be a struggle for the Ravens to get to the postseason without a major turnaround late season.
Why Ravens Regressing During 2020
Things haven’t gotten better for the Baltimore offense. The Ravens have been up and down so far this season as pundits have alluded to. The team has struggled with getting big plays and unleashing their offensive playmakers as they have in the past.
Statistically, the Ravens haven’t dominated at all this year. They’re putting up just 343 yards a game including a small 183 yards a game through the air and a respectable 160 rushing yards a game. Those facts alone will not prove all the team’s problems, as their defense has now been giving up untimely plays and struggling with tackling in crunch time. Combine the elements, and it shows why the team has scuffled midseason as badly as they have.
All told, the Ravens could be one of the biggest disappointments this season as a result, and it could have everything to do with toughness and their inability to be gritty this year.
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Analyst ‘Shocked’ Ravens Being Physically Overpowered This Season