The Baltimore Ravens were finding offense hard to come by early against the Kansas City Chiefs, but that all changed in a literal hurry.
Following a Kansas City touchdown drive, rookie wide receiver Devin Duvernay took the kickoff an explosive 93 yards to the house for the score. He found a seam, found the sideline and was gone in a flash. It was the biggest play thus far in the youngster’s career, and it let to an early 13-3 deficit being cut to 13-10.
Here’s a look:
DEVIN DUVERNAY. 93 YARDS TO THE HOUSE. #RavensFlock
📺: #KCvsBAL on ESPN
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: t.co/QjJ5lF3Rg2
Getting a special teams score is just what the Ravens needed considering they were slowed by Kansas City early on in the game, but such a play could help momentum shift in a big way early on.
Ravens Projected as Better During 2020 Season
Last season, the Ravens were good, but this year, there is a major fear for teams playing them. According to NFL.com writer Nick Shook, the biggest lesson from Week 2 was that the Ravens are actually better than they were during their impressive 2019 season and might be primed to do more damage.
Shook wrote:
“The Ravens are better than they were last year. It was clear in Week 1 and unavoidable in Week 2. Baltimore rushed for 230 yards, Lamar Jackson completed 75% of his passes, threw a touchdown pass, broke 200 yards through the air and spread the ball among nine targets — including the fullback — and Mark Ingram emerged from his Week 1 slumber to break five yards per carry and score a touchdown. Baltimore’s defense forced two turnovers, returned a fumble for a touchdown and sacked Deshaun Watson four times. Justin Tucker was a perfect 4 for 4 on field goal attempts. When the Ravens took a 14-point lead in the fourth, it felt like it was a 30-point advantage. No one — rightfully — wants to play the Ravens right now. And no one is playing better football than Baltimore.”
So far, the Ravens have been equally solid on offense and defense which should worry the league. The team was always figured to be an offensive juggernaut but through 2 games, they’ve only allowed a total of 22 points, which is a pretty gaudy number.
If the Ravens remain elite on offense and improve on defense, Shook’s point will be proven correct and they will be much better than they were last season.
Should that be the case, it will be enough to put the league on notice.
Devin Duvernay Stats
Duvernay was a big play machine at Texas and has all the tools to be one of the most underrated yet impressive wideouts in the league. Duvernay showed up well during the Senior Bowl and his solid pre-draft work was enough to get him noticed by the Ravens. They were very interested in what he does as a speed option, as he was perhaps one of the best impact makers that could have been had later on in the draft in 2020.
Duvernay’s production at Texas, which included 2,468 yards and 16 scores, was good enough to make him one of the best wideouts in the Big 12, so betting against him making a quick impact in the NFL would be foolish.
While he hasn’t had a huge start to his NFL career, this is certainly his most impactful moment thus far.
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