The Baltimore Ravens (3-4) are going into their bye week searching for answers as they are currently in a four-game free fall. After starting the 2016 season off with a 3-0 record, nothing has gone right in Charm City.
Marc Trestman, the Ravens’ former offensive coordinator, was sent packing after his offense struggled to put points on the scoreboard in Baltimoreās first five games. On average, the Ravens’ offense has only scored 19 points a game, which is ranked 25th in the NFL.
Key starters such as Terrell Suggs, Elvis Dumervil, C.J. Mosley, Steve Smith, Sr., Marshal Yanda, and rookie Ronnie Stanley have been plagued by injures thus far in 2016.
Joe Flacco is not performing up to par this season and the Ravens have suffered from inconsistent play in their backfield. The Ravens also watched the performance of their secondary decline, letting opposing offenses burn them for big-time scores.
Although the Ravens appear to be returning to last seasonās form, they do have something to be proud of. With the exception of last week, Baltimoreās front seven has been virtually unstoppable and the Ravens have arguably the best kicker in the NFL at their disposal.
Justin Tucker has yet to miss a field goal or extra point in 2016. The Ravens had a strong start this season due to a lockdown defense and clutch special teams. Their four-game slide is a result of injuries and sloppy play on offense.
Hereās how Baltimoreās season has broken down so far:
Week 1: vs. Buffalo Bills
The Ravens came away victorious in Week 1 because their defense was able to shut down Buffaloās offense. Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor was barely able to throw for over 100 yards in the game and running back LeSean McCoy was held at bay by the Ravensā front seven for the majority of the game. Ravens defenders Terrell Suggs and Timmy Jernigan were also able record key sacks on third down, which helped stall out the Billsā offense. Buffalo was forced to punt the football seven times.
Result: Win, 13-7 (Record: 1-0)
Week 2: @ Cleveland Browns
Being point blank, the Ravens won this game because they played Cleveland. After starting off with a 20-2 lead in the first quarter, the Browns collapsed, allowing Baltimore to score 25 unanswered points. Once Browns quarterback Josh McCown got injured, Cleveland lost all of their momentum. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was able to find wide receiver Mike Wallace in the end zone twice and tight end Dennis Pitta proved to be a solid security blanket for Flacco. A bogus penalty called against the Browns put the final nail in the coffin and the Ravens were able to escape Cleveland with a win.
Result: Win, 25-20 (Record: 2-0)
Week 3: @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Justin Tucker proved his worth to Baltimore against the Jaguars. The Ravensā offense couldnāt get much going and were only able to find the end zone once in this game. At this point in the season, quarterback Joe Flacco led the Ravens in rushing touchdowns. Justin Tucker made four field goals in Jacksonville, including a 54-yard game-winner. Whenever Tucker took the field, Baltimore put more points on the scoreboard. The Ravensā defense played in spite of their offense as Zachary Orr, C.J. Mosley, and Tavon Young each recorded interceptions. Baltimoreās defense was also able to get four sacks against the Jaguars, with linebacker Terrell Suggs being responsible for two of them.
Result: Win, 19-17 (Record: 3-0)
Week 4: vs. Oakland Raiders
While the Ravens played their best football of 2016, they lost because their defense let up three scores in the red zone, with two of them going to Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree. Baltimoreās offensive line left Joe Flacco for dead, as he was evading Oakland defenders for the majority of the day. Ronnie Stanleyās presence on Flaccoās blind side was sorely missed, as Stanley had drastically improved Baltimoreās line.
Result: Loss, 28-27 (Record: 3-1)
Week 5: vs. Washington Redskins
Kirk Cousins threw an interception and Washington gained 17 yards from it, as C.J. Mosley fumbled the football in the end zone while trying to score a touchdown. That sums this game up in a nutshell. After the first drive of the game, Baltimoreās offense was virtually non-existent, as the Ravens were barely able to score 10 points. Although the Ravensā defense was able to force six punts and only allowed the Redskins to score one offensive touchdown, C.J. Mosley injured his hamstring following his embarrassing fumble. Offensive coordinator Marc Trestman was fired shortly after the conclusion of this game.
Result: Loss, 16-10 (Record: 3-2)
Week 6: @ New York Giants
Baltimoreās banged-up secondary will want to forget about this game, as Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. scorched them with eight receptions for 222 yards and two scores of 60 or more yards. Ravens running back Terrance West performed well, scoring two touchdowns. Joe Flacco threw some beautiful deep balls, but failed to throw a touchdown. Having five pro bowlers listed as inactive didnāt help Baltimore, either.
Result: Loss, 27-23 (Record: 3-3)
Week 7: @ New York Jets
Once again, the Ravens had a pitiful performance on offense, as quarterback Joe Flacco threw two ugly interceptions in the second half which resulted in 10 points for the Jets. Those 10 points would be the difference in this game, as Baltimore was shut out in the second half. The Jetsā front seven sent the Ravensā run game into oblivion, only allowing six total rushing yards. While the Ravensā front seven was able to rack up five sacks, they let Jets running back Matt Forte have a field day, allowing 100 rushing yards and a touchdown on 30 carries.
Result: Loss, 24-16 (Record: 3-4)
Week 8: BYE
Based on how the Ravens performed in the first half of the 2016 season, hereās how they should fare in their final nine games:
Week 9: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Both teams have been devastated by injuries and are on losing streaks. Something has to give. Since this is one of the NFLās most intense rivalries, this game should still come down to the wire. The winner of this game will be whoever is healthier. The Ravens have more key starters injured than the Steelers do.
Projected Result: Loss, 23-16 (Projected Record: 3-5)
Week 10: vs. Cleveland Browns
This has potential to be a trap game for Baltimore. Cleveland may be the worst team in the NFL, but they should still give the Ravens all they can handle in Week 10. Baltimore can find themselves on the wrong side of the scoreboard if they play down to the Brownsā level. The Ravens barely beat Cleveland with a clean bill of health in Week 2.
Projected Result: Win, 17-13 (Projected Record: 4-5)
Week 11: @ Dallas Cowboys
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott does a phenomenal job protecting the football as he has only thrown one interception so far in his NFL career. His running back, Ezekiel Elliot currently leads the NFL in rushing yards (703). Keep in mind these guys are both rookies. This is going to spell trouble for the Ravens, who recently had Odell Beckham, Jr. and Matt Forte make mincemeat of their defense.
Projected Result: Loss, 30-17 (Projected Record: 4-6)
Week 12: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Baltimore hasnāt been playing quality football in 2016. Luckily, Cincinnati hasnāt either. However, the Bengals still have wide receiver A.J. Green, who has been tearing up opposing defenses lately. Assuming Baltimore gets some of their defensive starters back, the Ravens have a legitimate shot of beating Cincinnati as long as Baltimoreās secondary holds Green in check.
Projected Result: Win, 17-14 (Projected Record: 5-6)
Week 13: vs. Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins have been a hard team to figure out this season. After looking like one of the worst teams in the NFL to start the season, Miami went on a two-game winning streak, taking down the Steelers and the Bills, who both have winning records so far in 2016. If Baltimoreās front seven can contain Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi, who rushed for 418 yards and three scores against Pittsburgh and Buffalo, the Ravens will win this game. Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill isnāt good enough to beat Baltimore with his arm alone.
Projected Result: Win, 23-19 (Projected Record: 6-6)
Week 14: @ New England Patriots
The Patriots are arguably the best team in the NFL right now. Even the commissioner, Roger Goodell, couldnāt stop the Patriots from winning despite suspending quarterback Tom Brady for the first four games of the season. Bill Belichick could go down as the best coach in NFL history. Not to mention New England has a dangerous one-two-punch with tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett. This game could get out of hand early.
Projected Result: Loss, 35-13 (Projected Record: 6-7)
Week 15: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Eagles rookie quarterback Carson Wentz is making the Los Angeles Rams and Cleveland Browns look foolish for not drafting him. If the Ravens can force turnovers from Wentz, they will have a chance to win, as Baltimoreās offense has been in an abyss this season.
Projected Result: Loss, 22-19 (Projected Record: 6-8)
Week 16: @ Pittsburgh Steelers
At least one of these teams should be fighting for a spot in the postseason at this point in the season. However, the one team fighting for a playoff spot will probably be the Steelers, who have a far superior offense to Baltimore. If the Ravensā defense is fully healthy, they should at least make this game competitive. Whether Baltimore is in the postseason race or not, they will stop at nothing to take down Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania.
Projected Result: Loss, 27-20 (Projected Record: 6-9)
Week 17: @ Cincinnati Bengals
Baltimore hasnāt won in Cincinnati since 2011. While this is a discouraging statistic, trends eventually break, except the Bengalsā inability to win a playoff game. Against all odds, this game has upset written all over it. Even if the Ravens miss the postseason, they would love to end the 2016 season on a high note by sweeping their AFC North foe.
Projected Result: Win, 23-17 (Projected Record: 7-9)
Final Record Prediction for 2016: 7-9
7-9 wonāt be good enough to win the AFC North or grab a Wild Card spot. If Baltimore misses the playoffs in 2016, it will be the third time in four seasons this has happened.
This will most like put both head coach John Harbaugh and quarterback Joe Flacco on the hot seat going into 2017. Baltimore needs to get younger as their most talented players on the roster are above the age of 30.
Veteran leadership is great, but injuries are not, which is becoming a common theme for older players such as Terrell Suggs, who has now been bitten by the injury bug two seasons in a row.
