With the Ravens aiming to begin a long homestand with their fourth consecutive win as Indianapolis comes to town, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. Leading the NFL in yards per completion (14.4) by a full yard and in average depth of target by a wide margin, Lamar Jackson is on pace for over 4,300 passing yards and 1,100 rushing yards before even considering the 17th game. Be sure to savor watching this guy.
2. An offseason idea for improving the passing game was throwing more frequently on first down. After passing on first down 37% of the time last season, the Ravens have thrown on 55% of first downs these last two weeks, per SharpFootballStats.com. You don’t have to establish the run for play-action.
3. We’ll get a better idea closer to Monday, but Alejandro Villanueva not playing would be an unsettling thought. Do you move Patrick Mekari to the left side or again trust 34-year-old Andre Smith? The latter was initially released when Baltimore made its roster cuts — from 85 players to 80.
4. Though indicating he didn’t give much thought to returning to Indianapolis this offseason, Justin Houston had nothing bad to say about the team with which he spent the last two seasons. That said, the 32-year-old is currently just 1 1/2 sacks shy of 100 for his excellent career.
5. Considering the up-and-down play of the left guard rotation of Ben Powers and Ben Cleveland, you’d expect All-Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to try to exploit that matchup as much as possible. Defensive end Tyquan Lewis (below) is another name to watch off the edge.
Still laughing at this play pic.twitter.com/ApgdEI74mo
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6. The Indianapolis offensive line is in a bad place with three-time All-Pro left guard Quenton Nelson currently on injured reserve. This sets up to be another big week for Calais Campbell in the trenches.
7. It’s been a couple rough seasons for Carson Wentz, but he was two-point conversions away from last-second comebacks against Baltimore in 2016 and 2020. In other words, there’s no excuse for the Ravens to overlook the embattled quarterback despite his 2017 MVP candidacy in Philadelphia feeling like a lifetime ago.
8. Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines combined for 99 catches for 781 yards and five touchdowns last season and have made 25 receptions for 205 yards in 2021. Between the running backs’ receiving ability and Frank Reich’s propensity for calling RPOs (run-pass options), Ravens inside linebackers will remain under scrutiny.
9. Many asked about Eric DeCosta pursuing cornerback Stephon Gilmore or inside linebacker Jaylon Smith, but only $2 million in salary cap space — after numerous restructures already — made for a non-starter. Baltimore hasn’t even been carrying a full 53-man roster while trying to preserve some cap room here and there.
10. Haloti Ngata will take his rightful place in the Ring of Honor as the best defensive tackle in Ravens history. The five-time Pro Bowl selection’s size and athleticism made him a tremendous player, but I’ll always remember his arrival calming a strained time between Ray Lewis and the organization.
11. The Colts returning to town hasn’t generated much buzz for years, but the city should never forget, especially when a team that’s accomplished plenty in Indianapolis still insists on passing off Baltimore’s football tradition as its own. “Keeping” that history was wrong 35 years ago and still is today.
12. Speaking of uniforms, the Ravens will wear black jerseys with purple pants for just the second time after debuting that look in the Week 17 win over Cleveland to clinch the AFC North in 2018. Of their many alternate looks, this combination is easily my favorite.
