With the Ravens aiming to avoid their first 0-3 start since 2015 in a road clash with Dallas on Sunday afternoon, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. Kyle Hamilton doesn’t believe “it’s time to pull the fire alarm yet” while Odafe Oweh said it’s about needing to “get our pride back.” There was much talk about how well the winless Ravens practiced this week, but a victory is what matters. An 0-3 start would alter perceptions drastically.
2. Offensive line changes begin with what you believe will work, which is why second-round rookie Roger Rosengarten should start at right tackle. John Harbaugh’s recent Ben Cleveland assessment makes it difficult to anticipate he’d immediately replace Daniel Faalele at right guard, which leaves Patrick Mekari or Josh Jones. We’ll see.
3. The Dallas defense suffocated Cleveland in Week 1 before being pummeled to the tune of 44 points and 190 rushing yards against surprising New Orleans. If the Ravens can’t consistently run the ball between the tackles against a defensive front under much fire, you wonder when they can against anyone.
4. Zach Orr admits he “could’ve done things differently” last week when asked about the defense not being aggressive with a blitz rate ranking 25th and a pressure rate ranking 27th through two weeks. Putting consistent heat on Dak Prescott is key for a pass rush that’s been feast or famine.
5. The Ravens have played more man coverage than anticipated, and CeeDee Lamb has feasted with 118 yards against man looks, per Pro Football Focus. Shutting down the run is great, but making opponents predictable doesn’t matter if you can’t stop the pass. Lamb could be their biggest test yet.
6. After having their hands full with Chris Jones and Maxx Crosby, the Ravens must deal with the dynamic Micah Parsons, who is a threat to move all over the front. If you haven’t noticed by now, there’s a challenge every week, especially when your offensive line is a real liability.
7. No matter the opponent or game flow, an offense with the greatest rushing quarterback in NFL history and Derrick Henry ranking 24th in play-action rate is puzzling. Todd Monken is being forced to consider pass protection more than last year, which is even more reason to use more play fakes.
8. I’m not big on spending significant resources at running back, but the Cowboys entering a season with a well-past-his-prime Ezekiel Elliott, two former rookie free agents, and a 2023 sixth-round pick was markedly worse than Baltimore’s offensive line plan this offseason. Dallas running with any effectiveness would be quite surprising.
9. One of the pivotal matchups will be Nnamdi Madubuike and Travis Jones going up against the Cowboys’ interior line featuring two Pro Bowl guards and rookie center Cooper Beebe, who’s held his own in pass protection. Jones has been one of Baltimore’s best defensive players thus far.
10. Per Sharp Football, the Ravens rank 31st in the league with 11 plays of 20 or more yards allowed and 26th in success rate against pass plays. The offensive line was always likely to be a concern, but the pass defense has too much talent to continue being this leaky.
11. I’ll maintain reports of Justin Tucker’s demise being greatly exaggerated, but Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey is 13-for-13 on field goals from 50 or more yards and 44-for-46 overall since the start of last season. You can thank me later for pointing that out when Aubrey misses a critical kick Sunday.
12. Lamar Jackson has played good football overall, but he hasn’t yet played MVP-caliber football. At 0-2 and facing tough opponents in each of the next three weeks, the Ravens need Jackson at his very best to weather this early-season storm. He is 20-1 in career starts against NFC teams.
Prediction: Though the Ravens played the Raiders last week, I’ll borrow their late owner’s mission statement to sum up Baltimore’s current level of urgency: “Just win, baby.” We’ve heard the factoids about how 0-2 teams rarely qualify for the playoffs, but such lopsided numbers are driven by the many bad teams that regularly begin seasons with two losses. I still believe this is going to be a really good team, but dropping another game to fall to 0-3 would prompt more serious questions and concerns about what’s going on between the ears and under the hood for a group that was a win away from going to the Super Bowl eight months ago. Though we’ve talked ad nauseam about this era of Ravens football being judged solely on January, you still need to play well enough to get there. Run the ball with your $9 million running back against a porous Dallas rush defense, clean up your pass defense, cut down the penalties, and finish off a victory to be able to exhale on the flight home Sunday. I expect the Ravens to do that in a 23-17 win over the Cowboys. If they don’t, I’ll be looking for the fire alarm.
