The Baltimore Ravens are going through quite the roller coaster of emotions in the 2022 PML season. Starting out 0-5, they are now on the bounce-back and improved their record to 2-5.
One of those wins was in their first divisional matchup of the season, and they certainly wanted to make a statement. Toppling the Cincinnati Bengals with a 34-0 victory may have shown some light under the new head coach, Yoy Mehoy.
We have noticed a positive shift in playcalling, play execution, and news coverage since the new coach made himself at home in Baltimore. While the team still shows some of its old ways from earlier in the season, they have practically scored more points in the last 3 weeks than they did for the preseason and regular season combined.
Let’s take a look at both the good and the bad takeaways we have from the 34-0 win in week 7.
The Good
- Rashod Bateman didn’t miss a beat
– The 2021 first round draft pick began his career on the sidelines due to an injury. This week 7 game was his first official game as a Baltimore Raven, & he was certainly looking to prove himself. The wide receiver tallied 95 yards and a touchdown in his debut. - Lamar is finding his legs
– We all know that Lamar Jackson is electric on the field. Probably one of the most elusive players in the league, he is well known as a nightmare for defensive coordinators. Through the first 5 weeks of the season, Jackson was attempting to stay in the pocket and beat teams with his arm. While this isn’t so bad for his longevity in the PML, it certainly adds some pressure to his defense with his 21 interceptions in the season so far.
In week 7, Jackson displayed a confidence that we haven’t seen this year. He was juking defenders, rolling out to force linebackers to commit, and even throwing the ball accurately in full stride. If Lamar can keep this up, I see them potentially taking the division with their high powered offense alone. - Patrick Queen emerged as a superstar
– 2020 1st round pick Patrick Queen has 3 picks in the last two games. One of those picks reached the endzone. After a slow start to the season, Queen is now finding himself all over the field; in pass coverage, on the line of scrimmage, and even reached the QB one time for a clutch sack vs the Chargers.
The Bad
- Turnovers Continue
– Lamar Jackson averages a little over 4 picks a game. Granted, the average is getting lower since Coach Mehoy joined Baltimore… but at this rate Lamar Jackson will hit the 35 interception mark by week 13. Coach Mehoy has to have a talk with Jackson on his ball security leading up to these next few games. - Redzone Offense is Atrocious
– Two times that Baltimore reached the endzone, there was an interception. Baltimore, especially against Cincinnati, seemed to charge down the field with ease. Once the field shortened…. bad things would tend to happen. We are unsure if there is a playcall issue or a play execution issue, but something must be figured out before they have another nail biter game.
The Ugly
- Injuries Continue to Plague them
– JK Dobbins is unable to play at all this entire season. Enough said. On top of that, key interior defender L.J. Fort also continues to struggle with recovering his injury. Until these injuries are settled and we see Dobbins under Coach Mehoy’s wing, we will never know the true strength of the Baltimore Ravens.
