Concerns? What concerns?
Nothing was ever going to live up to the excitement of last year, in the regular season at least.
There was a lot of doom and gloom surrounding the Baltimore Ravens going into the season given how many players they lost after losing in the AFC Championship game.
There is definitely still a need to improve on defense, but it has shown signs of life.
The other major concern was on the offensive line, having lost 60% of the starting line in free agency. In particular the interior looked shaky, with both guards leaving.
But the line has stood up to what has been thrown at it.
The Ravens have allowed 22 sacks – fourth fewest in the league – and it has enabled Lamar Jackson to have his best season as a pro.
Bare in mind this is a player with two MVPs already.
Jacksons not MVP, but…
I am not going to make the argument that Jackson should win the MVP.
But, barring injury or a big drop off, Jackson will post career highs in completion percentage (68.1%), touchdowns (34), passing yards (3,580), yards per attempt (8.9), yards per game (255.7) and quarterback rating (120.7).
He has also had a career low in sacks (21) and interceptions (3).
And while it will not be his career high, Jackson will likely record his most rushing yards since 2020.
The Ravens are explosive too, with the highest average passing play yardage in the league (8.8) and the third most passing yards in the league.
This is all supported by Derrick Henry – and Justice Hill – in the running game. The Ravens still have the second most rushing yards, and the most overall.
While discipline has been a big concern of mine all season, that does not include offensive ball security. The Ravens have only allowed 10 turnovers all season – fourth best in the league.
Bigger challenges lie ahead
We started off by talking about the offensive line, and that will be severely put to the test during the run in.
T.J. Watt and the Pittsburgh Steelers, as well as Myles Garrett and the Cleveland Browns, are still due to visit M&T Bank this season.
If the Ravens can continue to balance explosivity and discipline on offense, it will not take a big leap from the defense for them to be competitive in January.
First things first, they need to continue their form while managing Watt and co. to keep the division dream alive.
