No matter how bad the Steelers have looked so far this season, they find themselves 2-2 and one game out of first place in the AFC North. And, wouldn't you know it, the first-place Ravens are up next on the schedule.
Here's a snapshot of what the Ravens bring into Week 5:
BALTIMORE RAVENS
Record: 3-1
Standing: First, AFC North
Last result: Won over Browns, 28-3
THE TREND
The AFC North has been a bit unpredictable this season. The Steelers are, well, we've talked at length about all their issues. The Browns have a good roster, but Nick Chubb's loss will hurt them badly. The Bengals look nothing like the AFC powerhouse they were thought to be. That leaves the Ravens, who are really the only team in the division that's shown any kind of consistency through the first four weeks of the season.
That's not very surprising, given the long-term consistency of the Ravens organization. They're always in the running for the division, and the aforementioned consistency starts with head coach John Harbaugh. However, the Ravens went into the 2023 season with a goal of becoming more productive on offense, which led to the hire of Todd Monken as offensive coordinator. And, with a 3-1 record, the Ravens are certainly off to a great start.
The Ravens have logged wins against the Texans, Bengals and Browns, and their only loss was at the hands of the Colts in overtime. Those victories over the Bengals and Browns were both on the road, and this Sunday's game is in Pittsburgh. That means Baltimore will have all of their road division games out of the way by Week 5, and have a chance for a clean sweep.
“Well, it’s a good start. It's a good start," Harbaugh said this week. "We have all these AFC North road games on our schedule right away, and that’s an opportunity, and our guys have taken advantage of that so far. Now we’re going to go to Pittsburgh next week. So, in 24 hours, and then we have to get locked in on Pittsburgh, because we’re going to have to be a better football team than we were this week to go to Pittsburgh and win next week, and that’ll be our goal and our mission.”
THE QUARTERBACK
By this point, we all know who Lamar Jackson is. Ultimately, it comes down to the fact that Jackson is the heartbeat of the Ravens' offense, and it operates most effectively when he is not only on the field but also in peak physical condition. Yes, it's still early, but Jackson has been healthy so far, and has looked a lot like the player that won MVP in 2019.
Jackson is off to a great start this season, boasting a 74.3% completion rate, well above his career average of 64.4%. He's tossed four touchdown passes and just one interception, resulting in a solid 104.2 passer rating. Jackson's passer rating has only exceeded 100.0 once in his career, which occurred during his MVP season. While his mobility is no secret, he's also shown the ability to make accurate throws on the move:
— DK Pittsburgh Sports (@DKPSvideos) October 4, 2023
Of course, Jackson is a central part of the Ravens' running game. So far, he's racked up 220 yards on 41 carries, and added four touchdowns on the ground. It's also worth noting that 17 of his 41 carries have moved the chains. His mobility keeps defenses honest in run defense and pass coverage, and they also extend drives.
However, the Steelers have found a way to keep Jackson in check throughout his career. Jackson's only 2-3 in the five games he's faced Pittsburgh, and thrown only four touchdowns to six interceptions. His 67.4 passer rating against the Steelers is the lowest of the 29 different opponents he's faced over his six NFL seasons.
Jackson's not been good against the Steelers, but the Steelers are playing some of the worst football they ever have under Mike Tomlin. Something's got to give this Sunday.
THE OFFENSE
Given his history of running an Air Raid offense, Monken's hiring as offensive coordinator raised some questions on how much Baltimore would deviate from such a run-heavy system.
However, it certainly doesn't appear Monken has done a complete overhaul of what the Ravens did previously. Running the football, predominantly using gap concepts, is still a significant part of Baltimore's offensive identity. Even Browns' linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah said after this past Sunday's game, "Literally, gap-scheme and just execute." Baltimore has maintained plenty of success on the ground, averaging 151.3 yards per game, which ranks fourth in the NFL.
However, Monken still deploys plenty of concepts that hunt for explosive plays. That doesn't only include shots downfield, but finds ways to stress defenses laterally to create space for his playmakers. While world class tight end Mark Andrews is an obvious and dangerous threat, rookie receiver Zay Flowers has quickly become a formidable weapon in this part of the offense. Then, factoring in Jackson's mobility, plays like this are becoming more and more likely in Monken's offense:
— DK Pittsburgh Sports (@DKPSvideos) October 4, 2023
During his Tuesday press conference, Tomlin went on for more than 60 seconds praising Flowers, saying, "Not surprised that he's having the type of success that he's having. I personally have seen a lot of him. His tangible talents are one thing and those are obvious. He's got really good speed, short area burst, change of direction and body control and those things. ... He is fearless. He runs into dark places at full speed. He's combative in his play. That's probably the platform that provides him with an opportunity to make the type of plays that he makes. He will not be intimidated. He is combative and competitive in all circumstances."
One stat that really jumps out about this offense is its success in critical conversions -- the weighty downs, if you will. The Ravens currently rank fifth in the NFL with a 47.4% success rate on third down, and they lead the NFL with a staggering 80.0% success rate in the red zone. Playing a "bend but don't break" defense against Baltimore would be an awfully bold choice given how successful the Ravens have been once they get inside the 20-yard line.
THE DEFENSE
Of course, it's impossible to talk about the Ravens and not talk about defense. Despite initial concerns about their performance, particularly in the face of injuries, this defensive unit has showcased itself as one of the league's best in the first four weeks of the season.
Heading into Week 5, the Ravens rank third with 168.3 passing yards allowed per game, seventh with 92.5 rushing yards allowed per game, third with 14.5 points allowed per game, and they clamp down on teams in the red zone, giving up only three touchdowns in 10 trips. And despite not having an elite edge rusher, they've also logged 15 sacks as a team. Only three teams have more, as the Bills, Seahawks and Chargers all have 16 sacks.
Obviously, the Ravens have some household names on their defense, highlighted by Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen as perhaps the best off-ball linebacker duo in the league. However, the success on defense really has been a collective effort in every aspect. That's set the stage for any player to step up at any time, including safety Kyle Hamilton setting a Ravens record with three sacks in one half against the Colts:
— DK Pittsburgh Sports (@DKPSvideos) October 4, 2023
The Ravens' success in shutting down the passing game is indicative of how well they've been able to fight through injuries. All-Pro cornerback Marlon Humphrey hasn't even played a game yet due to a foot injury, yet free-agent signing Rock Ya-Sin has stepped up in his absence and been quite good. Geno Stone has also stepped up in place of safety Marcus Williams, and been highly productive with 21 tackles, two passes defensed and two interceptions.
The Ravens are strongest in the middle of their defense, which obviously poses a huge problem for the Steelers. The few explosive plays the Steelers have executed have been over the middle. Smith, Queen, Stone and Hamilton is a formidable enough group to keep everything outside the numbers. That's Matt Canada's bread and butter anyway, but we've also seen how ineffective that type of offense is for two-plus seasons now.
THE SPECIAL TEAMS
Everything on special teams with the Ravens begins and ends with Justin Tucker. The five-time All-Pro has been the most accurate and dangerous kicker for a long time. In a surprising turn of events, Tucker's missed two of his six field goal attempts this season, including one from inside 40 yards. That 66.7% is far below his 90.2% career average. However, expecting him to be anything less than what we've seen for over a decade is foolish. Devin Duvernay handles both the kick and punt return duties, and more dangerous in the latter. He's averaging 11.8 yards per return on punts with a long of 31 yards.
THE INJURY REPORT
• Marlon Humphrey, CB (foot) -- Humphrey has yet to play this season, and he was a non-participant in practice all last week. His participation level will certainly be something to watch this week, as Humphrey is a game-changing cornerback.
• Marcus Williams, S (pectoral) -- Williams' absence against the Browns was a bit of a surprise, coming off back-to-back full practices last week. It seems he's trending back toward a return, but this week's participation will paint a clearer picture. Stone has been filling in for Williams, and, as previously mentioned, has been highly productive.
• Odell Beckham, Jr., WR (ankle) -- Beckham's missed two straight games now, and didn't practice at all last week. Not a positive sign for being close to a return. Flowers has stepped into the No. 1 role at receiver, while Nelson Agholor and Duvernay have also stepped up into larger roles in Beckham's absence.
• Rashod Bateman, WR (hamstring) -- Like Beckham, Bateman missed last week's game after not practicing all last week, so his participation in practice this week is something to watch. Bateman and Beckham being out certainly hurts the Ravens' receiving corps. To reiterate, Flowers, Agholor and Duvernay aren't a bad trio to pick up the slack.
• Ronnie Stanley, OT (knee) -- The Ravens' All-Pro tackle has only played one game this season due to his sprained knee, and was listed as DOUBTFUL heading into last week's game in Cleveland. Patrick Mekari has been filling in at left tackle for Stanley.
• Morgan Moses, OT (shoulder) -- Moses left Sunday's game against the Browns, leaving the Ravens without both of their starting tackles. His availability in practice is something to monitor this week. Daniel Faalele took over at right tackle when Moses left the game.
• Odafe Oweh, LB (ankle) -- The Ravens' primary rusher has now missed two straight games. Jadeveon Clowney started in his place against the Browns.
• Jalyn Armour-Davis, CB (hamstring) -- Armour-Davis left Sunday's game against the Browns due to a hamstring injury. He operates exclusively on special teams, so his potential absence shouldn't have a major impact on Baltimore's defensive scheme.
• Daryl Worley, CB (shoulder) -- Worley left Sunday's game against the Browns, and had a pass defensed before leaving the game. He's a depth option at safety, but his absence could weaken that depth if Williams remains out this week.
• J.K. Dobbins, RB (Achilles) -- Dobbins tore his Achilles in the season opener. He was subsequently placed on IR, and is out for the season.
QUOTABLE
“The message (to the team) is, ‘It’s a week-to-week league. What you think you [saw] last week doesn’t really mean anything for this week.’ When you look at the games, you’d have to agree with that. Look at last week compared to the week before. So, to draw any real conclusions right now, other than records ... Our records are what they are right now. [We are] only four weeks in. There are only four chapters that have been written. We have to write Chapter 5. That’s all we have to think about right now, is writing Chapter 5 for us. Whatever anybody else does or doesn’t do is really no concern of ours. We just have to focus on Chapter 5, which is a division game in Pittsburgh, playing the Pittsburgh Steelers, and we understand what they’re about, what they stand for [and] what kind of football team they are. We know what it takes to go play that team, and we respect them. We’re going to have to be at our best, so all we have to think about is going in there and being our best. That’s all we have to think about.” -- John Harbaugh on facing the Steelers after their lopsided loss to Houston
“I have nothing special. No special thoughts. They’re just in the way of what we need to do. We’ve got to take over the division (and this) is another division game. Obviously, it’s a big rivalry. We’re just trying to go 1-0. I’m not making it anything special. I've got to clean up some things from last week. Obviously a little bit of extra motivation but the biggest thing is for us to play well on all three phases and win the game.” -- Arthur Maulet on facing the Steelers for the first time since signing with Baltimore
"You talk about what kind of team that they are. The defensive front is obviously physical [and] tough, all those things you expect from a Pittsburgh defense. At the end of the day when you have two teams like this, and you have that rivalry, it's something that you always have to bring your lunch because it's a tough game. No matter if the team is doing really well or not, it's going to be a good game." -- Mark Andrews on what makes the Steelers' defense special
"I don't know. I just said that, too – 'It's different when we play the Steelers.' Hopefully, it's a different outcome this season. I don't know what it is, but hopefully it's different right now." -- Lamar Jackson on his subpar numbers against the Steelers
"A lot of memories. It's home, basically, to me. I played my last-ever high school football game in [Acrisure Stadium]. My first-ever NFL game I went to [was the 2008] Ravens-Steelers AFC Championship. Just a lot of things go through my mind. I have a lot of memories there. So, going back home … It's always good to go back and play." -- Geno Stone, native of New Castle, Pa., on playing in Pittsburgh
