The Rise of the Ravens
By Peyton Schultze
A blistering hot start on offense from quarterback Lamar Jackson has all eyes on the Ravens early in the season (via Flipboard).
Often times, it is easy to take some early-season NFL performances with a grain of salt. Whether it be labeling the Cowboys as the favorite in the NFC or declaring the Browns to be terrible once again after one loss, there have been plenty of overreactions to start the NFL’s 100th season.
But not in Baltimore. Even though both of their early season wins have come against weaker opponents in the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals, the Baltimore Ravens have put together a ridiculous two-week display of revolutionary football that should have other teams nervous around the league. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ early season success does not look like it will be labeled as an overreaction over the course of the season. Instead, it could be the beginning of their descent into becoming one of the league’s legitimate Super Bowl contenders, led by a consistently good head coach and a quarterback that just looks like he is beginning to scratch the surface of his potential.
After many predicted them to take a step back after a surprising season in 2018, the Ravens look poised to emerge as a threat to the Patriots and Chiefs in the AFC (via Dan Kubus/Getty Images).
Labeled as the season’s early season MVP through two weeks, quarterback Lamar Jackson has led this Ravens’ offense to a superb start and has looked purely amazing through his first two starts this season. A week after posting 324 passing yards, five touchdowns, and a perfect quarterback rating against the lowlife Dolphins, Jackson followed up his effort with another awesome stat line against the Cardinals. With 272 passing yards, 120 rushing yards, and two touchdowns, Jackson became the first player in league history with 250+ passing yards and 120+ rushing yards in a single regular season game (via ESPN).
A year ago, despite leading the Ravens to the playoffs on top of the AFC North, Jackson looked like a player with some real offensive skills that just needed some time to develop. This year, however, Jackson looks to have taken his game to the next level by developing as a legit passer to go along with his ridiculous moves with his legs. By drafting wide receiver Hollywood Brown out of Oklahoma in the offseason and having second year tight end Mark Andrews take his game to the next level, Jackson has some real targets that have been able to thrive with him under center so far this season. With a unique gameplan that was expected to be able to establish the run by using Jackson and offseason addition Mark Ingram, the Ravens have shocked many around the league with their dynamic passing game that has Jackson looking like one of the best players in football right now. For instance, in seven regular season starts last season (6-1 record, before falling to the Chargers in the AFC Wild Card Round), Jackson only ended up throwing for six passing touchdowns despite leading the Ravens to the playoffs. This year, in two games, Jackson already has seven passing touchdowns and looks like an evolved passer with a nice touch on his deep ball and plenty of crisp throws on the mark in the middle of the field. If this is the kind of leap that Jackson was able to take in one offseason, is there really any limit for the former Heisman Trophy winner out of Louisville?
As gifted as any player at the position in recent memory, Lamar Jackson is already one of the most exciting players to watch in all of football (via Flipboard).
A lot of the credit to how good Baltimore has looked to start the season belongs to head coach John Harbaugh and the entire Ravens’ front office. After an offseason that featured some key loses on the defensive side of the ball with the departure of players such as CJ Mosley and Terrell Suggs, Harbaugh and Baltimore’s front office responded by signing players such as Ingram and veteran safety Earl Thomas, formerly of the Seattle Seahawks. Both players have contributed on their side of the ball, with the Ravens’ defense also looking like a dangerous unit once again. After ranking second in the NFL in points per game (17.9) on the defensive side of the ball in 2018, the Ravens’ defense again looks very solid and has held their last two opponents to under 20 points. If the Ravens can continue this winning formula of shutting down opposing offense to compliment a suddenly dynamic offense, the Ravens can beat absolutely any team in the league on any given Sunday.
Which brings us to the Ravens’ Week 3 opponent on the road in form of the explosive Kansas City Chiefs. Last season, the Ravens and Chiefs squared off in one of the year’s best games. Kansas City ultimately prevailed in that game, led by a crazy performance by Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes who pulled together some of his most memorable highlights from his MVP campaign last season. However, the Ravens’ defense did hold Mahomes and the dynamic Chiefs to only 27 points in a crushing overtime loss, which brings some hope coming into next weekend’s highlighted matchup versus a star studded Kansas City team. If Jackson and the Ravens can continue their recent hot stretch against one of the league’s best teams in the Chiefs, the Ravens could officially open some eyes as a real threat to capture the Lombardi Trophy this season.
The Ravens could make a statement to the NFL this upcoming weekend with a win over the Kansas City Chiefs (via Flipboard).
In order to beat the Chiefs on the road in Week 3, the Ravens will need all hands on deck for what is sure to be one of the league’s marquee early season matchups. In a battle of last year’s MVP versus one of the league’s most improved players so far this season, Mahomes versus Jackson could be a worthy bout capable of going the distance in a back and forth fight. Look for both quarterbacks to have special performances on Sunday in what is shaping up to be a very high profile game that everyone will surely be watching.
Jackson and the Ravens have a glaring opportunity to prove that they are the real deal to the rest of the league this weekend, especially after catching everyone’s attention after two dominant wins. Baltimore will face some major criticism over their first two wins against bad teams if they happen to drop the ball against Kansas City in Week 3, so look for the fearless Ravens to come out hot and hungry to beat one of the major contenders in the conference to get to Miami for the Super Bowl this year. All eyes will be on Lamar Jackson and the Ravens on Sunday; will they fall at the hands of a mighty team or rise to the occasion and pull off a big early-season upset?