Baltimore Beatdown
The Baltimore Ravens fell to 1-5 on Sunday with a 17-3 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Unlike their Week 5 showing against the Texans, there were actually some positives to take away from Baltimore’s performance, but as in any loss, there were still plenty of negatives. Let’s get into them!
Derrick Henry: One of the biggest issues with the Ravens offense in their recent losses was the lack of focus and rhythm in the running game, especially last week with a backup quarterback. On Sunday, the Ravens seemed absolutely intent on rectifying that. Henry was a focal point for much of the game, except for a goal-to-go situation before the half (more on that later) and a few pass-heavy drives in the fourth quarter. Henry had 24 carries for 122 yards, good for 5.1 yards per carry. The explosive gains weren’t there yet – his longest rush was only 12 yards – but it’s the best this run game has looked since Week 1. Hopefully the team can build off it going forward.
DeAndre Hopkins: He continues to see limited targets each week compared to his output, but it seems like he makes a spectacular catch every game. Some call it ‘vintage Hopkins’, but in reality, that version of him didn’t go anywhere. It will be great to see QB1 targeting him again soon.
Defense: It wasn’t clean. Heck, it probably wasn’t even good. But compared to how it’s been, this is the best the defense has looked all season outside of Week 2 against the Browns. They were aided heavily by missed throws, dropped passes, and Rams’ penalties, but the Ravens defense had some of the tightest coverage all season and finally managed to have some success against the run again. Matthew Stafford only passed for 181 yards, and the Rams only ran for 74 yards as a team. Even Marlon Humphrey looked better than his pre-injury form. The pass rush is still basically nonexistent despite the two sacks on the stat sheet, but so expect the Ravens may need to make some personnel and scheme changes during the bye week.
Tyler Loop: Loop passed another test on Sunday with the wind swirling at M&T Bank Stadium. He was only asked to make three kicks – a 37-yard field goal and two kickoffs – but he delivered all three times. Crucially, he drove the ball through the wind to avoid another kickoff penalty, something he struggled with early in the year.
LaJohntay Wester: Wester has been fairly consistent in his rookie season as the punt returner without dazzling the way he did in the preseason. But he was in the spotlight for the wrong reason on Sunday with a fumble on his first punt return. Luckily, it was called back due to a penalty. Wester bounced back on the re-punt with a 35-yard return that gave the Ravens their best field position of the day.
Lamar Jackson: The best part of this game came...
