Baltimore Beatdown
The Ravens took the worst loss of the season against the Chiefs in Week 4, and that’s saying something considering the others. Outside of Tyler Loop and a garbage time Justice Hill run, there’s nothing positive to say. So instead of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, all we’ve got is different levels of ugliness.
Derrick Henry usage: The Ravens forgot Derrick Henry existed, again. He had four rushing attempts in the first half, half of them coming on the first drive. It looked like they got back to the run game in the second half, but took Henry out on a 3rd and 1, where they were then stopped. Despite the success at running the ball, once again, Todd Monken and the offense couldn’t find the rhythm to keep it going and be impactful.
Play calling: Neither Todd Monken nor Zach Orr had a good day. As mentioned above, Monken completely abandoned the run once again. The Ravens specifically got Derrick Henry for the big games, the playoff-caliber contests, yet all too often, they forget to use him. Failing to run with Henry and then running a total of four play-action passes is not setting your team up for success. Lamar Jackson wasn’t set up for success against the Chiefs’ blitz packages, either, and it hurt him, physically and schematically.
On the other side, Orr can’t seem to get the defense on track. There have been no adjustments made at any point this year, both in-game or from week-to-week. That cannot continue amid so many injuries. The outside linebackers and edge rushers are playing middle linebacker at an alarming rate despite the fact that the team has five inside linebackers on its roster. None of Sunday made sense.
Lamar Jackson: People have noticed that Lamar Jackson hasn’t been running a lot since Week 1. When he has, he seems to have lacked his trademark speed and shiftiness. Today, he missed a large chunk of the second half for a hamstring injury, his right leg being wrapped by a trainer on the sideline. Before that, he had one of his worst games in a while. He threw his first interception of the season, took another three sacks (after seven vs. Detroit), and fumbled on a scramble. Jackson stayed on the sideline after his injury, so it doesn’t appear to be long-term, but he is expected to miss a few games. When he’s back, he will quickly need to return to MVP-caliber play and elevate this team to pull them out of this hole if they even want to make the playoffs, much less have a chance at the division.
Marlon Humphrey: While most of the defense could be called out, Marlon Humphrey has earned special attention. This is one of the highest-paid players on this defense and one of it biggest leaders. But so far this season, he has been one of the Ravens’ biggest liabilities. He has gotten burned multiple times...
