Various thoughts on various things, all in 50 words or less:
I understand why the Ravens aren't wasting their time with framing Sunday's game against Tennessee as a "Revenge Bowl." A win wouldn't erase the fact that they lost to the Titans in the playoffs last season as the AFC's top seed. Playoff implications in 2020 are a bigger concern now.
But while the above may be true, human nature is what it is and I'm guessing some in the organization and many fans would enjoy seeing the Ravens deal the Titans a blow, yes, simply for the sake of doing it, with those 2020 implications added for good measure.
It's ironic and then some that the front office's top offseason priority was to bulk up the defensive front seven because of what Tennessee's Derrick Henry did in the playoffs, only now, with a rematch looming, that front seven is dealing with injury issues.
By my estimation, only one of the five spots on the offensive line is a lock Sunday: the left tackle will be Orlando Brown Jr., whose switch from the right side has gone well. Anything is possible at the other four positions. Look for the reveal during pregame warmups.
Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman certainly raised eyebrows with his comment that his unit would "forge a new identity" without injured tight end Nick Boyle. But I don't think it means (as some have suggested) that Lamar Jackson will just start chucking the ball all over the field.
Rather, my hunch is the "new identity" might include a bit less straight-ahead power, a bit more pace of play, more opportunities for Jackson to run and/or improvise and more touches for ascending players such as Devin Duvernay and Gus Edwards.
Just want to add my voice to those who shamed the beyond-lame social media onslaught Matt Skura received after his rough night snapping the ball against the Patriots. Bringing his wife and child into it? Something is wrong with anyone who does that.
While the Ravens surely are frustrated that they rank No. 5 in the league in penalties, they might be more frustrated about the lack of penalties being called on their opponents. According to nflpenalties.com, only one team (Houston) has seen fewer penalties called against its opponents in 2020.
Although Yannick Ngakoue has registered zero sacks and one quarterback hit in three games with the Ravens, sometimes numbers don't tell the entire story. He adds a level of speed the pass rush was lacking. I'm still expecting the Ravens to do whatever they can to keep him going forward.
Yes, the Ravens' stretch-drive schedule contains several winnable games against teams likely to have high draft picks next spring (Cowboys, Jaguars, Giants). But they also still have to play all three AFC North rivals on the road, and even with home-field advantage waning in the league, that's a challenge.
