Ravens or Chiefs? Pundits Debate Which Is AFC's Best Team
The two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs are 5-0 and have one of the league's top defenses. The Ravens (4-2), who had the best regular-season record in the NFL last season, are riding a four-game winning streak and own the league's most potent offense.
So who is the best team in the AFC right now? “The Good Morning Football” crew debated the topic, and the results were mixed.
Isaiah Stanback is all in on Baltimore because of the lethal one-two punch of quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry.
"We knew it was going to be a matter of time before they figured out how to work both of those guys into the system and it seems like they have done so," Stanback said.
Akbar Gbajabiamila maintained that the Chiefs, who beat the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game and this year's season opener, are still the best because of their stout defense.
Stanback pushed back.
"They're not stopping the Ravens right now," Stanback said. "The way in which they have figured out how to get the running game going with King Henry and have the dual-threat ability of Lamar Jackson. Earlier in the season when those [teams] faced, they hadn't figured it out yet. They literally were just coming out of training camp."
Jamie Erdahl also went with the Ravens, and not just because of Jackson and Henry.
"I'm in on the Ravens and it's because of [wide receiver] Zay Flowers," she said. "It's supporting cast members like that who make the Baltimore Ravens a great team right now, and you need multiple options if you're Lamar Jackson, who can run the ball, who can throw the ball. Mark Andrews. Isaiah Likely. I don't care who it is. Zay Flowers perhaps. That's why I'm in."
Peter Schrager backed the Chiefs, leaving Kyle Brandt to break the tie. However, Brandt contended that neither the Chiefs nor the Ravens are the AFC's best, but that the Houston Texans (5-1) are.
Meanwhile on ESPN's "PTI," Michael Wilbon was bullish on Baltimore.
"If Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson are healthy, they're going to supplant the Kansas City Chiefs this year in the AFC. They just are," he said. "Because they are that dynamic, they are that unstoppable. I realize Kansas City's defense is formidable. What a great game that would be in Baltimore or Kansas City.
"But to me … [Henry] is completely unstoppable. He breaks the spirit and the will of the opposing defense, and for that, playing with Lamar Jackson, I got the Baltimore Ravens in my No. 1 slot in the NFL today."
Stats Reflect How Henry's 'Body Blows' Wear Down Defenses
To Wilbon's point about Henry, it's often been said that his punishing running style takes such a toll on defenders that they are no match for the bruising back in the fourth quarter.
The stats back it up. According to Analytics expert Tej Seth of SumerSports, Henry is more efficient in the fourth quarter than he is in the first or second quarter this season. (Henry is most effective in the third quarter.)
ESPN's Ben Solak said defenses have zero interest in tackling Henry in the fourth quarter.
"The more game time passes, the better he gets," Solak wrote. "Each of the Ravens' past two wins have featured dagger runs by Henry late in the game.
"The effect of cumulative 'body blows' in the rushing game is something often cited by coaches but rarely measurable in data. The one back for whom the impact is clear and obvious is Henry."
Fox Sports analyst Tom Brady named Henry one of his top three stars of the week for the third time this season.
"What an unbelievable year he's had," Brady said. "Derrick has been literally a perfect fit in Baltimore. They started 0-2 and now they're 4-2, and Derrick is a huge reason why. He leads the league in rushing and touchdowns. That's the way to play winning football."
Ravens Offensive Line Named Best of Week 6 by PFF
The Ravens offensive line continues to perform at a higher level than many observers expected before the start of the season.
The unit, led by starters Tyler Linderbaum (center), Ronnie Stanley (left tackle), rookie Roger Rosengarten (right tackle), Daniel Faalele (right guard), and Patrick Mekari (left guard), was named Offensive Line of the Week by Pro Football Focus. The Ravens are the only team to earn the honor twice this season.
"The Ravens once again dominated on the ground, averaging 4.8 yards per carry in the win over the Washington Commanders, but they also excelled in pass protection," PFF’s Gordon McGuinness wrote.
For the season, PFF ranked the Ravens offensive line as the 10th-best in the league.
"Right guard Daniel Faalele had one of the best games of his career in pass protection," PFF's Zoltan Buday wrote. "The Minnesota product did not allow a single pressure in the team's win over the Washington Commanders and earned an 88.1 PFF pass-blocking grade in the process, which ranked second among all guards in the NFL this week."
Linderbaum was recognized as the Ravens' best offensive lineman.
"Linderbaum's 85.9 PFF overall grade places second among 33 centers in the NFL who have played at least 130 snaps this season," Buday wrote.
On a sidenote, Flowers was named to PFF's Team of the Week.
Minnesota Offensive Tackle Mocked to Ravens
Speaking of the offensive line and Minnesota tackles, ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid has the Ravens selecting Minnesota offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery with the 27th-overall pick in his mock draft.
"Baltimore loves massive offensive linemen who overwhelm defenders at the point of attack. Ersery is just that, even though his game is still raw," Reid wrote. "He plays with a physical attitude as a run blocker, and his length makes it difficult for blockers to beat him cleanly around the edge. Ronnie Stanley and Patrick Mekari are both in the final years of their contracts, and the Ravens could establish Ersery as the future at left tackle, pairing him with impressive rookie right tackle Roger Rosengarten for the foreseeable future."
Reid cited wide receiver and edge rusher as the other top needs for the Ravens.
