Mink: The Ravens made changes at safety last week, inserting Ar'Darius Washington into the starting lineup over Marcus Williams, and moving Kyle Hamilton back into more of a deep safety role. That change worked and is now the plan moving forward. Washington is ahead of Williams on the depth chart.
At cornerback, I do think Tre'Davious White could continue to take over a bigger share of the snaps from Brandon Stephens. On Monday, Head Coach John Harbaugh said he's looking forward to White's "continuing and expanding" role.
What's notable is that of White's 23 snaps in Pittsburgh, all but five came in the fourth quarter. When it was crunch time, the Ravens mostly went with White. There were eight plays when the Steelers spread it out that they were both White and Stephens were on the field.
Stephens is tied for the third-most receptions given up in the league, per Pro Football Focus. While he's almost always had tight coverage, receivers keep catching them. Stephens surrendered two big plays to George Pickens on Sunday, one on a perfectly-thrown deep ball and another when he missed a tackle.
I highly doubt White is going to cannibalize the snaps or even take a majority in the near term. But if he keeps proving himself like he did against the Steelers, when he had a pair of end zone breakups and registered the defense's second-highest PFF grade, then White will earn more and more snaps in the cornerback rotation.
Nate Wiggins also got a bump up in snaps in Pittsburgh, playing 79% – the second-most of his season. He was credited with giving up two catches for four yards. As the rookie first-round pick continues to improve, I don't think it will be long until he's starting and playing all or nearly all of the snaps.
Brown: Justin Tucker has been the GOAT for more than a decade. Therefore, it's natural to be alarmed watching him miss six field goals and an extra point so far this season.
However, I think the 54-yarder he made versus the Steelers was huge, after he had missed from 47 and 50 yards earlier in the game. He made the necessary adjustments under challenging circumstances and drilled a long-range kick.
That was typical Tucker, bouncing back from adversity. He's a perfectionist – a hard worker who has never rested on his laurels. His confidence is genuine, and he has years of success to draw upon. I think there are plenty of reasons to believe that Tucker will make big kicks the Ravens will need down the stretch.
Mink: David Ojabo has been a healthy scratch three of the past four weeks. I think part of the reason he didn't play in Pittsburgh is because the Ravens were loading up on big-bodied run defenders on the edge while going against a physical run-heavy offense. Tavius Robinson got more snaps than usual and rookie Adisa Isaac is stouter against the run.
That could be the case again Monday night going against the Chargers' Greg Roman offense with a strong offensive line and J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards in the backfield. Same goes for the Eagles and Saquon Barkley the following week. Then it's the Giants before the Steelers again.
When the Ravens need more of a pure pass rush presence to give Odafe Oweh and Kyle Van Noy a break, I suspect they'll call on Ojabo again. But the third-year linebacker needs to keep improving to earn more opportunities.
Brown: Barring injury, I think it's likely the Ravens will stick with their current starting offensive line.
Patrick Mekari has been very solid in pass protection, the ninth-highest graded pass blocker in the league, according to PFF. His main issues have come in run blocking, where he has drawn too many penalties that have put the Ravens behind the sticks. While he needs to reduce the penalties, I think Mekari's value protecting the pocket for Lamar Jackson will keep the veteran guard in the starting lineup. Andrew Vorhees started the first three games before an ankle injury, but Mekari has the edge in experience.
Daniel Faalele is ranked 40th in pass protection and he's still growing into the right guard position after playing tackle in college. However, Ben Cleveland had a chance to win the job during training camp and didn't. It's important to have continuity and chemistry on the offensive line, and the Ravens still have the league's No. 1-ranked offense. Those factors could weigh against the coaching staff making a lineup change as the Ravens enter a crucial part of the season.
