Pundit Says Ravens Are 'Very Close to Being a Great Team, Have Terrific Chance to Go to Super Bowl'
The national conversation about the Ravens this week is a lot different than what was being said about them leading up to Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns.
Riding a five-game winning streak and an explosive offense led by MVP candidate Lamar Jackson and Offensive Player of the Year candidate Derrick Henry, the Ravens were being hailed by some as the best team in the league.
However, after the disappointing, mistake-riddled loss to a 1-6 team that had lost five in a row, pundits are now questioning whether the Ravens are what they thought they were.
CBS Sports' Ross Tucker is one analyst who still believes the Ravens are still serious Super Bowl contenders.
"I think they're very close to being a great team," Tucker said on “The Dan Patrick Show.” "I think the Ravens are really good. I think they're going to be in this thing until the end. I wouldn't be surprised if they make a move before the trade deadline, but I think they have a terrific chance to go to the Super Bowl."
As noted in yesterday’s Late for Work, The Athletic's Dan Pompei expressed a similar opinion. He said the Ravens' loss to the Browns was a "blip" and they "remain one of the NFL's finest."
That said, the cliche that "you are what your record says you are" is not without merit. Nine teams have a better record than the Ravens (5-3), including the Pittsburgh Steelers, who now sit alone atop the AFC North after defeating the New York Giants last night.
The Ravens are among five teams that have three losses, including their opponent this Sunday, the Denver Broncos.
"Five-and-three is not necessarily 6-1 or 7-0; that's pretty obvious," “Good Morning Football’s” Peter Schrager said. "At 5-3, you're right in the middle now, the murky middle. So all the great flips we've done about Lamar's MVP season, [they're], 5-3 and in the thick of it, so I don't know."
Analysts Says Ravens Don't Have 'Structurally Sound Defense'
Perhaps The Baltimore Sun’s C.J. Doon summed it up best regarding the outlook for the Ravens.
"One loss to Cleveland, as bad as it was, won't derail this season," Doon wrote. "But if the defense can't solve its biggest issues before the postseason, the Ravens could be in for another disappointing finish."
Those issues are well-documented. The Ravens have the NFL's worst pass defense, and the pass rush has had difficulty generating pressure. There has also been weekly communication issues.
NFL Network's Brian Baldinger was flabbergasted by the inability of the Ravens' defense to get lined up against the Browns on multiple occasions, the most glaring of which occurred on Jameis Winston's 22-yard touchdown pass to Cedric Tillman late in the third quarter that allowed the Browns to regain the lead.
"The call was in. Why can't they get lined up here?" Baldinger said. "They gotta get it cleaned up. They gotta get the calls in and they gotta understand what they're doing."
In breaking down film from the game, former NFL quarterback Kurt Benkert said the Ravens just didn't play sound defense.
"The Ravens give so many free completions because they're just out of alignment all the time. They're not like a structurally sound defense," Benkert said on the “Pocket Presence” YouTube show. "The Ravens defense is what's going to hold them back from going to a Super Bowl."
Ravens Named Potential Landing Spot for Panthers CB Jaycee Horn
Given the Ravens' defensive concerns, it wouldn't be surprising if General Manager Eric DeCosta targeted a defensive back or edge rusher before the Nov. 5 trade deadline.
The Draft Network’s Justin Melo named the Ravens a potential landing spot for Carolina Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn. Melo said Horn "is available at an affordable price for teams searching for long-term cornerback help."
"Rookie cornerback Nate Wiggins was sidelined with an illness and shoulder injury on Sunday. Marlon Humphrey was also absent with a knee injury. Trayvon Mullen and T.J. Tampa are also on IR," Melo wrote. "The Ravens are hurting in the secondary, and the results are being impacted. Horn would immediate
