MIKE BURKE
Allegany Communications Sports
For the entire offseason we were told by the pundits (or, as the great Tom O’Rourke called them, “the wonks”) that the Baltimore Ravens were a favorite to be in the Super Bowl, if not the Super Bowl champion.
The Ravens defense was said to be among the NFL elite, and the offense was going to be unstoppable. The Ravens would play five playoff teams through the first six weeks of the season, but that shouldn’t be a problem for this stacked team, even though it routinely fails to beat playoff teams in the playoffs.
And how stacked is this team? The Ravens roster, it was said more than a few times, would be the deepest and most talented roster in the 30-year history of the franchise.
Meanwhile, three weeks into the season, it seems there is a problem, as the Ravens do lead the NFL in scoring with 111 points, but are 1-2 where it counts following their 38-30 beatdown at the hands of the Detroit Lions in front of over 70,000 bewildered home folks, and now head to Kansas City where they have not won during the Lamar Jackson era.
Talk about the seven sacks of Lamar Jackson, talk about Derrick Henry’s ghastly and costly fumble for the second time in three weeks. Both are legitimate talking points, but even so, the Ravens still scored 30 points. And lost. Again.
What I took to slumber were the two Lions scoring drives of 98 and 95 yards respectively. Yes, two scoring drives nearly the length of the field in the same game. The last time even one of those happened against the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium was in 2001.
With all-pro tackle Nnamdi Madubuike and all-pro linebacker Kyle Van Noy out with injuries, the Ravens were at a disadvantage to say the least, but for allegedly having the most talented roster in team history, this team has no depth at defensive tackle, and, for what seems like 10 years running, no pass rush.
The Lions basically beat the Ravens the way the Ravens beat non-playoff teams, by exposing the poor play of the defensive tackles. The Lions ran inside double-team power-gap blocking all night, and there was no one dressed in black to stop it.
Madubuike and Van Noy have each accounted for 21 1/2 sacks since the start of 2023, but without them, the Ravens were left with five players between the interior and edges of the defensive line still on rookie contracts. That leaves safety Kyle Hamilton as the only viable blitzer, but he has spent the first three games deep in coverage and away from the line of scrimmage.
It is feared Madubuike’s neck problems are something that will keep him out for an extended period of time, so now would probably be the time for general manager Eric DeCosta to look into a trade or raid a practice squad, because the Ravens need to get someone who can tackle, and they need to do it fast.
Conversely, the Lions, who once again look to be among the NFL elite, did not allow a sack of quarterback Jared Goff, they did not turn the ball over and were the varsity vs. the jayvees on every fourth down.
Running back David Montgomery rushed for 151 yards on 12 carries and Jahmyr Gibbs ran for 67 yards on 22 carries, combining for four touchdowns.
Goff threw for 202 yards, completing 20 of 28 passes with a touchdown and enjoyed easy living operating from the pocket as the Ravens front could barely get into the picture with him, much less get close enough to throw off his timing.
The Ravens missed 20 tackles and allowed 426 yards of total offense, which puts them at the bottom of the league this season after ranking second in rushing success rate last year.
Deepest and most talented roster in team history?
Super Bowl contender?
I think cornerback Marlon Humphrey had a more realistic take on it at this point: “We’re just not very good.”
Mike Burke writes about sports and other stuff for Allegany Communications. He began covering sports for the Prince George’s Sentinel in 1981 and joined the Cumberland Times-News sports staff in 1984, serving as sports editor for over 30 years. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on X @MikeBurkeMDT