5 critical takeaways from Ravens Week 13 win vs. Cowboys
On another short week with a game on a day that shouldn’t have football, the Baltimore Ravens overcame their hurdles and beat the Dallas Cowboys, 34-17.
Though it was expected to be a big Ravens victory, this season has only bludgeoned into our brains that anything can happen. To beat another team by 17 points is a job done well. While Baltimore was far from perfect, the flashes they showed Tuesday night against Dallas gives some hope they’ll be able to prolong their football lives in the playoffs.
As has been the case all season long, it’s tough to know which version of the Ravens is the correct one. But I do my best to pinpoint the most critical takeaways from Baltimore’s Week 13 win over the Cowboys.
Playoff hopes are still alive
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With this win, the Ravens got an extension to their playoff hopes. They're still outside of the AFC playoff picture currently but they've kept up with those that currently have a playoff berth. With just four games remaining, they're quickly running out of time but they're controlling what they can control, which is all you can ask of the team at this point. Though Baltimore hasn't looked great this season, all it takes is getting into the playoffs to make some magic happen. With some flashes of brilliance the last two weeks, the Ravens might just have that magic touch come January . . . if they can earn the right to play in those games.
The run game works when you work it
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Baltimore was certainly helped by a Dallas defense that was seemingly trying to get out of the way of the running backs all game long. But when the Ravens stopped getting cute, focused themselves on running the ball with their best backs, and tried to dominate the line of scrimmage, they put up 294 rushing yards. I don't care how good or bad an NFL team is, rushing for nearly 300 yards in a game means you've done things right. But to do that regularly means committing to the run, which even in this game, isn't something Baltimore did well enough. Despite averaging nearly 10 yards-per-carry at one point, the Ravens threw the ball twice in three goal-to-go attempts in the fourth quarter. The result was obvious with Baltimore failing to score and needing to kick a field goal. While it's hard to nit-pick a 34-17 win in which the team ran for nearly 300 yards, leaving points on the field because they went away from what was working isn't going to cut it in close games against better opponents. And as we've seen repeatedly this season, in those close games, the Ravens will abandon the run entirely in an effort to turn the offense into a high-flying attack that doesn't have the same success rate. It's encouraging they didn't do that entirely in this game but I get the feeling the desire to do it is still there.
Mark Ingram should only come onto the field in the second half
AP Photo/Nick Wass
One thing I've yet to understand about this offensive makeup and offensive coordinator Greg Roman's vision is at running back. Baltimore has four running backs as well as quarterback Lamar Jackson's ability on the ground. You'd think they'd structure the playing time to keep a running back out of the game until the second half, allowing them to come into the game with fresh legs against a defense sucking wind and is tired of getting hit. This was perhaps the first game this season where Ingram didn't get a ton of carries in the first half and instead, got the bulk of his time after halftime. In this game, Ingram had a very respectable 4.7 yards-per-carry average by the finish, but he's the only player to not bust off a big run, with his longest being seven yards. All season long, Ingram has looked a good step slower than both J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, not hitting the holes with the same pop we saw last season. That's not really a knock on Ingram considering he's battled COVID-19 and injuries this year, while nearly being 31 years old. But at this point in his career and with what he's shown this season, Ingram should clearly be the reserve back to supplement what Dobbins and Edwards do early. The scheme worked as Ingram's carries really started to pay off in the fourth quarter, picking up five and six yards an attempt regularly. The Cowboys' defense had little left and Ingram's fresh legs were just too much for Dallas to handle, letting him get into the second level where he could lower his pads and run over a defender for extra yards -- something he hadn't been doing earlier in the game. As noted with another takeaway from this game, the rushing attack works but the Ravens need to be smarter with how they do it. Power running early in the game with Dobbins and Edwards while they use misdirection to get Jackson open in space, only to lean heavily on Ingram in the third and fourth quarters is the way to do it.
What is the pass rush's problem?
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Baltimore hasn't had much luck with injuries or COVID-19 but they had just about all their defensive pieces on the field Tuesday night and still couldn't consistently lay hands on quarterback Andy Dalton. That might not be so bad if Dallas' offensive line wasn't considered one of the worst in the league right now. Ravens defensive coordinator Don Martindale sent both four-man rushes and blitzes from all over the field in an effort to mix things up and get guys into the backfield. Nothing worked with any regularity, which should give flashbacks to last year. Every step of the way, fans and analysts have said Baltimore is just a player away from having a deadly pass rush and yet they never seem to get there. In the offseason, the addition of Calais Campbell and Derek Wolfe gave hope of the pass rush finally living up to its potential. The trade for Ngakoue was praised as the move that would surely make the pass rush unstoppable. Yet, this unit managed to sack Dalton just once, joining the Vikings as the only team to not sack him three times in a game where he starts. With the secondary dealing with a ton of injuries themselves, they're not the perfect lockdown unit many were hoping for. They're certainly a really good group still and that should be plenty enough with how stacked the rest of the defense is but they could really use help from the pass rush. Where's the consistency in the pass rush, and what's the solution to finally coaxing it out on a weekly basis? I definitely don't have the answer but if the Ravens can figure it out, this defense will take a dramatic leap forward.
Marquise Brown is either really on or really off
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Brown has not exactly endeared himself to fans this season. After a lot of offseason hype about how Brown was finally healthy and would take a leap forward in play, he's been pretty underwhelming. Granted, a wide receiver not living up to the hype is nothing new to Baltimore's fans but it took a turn for the worst when Brown publicly criticized his role in a now-deleted tweet. Since that tweet, Brown has been fed a regular diet of targets in the passing game but has still not performed consistently. While not all of that is on Brown, his decreasing effort on anything that he isn't wide open or in the end zone for is frustrating. Last week, Brown made absolutely no effort to even get in the way of a defender who had picked off Robert Griffin III and was running into the end zone. He might not have been able to stop it from being a pick-six but actually slowing down and avoiding the returner is inexcusable at any level of football. Brown also failed to lay out for a pass last week that was just a bit too far in front of him, giving up on the ball well before it hit the ground. Once again this week, Brown had a few plays where you have to throw your hands into the air. Brown caught a simple drag route, crossing the field and heading toward the sideline with enough space to turn upfield and gain at least a few yards, if not more given his speed and acceleration. Instead, Brown ran out of bounds. Astute fans will note that isn't the first time this season Brown has caught a ball only to dip out of bounds to avoid any contact despite having just one guy to beat. Brown also one-handed a pass from Jackson, tipping the ball to a defender for Baltimore's only turnover in this game. Again, it's not fair to blame that solely on Brown given Jackson's pass was a good bit off the mark, but given Brown's repeated lack of effort elsewhere, he isn't going to earn the benefit of the doubt when attempting to one-hand a ball. With Willie Snead and Mark Andrews still on the Reserve/COVID-19 list and Dez Bryant testing positive as well, the Ravens don't have many more options available to them. And it might be easy to dismiss those plays considering Brown has caught a touchdown pass in back-to-back games. But at a certain point, it's time for the coaching staff to give him some tough loving if he's going to complain about his role but not go make a play unless it's practically handed to him.
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