Know Your Enemy: Baltimore Ravens

I’m just going to come out and say it: Joe Flacco is not an elite quarterback. He never was, and he is most certainly not one right now. Right now, I’m not sure he is on the same level as Mitchell Trubisky. I’m not positive that Flacco is better than Mike Glennon, I’m really not. He’s been that bad this season.

That being said, the rest of his division is playing so pathetically that his team may, somehow, have a chance to win the division, in spite of him. The Bears already beat the consensus pick for the winner of the division, the Pittsburgh Steelers, though they haven’t looked too hot of late, either.

It doesn’t help Flacco, however, that the rest of his offense is constantly getting hurt. Running Back Terrance West is already ruled out with a calf injury, and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported early Sunday morning that Wide Receiver Jeremy Maclin is a game-time decision, with a shoulder injury.

This means that you should expect to see a ton of Mike Wallace today. Breshad Perriman, though expected to play, has been battling a knee injury, leaving Wallace as the only healthy receiving option for Flacco.

I’d also get ready to hear a lot of Javorious Allen’s name this afternoon, as he is going to have to be the feature back with West out and Danny Woodhead on injured reserve.

Cornerback Jimmy Smith, who is, in my opinion, the best player on the Ravens’ defense, was a DNP until he was limited on Friday, with an Achilles injury. He is listed as questionable for today’s game. He isn’t the only starter on the injury report for the Ravens defense, as starting defensive lineman Brandon Williams is also doubtful with a foot injury.

This leaves the Ravens in a position which they’ve been familiar with for a while, relying on Terrell Suggs. Suggs, a six-time pro bowler, has been able to keep up his stellar play, even after his compatriot Ray Lewis retired in 2012. Suggs and CJ Mosley are the main stopping pieces in the Ravens defense, which has the tall task of stopping Jordan Howard from breaking big runs.

The other key piece of the Ravens defense is former Charger Eric Weddle. Weddle, a safety, is a four-time pro-bowler, including making an appearance last year, his first in Baltimore. With Jimmy Smith possibly out, Weddle will likely have to pick up a lot of the slack in the Ravens secondary.

All-in-all, the Ravens don’t scare me very much. Though, the Bears have not looked good on the road this year at all, so I don’t really know what to expect from this afternoon’s game.