By Alex Woodward
The Ravens sit at 4-2 but fans aren't exactly bursting at the seams with confidence and rightly so. If the Ravens want to become serious contenders in the AFC they will need to address some issues as they head into the toughest patch of their schedule. The Ravens next 6 opponents have a combined record of 23-12 (.657 win percentage) while their previous 6 opponents combine for a 10-24-1 record (.285 win percentage). Let's take a look at some of my biggest concerns as the Ravens head into Week 7.
The biggest and most glaring need on this team is a pass rush. Baltimore has the 5th least sacks through the first six weeks of the season with just 11. Matt Judon has been solid but nothing special. Pernell McPhee has helped on the other side as both are applying pressure but can't seem to get home for the sack consistently. As the season goes on, McPhee's health becomes an issue as he was expected to play in a limited role this season but with a lack of a pass rush he has been forced into more playing time than the Ravens would probably like to use him. Jaylon Ferguson has been seeing more playing time recently in efforts to take some of the pressure off of McPhee but so far that hasn't translated to a ton of production. I don't know how they fix this pass rush. They've blitzed heavily, sent 4, used exotic schemes and deployed their "Nascar" package of speedy rushers. So far, none of these tactics have led to much sack production. Maybe they make a minor trade for a pass rusher like Carlos Dunlap or Derek Wolfe but one must question if it's worth giving up draft capital for players that won't drastically change the pass rush. They need to find a way to get to the quarterback and they need to figure it out soon because if you give the likes of Russell Wilson, Tom Brady, Deshaun Watson or Jared Goff the time to sit back and evaluate the field...they will get picked apart.
On offense, I have no concerns with the running game besides Lamar taking too many hits when gashing defenses. By no means am I saying that they should restrict what Lamar does best but he needs to be better about not letting the hits pile up. It's a long season and he is the catalyst of this entire team. Through the air, the Ravens have become a bit one dimensional. Outside of Hollywood Brown, they haven't found much production from the wideouts and they seem to rely on the tight ends to get most of the yardage through the air. They need to find more ways to diversify the production in the passing game. Will we see more of Miles Boykin after he played a season high 56% of the offensive snaps this past weekend? Will Justice Hill get more usage in the passing game? Will they find quicker ways to get Hollywood the football in space? We shall see but I'm sure the Ravens know that they need to start opening up the playbook as they get ready for tougher competition.
Do the Ravens look like the Super Bowl favorites in the AFC? No, not right now but they play in one of the weaker divisions in the NFL right now and currently sit two games up for first place in the AFC North. A lot can change in a few weeks and the Ravens will certainly try and clean up their weaknesses. Just get to the dance and anything can happen...just look at the 2012 season.