Offensive Stocks Surge, but Defense Pulls Down the Index

The Ravens and Bengals were involved in another offensive shootout last night and, just like the game earlier this year, the Ravens came out on top. Hopefully we do not see the Bengals again this year, as their offense is ripping apart Baltimore’s defense and, for some reason, the Ravens have forgotten how to cover Ja’Marr Chase, after being successful against him in recent years.

The Ravens are a little banged up and hopefully Kyle Hamilton will be OK, so this mini bye is coming at a perfect time. Let’s see if they can figure out anything on the defensive side of things during this extra time off.

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Stock Up

Lamar Jackson

Although I am not sure how much higher his stock can get, Lamar Jackson has to be mentioned. After a very slow start and really, first half in general, Lamar put the team on his back and made big play after big play and continued to show why he should win his 3^rd MVP. He currently has 24 TD passes and 2 INTs.

Marlon Humphrey

Despite the bad overall pass defense, Marlon Humphrey continues to play well and forced the fumble by Chase Brown, which completely turned the game around. You also have to love his post-game response to what is plaguing the defense. He is talking to everyone in the secondary and is trying to get them motivated.

Marlon Humphrey had some thoughts postgame. pic.twitter.com/92hf3L0cuf

— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) November 8, 2024

Nnamdi Madubuike

We have been waiting for this game from Nnamdi Madubuike. He has largely been a no show this season, but he had 3.0 sacks and was disruptive all night long. The Ravens need him to become a force again.

Pass Rush

The Ravens pass rush has been an issue in recent weeks, but they were all over Joe Burrow last night. To Burrow’s credit, he stepped up well, but he was rushed a lot last night.  He has a completion percentage of almost 69% this season but it was only 60.7% last night. That is in large part because of the pass rush and the Ravens making him throw it before he was ready.

Kyle Hamilton

Hamilton was all over the field when he was in there last night but the reason I list him here is because after he got hurt, things got way worse. His importance to the team and this defense can’t be understated and last night further showed that.

Tylan Wallace

Welcome to the list Tylan! Tylan Wallace has made a few gaffes on ST but he has proven to be a pretty good blocker, and he made a huge play last night, with an 84-yard receiving TD. He is one of those solid role player guys that doesn’t get talked about, so it was nice to see him get some of the spotlight last night.

Stock Down

Dean Pees

Somehow this defense has gotten worse since he got here. The middle of the field is more exposed and that was an issue with him when he was DC here as well. None of us are in these rooms but you wonder if his hands are in things too much. I get that Zach Orr is new and appears to be struggling but it has gotten worse, not better.

Marcus Williams

Marcus Williams had several “WTF are you doing?” moments last night. Whether it was taking poor angles, being out of position or just looking lost, Williams has become one of the two or three guys that are completely killing this team. His drop off is pretty astonishing.

Brandon Stephens

Brandon Stephens has been a frequent member of the Stock Down list. His lack of ball awareness continues to be an issue, and he doesn’t have the foot speed to stay with crossing routes. Could they move him to free safety right now? Is that too much of a change?  My guess is yes but he does have experience in that position, so maybe it’s something worth exploring. I don’t expect much from Tre’Davious White but something has to give. The Ravens cannot continue to put out the same guys and just assume things will change.

Justin Tucker

It is one thing to miss long field goals, but now an extra point? This is bad for this team.  I have seen people say Justin Tucker should retire or that he’s done.  I think both of those statements are absurd BUT there is a clear issue. It is usually the exact same miss…to the left. Why? This seems to be something both in his head and something mechanical. The length of the kicks isn’t the issue. But he certainly doesn’t seem to be driving the ball the same way and he is just messed up. The Ravens need to get this fixed, as he will be counted on at some point to make big kicks in crucial situations.

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