OTL: Lamar & Co. to The Rescue? Playoff Hopes Hang By a Thread

To the relief of Baltimore Ravens players, coaches, and fans alike, franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson returned to the practice field on Monday, three weeks removed from his hamstring injury in Week 4. Along with Lamar, Baltimore has slowly seen the return of many other key starters, including Roquan Smith, Chidobe Awuzie, and a fully participating Pat Ricard. The Ravens season is hanging by a thread, following a 1-5 start to the year, after entering the season as Super Bowl favorites. Getting starters back will obviously play a large role in turning around their playoff hopes, along with a bit of an underwhelming schedule down the second half of the season.

The games and entertainment have been removed from the locker room (though whose idea that was remains in question), as the focus remains clear amongst the players. For a team so far under .500, the Ravens have tried all they can to remain high-spirited. Safety Kyle Hamilton stated it well after practice on Wednesday, saying, “I don’t think morale is super low. We’re just ready to turn things around. We still feel like we’re talented enough to make the playoffs.”

Maintaining that mentality is crucial to the Ravens success, with five division games remaining on their schedule, including two against the only team above .500 in the division, the Pittsburgh Steelers. It’s a scene we’ve seen before, as the Bengals struggled with the same scenario just a season ago. A team that looks capable of beating whomever on paper, one whose slow start could potentially derail all expectations.

The Ravens are coming off their best defensive performance of the season, holding the electric Rams offense to just 17 points in Week 6. The Ravens -0.11 EPA/play against the Rams is just the second time this season that Baltimore’s defense finished with a negative EPA/play (W2 v Browns; -0.35). Getting back into their groove and finding an identity is critical for a struggling Ravens defense, which comes out of the bye week ranked 32nd in points allowed per game. The players and coaches continue to back defensive coordinator Zach Orr, putting even more focus on what he’ll do to turn the defense’s fortunes around. The return of a leader like Roquan Smith is key to gaining the veteran presence that’s clearly lacking over the last few games, as well as finding the right pieces within the secondary.

Newly acquired safety Alohi Gilman now has two more weeks inside the playbook, which should allow for more trust to move Hamilton all over on defense, and you’d have to imagine we’ll see Jaire Alexander sooner rather than later. Not only do the Ravens need their veteran leaders to step up, but it seems like time to finally see something positive out of the team’s first two draft choices. Malaki Starks has allowed 13 receptions on 17 targets, for 187 yards and two touchdowns in coverage, while edge rusher Mike Green has just a 3.3% quarterback pressure rate. A step up in production, as well as the debut of rookie offensive lineman Emery Jones Jr, would play a large part in the Ravens turning their season back around.

Under typical Ravens circumstances, losing a game to an NFC opponent wouldn’t be a big deal. But the way things are now, the Ravens “Super Bowl” is Sunday when the Bears come to town, as every game truly means more at this point.

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