Stocks and Playoff Chances Skyrocket

What a crazy week it was for the Ravens. First, they lost their MVP quarterback in a game where the offense is humming along. Then, they take a big lead in the fourth quarter anyway, just to lose that heartbreaking game to the Pats, thanks in large part to awful coaching decisions. Finally, they watched the Steelers win a game we all thought they would lose against the Lions.

They then go play the battered Green Bay Packers in a must-win game and run up and down the field on them without Lamar Jackson. The next day, Pittsburgh loses the game we all thought they would win.

This all sets up a winner-take-all game, in Pittsburgh, on Sunday night. The Steelers will be without DK Metcalf and Darnell Washington, and Calvin Austin sounds iffy at best. We also do not know the status of T.J. Watt. During the Browns-Steelers broadcast, Jim Nantz said that Mike Tomlin stated he would not play Watt if he couldn’t log three full practices in a week. We will see if he can do that, or if Tomlin sticks to his word.

Stock Up

Ravens Run Game

Over the last two weeks, the Ravens have 86 carries for 478 yards, an average of 5.6 ypc. Derrick Henry has 54 of those carries for 344 yards. That is a 6.4 ypc. This also means the run blocking has improved and that is seemingly led by Pat Ricard and Charlie Kolar. Kolar keeps grading out very high every week on PFF, and his blocking is a big reason why. Of course, this is also why its so crazy the coaches didn’t get the ball in the hands of Henry in the fourth quarter against the Pats, but I digress.

Playoff Chances

The Ravens entered the Packers game with an 8% chance to make the playoffs. It is now 51%. And oddly, this played out well for the Ravens.  Had they beaten New England, it would have rendered Week 17 meaningless for both the Ravens and the Steelers. Not only could the Ravens have rested starters, especially Lamar, but Pittsburgh could have as well. But since the Steelers could have clinched the division in Cleveland, they played everyone and not only lost the game but also lost Darnell Washington.

We will see if Lamar can play and while the back injury is painful, he did get to rest his lower body, so in that way, he could be fresh if he is able to play.  Even if Tyler Huntley has to play, the Ravens are still in better overall shape going into the game on Sunday night.

Travis Jones

Jones was a tough man to stop on Saturday night. He recorded 1.5 sacks and a tackle for loss. He continues to show how smart it was to extend him, and he continues to show that he isn’t just a run stopper. He is currently the 5^th ranked DT in all of football according to PFF.

Tyler Huntley

Let’s give this guy his props. He can’t throw the ball more than 10 yards down the field with any kind of consistency, but he understands his limitations, gets the ball out fast, shows good accuracy and takes what the defense gives him.  He is also very good at running the ball and having him back there definitely helps the run game. He seems to be well liked, has respect in the locker room and has a great attitude. I hope Lamar is healthy enough to practice this week and play, but it’s good to see Huntley playing well enough to give you some confidence he can win next week.

Stock Down

Nate Wiggins

I see people saying Nate Wiggins was a waste of a first round pick. That is an uneducated, and frankly, dumb statement. Wiggins has been an excellent cover corner since joining the NFL. However, he was awful on Saturday night. It was likely his worst game as a pro. He is a much better than we saw that night, but you have to hope a bad outing like that doesn’t affect his confidence moving forward.

Back End Communication

I do not understand why this continues to be a problem with this team, but the pass defense was atrocious (against backup QB Malik Willis) and there were multiple times where you saw players pointing at each other as if to say, “where were you there?” I do not know if the players are just not accepting coaching, or if the scheme sucks, or if it’s something else, but they need to fix this. While the refs’ bad calls helped them lose that first game to the Steelers in Baltimore, Aaron Rodgers still lit them up. He doesn’t have DK Metcalf this game (and might not have Austin) but if they continue to leave guys wide open, Rodgers will take advantage.

Drama Surrounding Lamar

In no way is this all his fault, and we will see if any of the Mike Preston article turns out to be true, but it’s still very noisy around Lamar and that’s not a good thing regardless. We also have this back injury. I understand if he’s in so much pain that maybe this feels more like broken ribs than “just a bruise.” That being said, he can’t tap out of this game in Pittsburgh. He must go out and try to practice. He has to give the effort.

If the back injury limits him in practice, affects his ability to throw, etc…fine, you sit him. But he absolutely has to get out there and try. Lamar has always been a team-first guy. He has always been a hard worker. However, it is a fair critique that he needs to do a better job of taking care of himself and playing through pain. You don’t want him out there if he is a detriment to the team, but you want to see him try and then go from there.

Alohi Gilman

The theme in the stock down report is the pass defense and Alohi Gilman is abysmal in coverage. He can come up and play the run and make a splash play here and there, but guys are running wide open near him way too much. He often looks lost, takes bad angles and just doesn’t seem to have the instincts to be a good coverage safety. I hope they move on from him in the offseason and I would like to see them get Ar’Darius Washington in there a lot more going forward.

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