Baltimore Ravens: 5 “What Ifs” From The 2016 Season

What if: Jimmy Smith did miss the last 3 games?

When healthy, Jimmy Smith is one of the best cornerbacks in the league. The key here is “healthy.” Against the Patriots in week 14, Smith suffered an ankle sprain. The injury occurred in the first quarter and forced him to miss the rest of the game. Later that week, Smith was placed on the injured reserve list and missed the three final games of the season. The Ravens went on to go 1-2 in those games and missed out on a chance to win the division and make the playoffs.

Not having Jimmy Smith in the secondary was a major blow to the defense. For how well the defense played in the first half of the season, their production tailed off, especially when he was not on the field. Any team is going to struggle when their #1 cornerback goes down. The Ravens did not have depth behind Smith and it came back to bite them. No matter how good a team may be at stopping the run, they also have to stop the pass. I think with Smith on the field, the Ravens would have been a completely different team defensively.