Baltimore Ravens show what they are capable of with 40-0 win

The Baltimore Ravens turned in the kind of performance against the Dolphins, that we had been waiting for since their 20-0 victory over the Bengals.

The Baltimore Ravens have won four games. In those four wins they played a style of football that could topple any team in the league. In the four games that they have lost they played a brand of football that would get them beaten by any team in the league. At this point of the season, we’ve seen the purple and black do great things and horrible things. It’s hard to know which team will show up on a week to week basis. In their 40-0 victory, the Ravens showed the NFL what they’re capable of.

The key to everything is the run defense. When the Ravens stop the run, they win. The secondary is dominant this season. Now that Brandon Williams is 100 percent ready to roll, the run defense can start to rock. Terrell Suggs and Matt Judon are doing great on the edges. The Ravens need to put dominant defensive linemen in front of C.J. Mosley to ensure that the Pro Bowl linebacker plays aggressively.

Brandon Williams and Michael Pierce are like Batman and Robin. Pierce has grown up a lot so if you want to think of him more as a Nightwing, that’s the more appropriate comparison. The point you should take, besides the fact that I am a nerd, is that Williams and Pierce are partners up front.

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Consistency is the biggest key:

Then it simply comes down to the offense being functional. It does not need to be great, just functional. With one of the league’s healthiest rushing attacks, Joe Flacco just needs to be solid. The games against the Cleveland Browns, Raiders and Dolphins (before being taken out of the game by a dirty hit) were acceptable showings for Flacco. If Flacco can hover around 60 percent completions and throw 200-250 yards, the Ravens can win games.

The Ravens are a team that is capable of beating any team in the league. The biggest problem is that you never know what to expect from them. One day their crushing the Raiders, the next game they lose in overtime to the Bears. The Ravens are just as capable of pulling out a big win as they are of getting smoked by a bad team.

The 40-0 win should make the Ravens Flock excited. This was a win the Ravens needed badly and by getting it they showed signs of life. The wisest approach for fans is cautious optimism (something that can be said a lot in sports). While the Ravens problems didn’t magically go away, there is a definitive path towards victories. The offense will have a chance to get things rolling a little bit more though. When they have Mike Wallace and Jeremy Maclin on the field, they at least have competent wide receivers.

The win doesn’t mean that the Ravens are playoff bound. Things could still go either way. Beating the Dolphins isn’t exactly a statement win, although how they did it does send a message. The Ravens are capable though and that’s what we needed to see. The Oakland game wasn’t a fluke. The 2-0 start wasn’t misleading. This is what the Ravens can do. They just have to do it. Confidence is still hard to come by in Baltimore, but things are on the right track and that is exciting.

The Bottom Line:

The Ravens offense has problems that they will have to deal with all year long. When the running game gets going early, good things happen. When Flacco gets rolling out and has time to step into his throws, good things happen. If the run defense is superb the pass defense strangles the opponent’s hope. The Ravens are an incredibly flawed team but they are absolutely capable of winning.

Next: 5 thoughts following the win over the Dolphins

The most energizing part of Thursday night was that the team had energy. That was exciting. The Ravens showed they are competent. Now there is no excuse. They need to go into Tennessee and go get it. 5-4 is in reach, but only if the good version of the Ravens shows up.