More quarterback injuries bode well for Baltimore Ravens’ playoff hopes
By Joe Schiller
With more quarterbacks going down with an injury every week, the Baltimore Ravens are seemingly avoiding every starter they come up against.
Yesterday, we saw two more starting quarterbacks declared out for the season. Andrew Luck was placed on Injured Reserve for the rest of the season and Deshaun Watson tore his ACL. They are just a few of the major stars that have missed time this season due to injury. And while you never want to wish injury on to your opponents, the Baltimore Ravens have an added benefit.
The Ravens came into the season with the 24th hardest schedule and it’s seemingly getting easier every week. In their past four weeks they’ve come up against a backup or rookie quarterback, and it doesn’t stop there. With Watson and Luck out, that knocks off two more starting quarterbacks the Ravens have to face this season. Not to mention, Brett Hundley as well because of Aaron Rodgers’ broken collarbone.
To put things into perspective, here’s a look at the backup and rookie quarterbacks the Ravens have and will come up against this year:
Week 2: DeShone Kizer/Kevin Hogan
Week 5: E.J. Manuel
Week 6: Mitchell Trubisky
Week 7: Case Keenum
Week 11: Brett Hundley
Week 12: Tom Savage
Week 15: DeShone Kizer
Week 16: Jacoby Brissett
No excuses this time around
Including the quarterback mess that is the Cleveland Browns, the Ravens will have faced seven different rookie or backup quarterbacks by the end of the season. Without looking back into the history books, that has to be some kind of record. So far, the Ravens are 2-2 in those games this season and they have to be better going forward.
With the 22nd ranked strength of schedule the second half of the season, there’s no excuse for the Ravens to underperform. They’ve been hand fed a giant platter with the number of quarterbacks out with injury. No, I don’t expect them to go 8-0, but realistically they could go 5-3 the second half of the season and finish 9-7. In recent years that’s been good enough to make a Wild Card spot.
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Even with the absurd amount of injuries the Ravens have suffered this season, they’re still a talented team. With a bye week coming up, they’re getting healthy at the right time. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t see them competing for a playoff spot by the end of the season. At that point, you can’t blame injuries or the schedule, but that the Ravens flat out underperformed. Hopefully, we don’t have to say that come the end of the season.