2. Ravens’ offensive explosion could not have come at a better time
Ever since the Ravens shutout the Miami Dolphins 40-0 on Oct. 26, their offense has been good, but not great. On Sunday, the Ravens put together arguably their best offensive performance of the 2017 season. The Ravens’ offense scored four touchdowns and three field goals. Joe Flacco threw for 292 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Alex Collins rushed for 75 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. Mike Wallace racked up 116 reception yards on five catches. The Ravens averaged 5.9 yards-per-play, including throwing for 7.5 yards-per-pass.
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After the unfortunate injury sustained to Jimmy Smith, the Ravens needed their offense to bail them out. Aside from a scoreless third quarter that saw the Lions come within seven, the Ravens put their foot down and took it to a mediocre Lions defense. Given that the Ravens’ offense is among the worst in the NFL, that’s not bad.
Baltimore’s defense certainly deserves their due diligence, but Flacco’s offense deserves a lot of credit for pulling ahead in three of the last five games. All season long, the offense has constantly been scrutinized, but Sunday showed that they are capable of sustaining drives and scoring often.
With a prime time tangle coming up in Pittsburgh next Sunday against the Steelers, the offense needed to get some momentum going. The Steelers clearly represent the toughest opponent left on Baltimore’s schedule, making the timing of this onslaught perfect.