Baltimore Ravens: C.J. Mosley has quietly had a great season
The Baltimore Ravens defense may be up-and-down in 2018, but one of the few constants has been the stellar play of linebacker C.J. Mosley.
The way the 2018 Baltimore Ravens opened up the season had a lot of us thinking it could be a historically good defense. Then the hard part of the schedule came into play and the defense turned into a small speed bump incapable of slowing down anyone, let alone the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, or Pittsburgh Steelers. Since the bye week, the defense looks to be back on track towards settling back in.
Of course, the remaining schedule has some top-flight offenses such as the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so they’ll certainly be tested down the stretch. Either way, Baltimore has the pieces in place to stay on top of their competition.
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Whether it’s the play of the pass rush in guys like Terrell Suggs, Za’Darius Smith, and Matt Judon or the continued progression of cornerback Marlon Humphrey, the defense as a whole has had plenty of bright spots. Lost in the conversation, however, is stalwart C.J. Mosley.
C.J. Mosley has been the captain of this defense since he stepped onto the field as a rookie in 2014. The way he patrols the middle of the field and sets up his men has been quite underrated by fans and the media. As it turns out, 2018 has been no different than years past.
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The way C.J. Mosley plays the inside linebacker position for Baltimore gets overlooked far too often. No, Mosley is no Ray Lewis, but he nonetheless is a Pro Bowl type of player. Mosley remains stout in the run game and has peaks-and-valleys as a cover man, unfortunately. Speaking of which, how fixated does Ravens Flock get on the latter? I know that Mosley isn’t elite in coverage, but my goodness does this fan-base expect him to play like Ed Reed at linebacker!
Anyways, Mosley remains a leader on this Ravens defense. With Mosley set to hit Free Agency following 2018, fans could quickly come to a realization of how vital he is to this defense. Truth be told, we’ve seen this year how different the defense looks without C.J. Mosley patrolling the middle of the field.
When Mosley was absent from the majority of the Thursday Football Game against the Cincinnati Bengals way back in week two of the 2018 season, the defense was repeatedly gashed over the middle. The Ravens struggled to find a consistent grove without their leader inside. It was only then that fans began to worry about losing Mosley because of what looked like a season-ending knee injury. But Mosley lived up to his billing as being “half-man, half-amazing” by returning after just one game on the sidelines. Since then, he’s been everything he once was.
Sure, Mosley’s 2018 stat line isn’t anything crazy whatsoever, racking up a solid 72 tackles on the year. Unfortunately, he has no sacks and hasn’t forced any turnovers. I ask you to look past those numbers though, and watch what C.J. Mosley does for the defense as a whole. Mosley is a great open-field tackler and does an incredible job setting up the defense to attack the opposing offenses. He is undoubtedly irreplaceable.
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What C.J. Mosley brings to the Baltimore Ravens is worth its weight in gold. He is indispensable for success and has been a staple since his rookie season. Missing Mosley is Baltimore’s Kryptonite. Whether or not you’re in the camp that Mosley needs to be resigned long-term, you have to at least acknowledge that he is having another great season. Don’t let the media fool you, C.J. Mosley remains, quietly, one of the best inside linebackers in the game.