Ebony Bird
FanSided

Previewing championship games, plus what Ravens can learn from them

By Chris Schisler

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 12: C.J. Anderson #35 of the Los Angeles Rams stiff arms Leighton Vander Esch #55 of the Dallas Cowboys in the second half in the NFC Divisional Playoff game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on January 12, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 12: C.J. Anderson #35 of the Los Angeles Rams stiff arms Leighton Vander Esch #55 of the Dallas Cowboys in the second half in the NFC Divisional Playoff game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on January 12, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JANUARY 13: Mark Ingram #22 of the New Orleans Saints during the NFC Divisional Playoff at the Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 13, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JANUARY 13: Mark Ingram #22 of the New Orleans Saints during the NFC Divisional Playoff at the Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 13, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /

What the Ravens can learn from the remaining playoff teams:

Lesson from the Saints: 

The number one thing Eric DeCosta can learn from the Saints is that he has to prioritize the premium positions in football. The Saints have a great quarterback, weapons for said quarterback, pass rushers and a fairly elite cornerback. They have a solid overall team, but it is the stars that make the Saints a Super Bowl contender. Michael Thomas could have been a Raven. Instead the Ravens took Kamalai Correa. The Ravens have needed a young wide receiver forever. The Ravens need play-makers and this lesson isn’t hard to grasp.

Lesson from the Rams: 

Your quarterback just needs to be good, if you put him in a great situation. That’s the lesson I get from watching Jared Goff. Goff isn’t a Drew Brees, a Tom Brady or a Pat Mahomes. However, he’s playing this weekend with one of the most potent offenses in the NFL. The Rams gave him an offensive minded genius in Sean McVay. They gave him weapons and an offense that works for him. All Goff has to do is make the right decision in an offense that is designed to attack every part of the field. Goff is good, but he isn’t great. The situation he is in, elevates him. That’s what Baltimore needs to do with Lamar Jackson. They need to put him in a situation where he will be able to win as a developing star in the league.

Lesson from the Chiefs: 

The Chiefs show the Ravens the value of winning with a great offense. The Chiefs have the most exciting offense in the entire NFL to watch, They have some serious short comings. In the regular season their defense put up some numbers that wouldn’t fly in Baltimore. That being said, the Chiefs offense put up numbers Baltimore has never even come close to seeing. The Ravens had the number one defense in the NFL this year. That’s good. The Chiefs offense is as good as anybodies and their still playing. Eric DeCosta is never going to sign on for having such a lopsided team, but the Ravens can’t just rely on their defense moving forward. They need to win some games with big plays on offense.

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Lesson from the Patriots: 

Preparedness is what the Patriots bring as their lesson to the Ravens. The Ravens just lost a game to the Chargers in which they didn’t tinker to the game plan at all. The Ravens offense looked unprepared. The Patriots looked like they new every little detail about the Chargers. They looked like they were in the Chargers’ head. Marty Mornhinweg is gone because he didn’t prepare for a Chargers team that was clearly beatable. The Patriots plan for everything. For example, they have less receiving talent than usual, so they drafted Sony Michel. Michel ran for 931 yards this year and the team rushed for over 2,000 yards all together. The Ravens need to learn to be prepared the way that the Patriots are.

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