Questions facing the Baltimore Ravens going into the playoffs

The Baltimore Ravens are heading into the playoffs for the second time in as many years. Here are some questions I have about the team as they move towards their next game.

How would the running game look without a healthy Mark Ingram?

I am hopeful that Mark Ingram will be able to come back to the Baltimore Ravens in time for the playoffs. However, a calf strain is no joke and can be re-aggravated quite easily. It is nice that the Ravens can rest him up during the bye, but I am skeptical that he will be 100 percent healthy.

According to Healthline, it can take up to six weeks for a calf to fully heal. As much as Ingram might want to play, I do expect Gus Edwards to carry the ball the majority of the time against whomever the Ravens will play after their first-round bye. I have a lot of confidence that Edwards can carry the ball and carry it well; its just that the Ravens are just more lethal with Ingram and Edwards in the backfield as opposed to Edwards and Justice Hill.

Will the lack of receiver help catch up to the Ravens?

So far the Ravens have not asked much from their wide receiving core. The Ravens wide receivers are asked to block more than catch the football. Their leading receiver is Marquise Brown and though he has had a solid rookie year, seven touchdowns and 584 yards, that stat line would be very low for a number one wide receiver on any other team.

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The most important pass catchers for the Ravens are the tight ends. Mark Andrews has had an amazing year with 10 touchdown catches and over 800 yards receiving. Will the other Ravens receiving options be able to step up if Mark Andrews is taken away by the opposing team? Will Marquise Brown be able to step up and have a 100-yard receiving game if he faces a number one cornerback?

Outside of Mark Andrews and Marquise Brown, no other receiving option for the Ravens has more than 350 yards receiving. It will be interesting to see how the Ravens respond if Mark Andrews and Marquise Brown are taken away from Lamar Jackson.

Will the offense show signs of rust in their first playoff game?

The Ravens dominated the regular season so thoroughly that Lamar Jackson and other key starters were able to sit for the final game of the season, which means many key starters will not have played a game in almost three weeks. The rest is very nice, but will that length of time off affect the Ravens’ ability to attack out of the gate?

The Ravens are notorious for taking the football to start a game and go score an opening drive touchdown. I would be a little worried that taking three weeks off will hurt their ability to do this. We saw some of these issues during the Browns game. The Ravens offense sputtered in the first half, turning the ball over and not scoring until the final two minutes of the second quarter.

The Ravens did prove that they can score quickly during the game, but that might be a little more difficult to do against playoff competition. It will be important for the Ravens coaching staff to make sure that the players maintain intensity during practice to avoid any sort of complacency.