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Baltimore Ravens vs. Steelers: Thanksgiving night Q&A

By Chris Schisler

Nov 1, 2020; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) rushes past Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt (90) during the second half at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 1, 2020; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) rushes past Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt (90) during the second half at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Baltimore Ravens
Jun 13, 2019; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman (center) talks to quarterbacks Lamar Jackson (8) and Robert Griffin III (3) during minicamp at Under Armour Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports /

More questions:

@snedjd asks: Has the Ravens offense become too predictable?

Answer: Let me put it to you this way, do you think it’s hard to prepare for this offense? The answer is no. You already understand that the Ravens are going to throw to the middle of the field, try to run Lamar Jackson outside, and get the ball to Mark Andrews.

I keep getting bothered by the idea that “Lamar has been figured out.” Lamar isn’t playing all that badly. The other team knows what is coming, but that’s not really on him. Roman is calling the plays like he’s a really good run game coordinator, the passing game just isn’t what he does. Moving on from Roman at the end of the year makes sense. Right now the Ravens should think about bringing in a “pass-game” coordinator to work in tandem with Roman. The man just doesn’t get it right now.

So yes, it’s too predictable.

@GreatnessCalls asks:  Do you think it’s time for us to be a “fast break O” have our best 5 skill players on the field and just go no huddle? We could then have the McVay/Goff relationship where Roman changes play based on what he sees.

Answer: This is an interesting question, I will give you that. The tempo is something the Ravens could play with a little more. The problem is that this offensive line has been shuffled a lot. Will Holden may take D.J. Fluker’s spot. Why does this matter? Going to the frantic pace requires 11 men on the same page.

An interesting question here is who are the top five skill players? Give me Mark Andrews, Dez Bryant, Marquise Brown, Devin Duvernay, and J.K. Dobbins (When all are available). The Ravens should play with tempo a bit and use no-huddle in spots. Part of their game is chewing up time of possession. That’s not an overrated stat in Baltimore. That being said, this could shake things up, so good thinking.

@NicDaruler31 asks: Do the Ravens beat the Steelers. If the Ravens make the playoffs what seed do they get?

Answer: It’s hard to predict the Ravens will win on Thursday if the game even gets played on schedule. The Ravens will be short-handed, will not have had time to recover from the heartbreak of Sunday, and will have had a very odd short week doing virtually everything virtual. If you can predict a Ravens win, I admire your optimism, or whatever you want to call it.

Look at the Ravens schedule for the second question. The Ravens play the Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants, and Cincinnati Bengals. The Ravens could win all five of those games and have an artificially good record. Assuming they lose to the Steelers that would give them an 11-5 record. 10-6 may work too. So the Ravens should get into the postseason. Unless they manage to surprise us against the Steelers they will go into the playoffs without proving they can beat a good team.

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