The Baltimore Ravens have already dealt with a slew of injuries and we’re not even at Week 2 yet. The Ravens were already without Jimmy Smith as one of their top reserve cornerbacks was recovering from an ankle injury.
Then, in the coming week, before they played the Las Vegas Raiders, they lost Marcus Peters for the season to an ACL tear.
Although the Ravens expect Jimmy Smith to return soon, losing an All-Pro corner in Peters is a huge blow to this defense.
In a defense that relies heavily on press-man coverage and exotic blitz packages, this was one of the worst injuries this team could sustain.
On Monday night, we saw the Ravens try their original game plan to their strengths. Although playing Cover 0 had thwarted Derek Carr’s rhythm in the first three quarters, by the fourth and overtime, he was ripping it into shreds.
Carr had over 300 yards and two touchdowns in the second half and overtime. The blitzes were not getting to Carr as he sat comfortably in the pocket, tearing apart the Ravens defense.
That drive to send the game into overtime was a crushing blow. The Raiders drove down the field in two plays to kick a 55-yard field goal to force overtime.
Once that happened you could see the entire Ravens’ team momentum and body language get zapped.