Lamar Jackson is out with an ankle injury in Week 5. The Baltimore Ravens made that official Friday, and without him, the odds are stacked against them against the Atlanta Falcons.
Baltimore may be 3-1, but they’ve endured several problems. On offense, the offensive line has been abysmal, and even the run game has been somewhat underwhelming. On defense, the coverage and open-field tackling have caused countless breakdowns.
Since the start of his career, Jackson has been known for making something out of nothing. The Ravens won’t have one of the league’s biggest game-changers, and Tyler Huntley will have to man the ship.
Do they have enough pieces to grind out a victory? Their margin for error will be very thin.
Baltimore Ravens’ lives won’t be easy without Lamar Jackson in Atlanta
Usually, when the Ravens are struggling, they can turn to Lamar Jackson to make a play and shift the tide. We saw it in Week 3 versus the Dallas Cowboys. They couldn’t get anything going, but all it took was a couple of big plays from Jackson to have the team firing on all cylinders.
They won’t have that on Sunday Night Football.
To his credit, Tyler Huntley is a capable backup quarterback. He’s accurate, can run, and has proven he can win games in Jackson’s absence. The team has a ton of faith in him.
“You just look at what he’s done over the last few years, been in must-win situations and got the job done,” Jesse Minter said in his press conference on Monday. “The guys have a lot of confidence in him to be able to go out there and do it.”
Huntley’s 5-6 in his starts with the Ravens, including a critical 2-0 record last year, and both wins came in must-win games. He also didn’t make any momentum-killing blunders last week against the Tennessee Titans.
The Falcons are a different beast right now, though. Their offense is as lively as ever; they have weapons to flip the switch in an instant if Baltimore makes mistakes. Their run defense is elite, too.
Simply put, the Ravens can’t afford to make mistakes. They must play disciplined football.
Baltimore Ravens must play smart without Lamar Jackson under center
When Lamar Jackson is on the field, Baltimore’s offense can be as aggressive as they want. There’s not a throw Jackson can’t make, and he can find lightning in a bottle in a pinch.
I know Declan Doyle’s offense thrives on explosive plays, but they can’t incessantly chase those in Week 5. Tyler Huntley just doesn’t have that superhero cape, and the offensive line could look like a ticking time bomb against Gervon Dexter Jr., Brandon Dorlus, and Atlanta’s strong pass rush.
Keeping the ball moving and running through Derrick Henry will be the answer. And if Doyle wants explosive plays, let Henry hit some outside runs. Baltimore’s inside runs have been rather inconsistent; however, when Henry hits the edge, he can get loose.
Defense is the more important key to this game now. Jesse Minter has dialed up what should be effective schemes all year — the players just haven’t held up their end of the bargain.
Most notably, Baltimore has a missed tackle problem. They tend to start pretty decently, but down the stretch, one missed tackle can cause a barrage of them. Specifically, the secondary has floundered on countless opportunities to stop ball carriers short of the first-down marker, which turns third-down stops into first downs.
The unit did well enough against the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans. Against the New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys, though? They allowed a combined 13-for-28 on third downs and 3-for-4 on fourth downs.
That’s not good enough, especially when you’re set to square off with an offense led by Bijan Robinson and Drake London. Those guys can churn plenty of yards after contact.
- Robinson is second among running backs with 291 yards after contact.
- London is first among wide receivers with 199 yards after the catch.
It’s definitely a concerning matchup. If the defense doesn’t keep its head on a swivel and clean up its missteps, Baltimore could be in a world of trouble.
The Ravens must play smart to avoid falling behind early.
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