The Baltimore Ravens buckled down and iced away a tight game against the Los Angeles Chargers, 20-10. The Ravens had control for most of the game, but the score also is not quite indicative of how close the game was. Baltimore has continued to improve, and they made a few changes to prepare for the late-season rush.
3. The Baltimore Ravens got a full game out of Ronald Darby
Ronald Darby has now started six games for the Baltimore Ravens. However, Sunday was the first time that he gave the Ravens a 100% snap effort. Darby did not miss a single snap for the defense.
In week one, Darby played 89.6% of the snaps, but he was pulled late. After that, the Ravens got Rock Ya-Sin back and started to platoon the duo. Darby went to 58.3% of the snaps in the next game, then 65.5%, and finally 63.8% in his last start before Marlon Humphrey returned from injury.
It made sense because Darby tore his ACL in 2022, and Rock Ya-Sin missed week one with an injury. So, why not ease them both back in? However, in week 11, they were both eased in. We needed to see a full game from Darby.
Ya-Sin replaced Humphrey when he injured himself in week 10, but Darby started in week 11. Though he played 50.8% of the snaps, Ya-Sin committed a penalty, and the team finished the game with Jalyn Armour-Davis.
There was too much shuffling, and neither cornerback could get into a groove. The Ravens had to decide who would start and play a full game. They went with Darby, who played well. Keenan Allen got him, but a lot of that was against zone, and it was in the slot. The other receivers were shut down as Alex Erickson was the next highest receiver, hauling in a 17-yard pass as his only yards of the night.
Humphrey should be back soon, but now we know that the Ravens can trust Darby to finish the game if needed.
2. The Baltimore Ravens are increasing the work for Keaton Mitchell
The Ravens had been easing Keaton Mitchell into the mix. It makes sense when you consider he started the year on IR and then tweaked his hamstring the first time he touched the ball in his return. Still, he is slowly seeing his workload increase.
In week 11, he had a career 22 snaps, a 30% snap share. Against the Chargers, he had 33 snaps, a 46% share. This is easily a career-high for both.
In week 10, Gus Edwards had 11 carries, Keaton Mitchell had three, and Justice Hill had two. In week 11, Edwards had 12, Mitchell had eight, and Hill had one. Then, on Sunday, it was Mitchell with nine, Edwards with eight, and Hill with five.
At first, Mitchell was just eating into Hill's time; now, he is forcing the split with both of them. Even better was seeing an impressive catch for 11 when the play broke down. He extended his catch radius to make the play.
Mitchell is getting more work and earning it. He is showing he can be viable on passing downs, and his big-play nature is too good to keep off of the field in neutral situations. Look for his ascension to continue.
1. The Baltimore Ravens are preparing for life without Mark Andrews
The Baltimore Ravens had to go through their first game without tight end Mark Andrews. Things were obviously different, but they tried to move forward as if Isaiah Likely was in that role altogether. Likely has had two chances to fill in for Andrews this year but has just one catch for four yards in those games.
However, in week one, Andrews was a late scratch and Likely was thrown in cold. In week 11, Andrews got hurt during the game. This was the first week the team could actually gameplan around Likely being their top tight end.
He did not go off, but he led the team in receiving, hauling in four passes for 40 yards. His 73% snap share was on par with Andrews, and his workload was when Andrews went down.
We saw a little more Patrick Ricard. His 44% snap share was the third-highest of the season, although the game situation could have dictated that. Charlie Kolar played 19 snaps, 27%. That is his most since week 18 of last season.
If you look at the snap counts of Likely in games when Andrews did not play, it is about 27%, so the Ravens essentially kept Ricard in his same role, moved Likely up, and put Kolar in the role Likely had. No massive change.
One more small note is that Odell Beckham continues to see his snaps down. He has played under 40% of the snaps in the last three weeks, including 32% on Sunday. Still, it has been his best three-game run, and he led all receivers in yards on Sunday. The Ravens have their roles defined well.