The Baltimore Ravens are sitting at 8-3. Cleveland and Cincinnati do not have their starting quarterback, and Pittsburgh drafted a backup quarterback in the first round. So, all of a sudden, the division is wide open for the team.
What should we see moving forward to ensure that the Ravens can wrap up the division?
3. Should the Baltimore Ravens take Patrick Queen off of the field more?
The Baltimore Ravens need to get better play out of Patrick Queen. His first six games were great, and he looked better than we had ever seen. His last five games look like the same old player that makes Ravens fans nervous. In six games to start the year, he missed just three tackles, but that is up 10 in the last five games. Also, he went from 23 yards allowed per game to 52 yards yards per game in coverage.
The Ravens are starting to ask more from him, and it is not working. One way to help in coverage may be to take him off of the field in obvious passing situations. Queen has played 98% of the snaps this season, so a small drop may not hurt.
Kyle Hamilton is so valuable because he can play everywhere. The Ravens can have Hamilton back as his dime linebacker role, which he played as a rookie. Then Arthur Maulet can play in the slot.
With the addition of Daryl Worley, they could also bring in Worley for Queen. This would leave Hamilton in the slot. Worley and Maulet are not as big as Queen, but both are sturdy against the run for their positions. This could be the added wrinkle that is needed for a playoff run. It could even bring out the best in Patrick Queen. The team has a few games to experiment with it, starting with the Chargers, who pass heavy and have Austin Ekler, who could be better for Hamilton to defend than Queen.
2. Can the Baltimore Ravens get a full game from Ronald Darby?
The Baltimore Ravens are hoping to get Marlon Humphrey back this week, but we know that with John Harbaugh, that could mean that he is a few weeks away. If Humphrey does not play or if the Ravens need to lean on depth, they have to roll with Ronald Darby in a more expanded role.
Darby has started five games for the Ravens but has never played a ful game. He played 90% of the snaps against Houston, but the played just 58%, 66%, 64%, and 44%. On Thursday, he played 51% in his return to the lineup.
The Ravens have injury issues, and Darby is coming off of an ACL injury, so it makes sense that they do not want to over-push him. However, he is their best coverage cornerback. Rock Ya-Sin has given up more touchdowns, big plays, and penalties. Jalyn Armour-Davis went to play mainly because the Bengals had Jake Browning. Do the Ravens trust him against Justin Herbert? If the Ravens are without Marlon Humphrey, they should just stick with Darby across from Brandon Stephens.
1. Is less better for Odell Beckham Jr. on the Baltimore Ravens?
The last three games have been, by far, the best we have seen from Odell Beckham. He is averaging 70 yards per game in the last three weeks, and that is up from 27 yards in the first eight. What is most impressive is knowing that he is doing this while playing less.
Beckham only played under 50% of the offensive snaps once in the first eight weeks, and that was when he left with an injury. In week nine, he played 46%, then he played one-third of the snaps in the last two games. Despite the big drop in snaps, he has a big increase in production.
He went from averaging 1.10 yards per route run to 3.93. That is a lot of production per route. At his age and status, it may be smarter to just use him when you need him and get the most out of him in those instances. For the Ravens, less is more.