The Baltimore Ravens' loss to the Indianapolis Colts brings up all kinds of questions about the team and where they stand moving forward.
So, what does the team need to answer if they want to be labeled Super Bowl contenders?
10. Will Kyle Hamilton remain in the slot for the Baltimore Ravens?
One of the big differences in the Baltimore Ravens defense this weekend was Kyle Hamilton, who played in the slot after playing strong safety through two weeks. Ar'Darius Washington was starting in the slot, and he was the backup to Pepe Williams, who was already injured.
So, option three was to move Hamilton to the slot and then start Daryl Worley at safety next to Geno Stone. While the Ravens lost, this particular presence was a success. So, the question is whether or not this continues. In some regard, it has to. Neither Washington nor Williams will be back anytime soon.
However, at the same time, the team is bringing in Arthur Maulet slowly after he missed the preseason with an injury. The Baltimore Ravens will have to decide if they like Maulet in the slot and Hamilton back at safety, or do they like Hamilton in the slot with Worley at safety?
9. Is the Baltimore Ravens run game in trouble?
We have seen this movie before. The Baltimore Ravens have had veteran running backs that everyone has heard of come in and here and struggle to get anything going in the running game. Remember Le'Veon Bell and Latavius Murray? Oh, we even saw this show already with Kenyan Drake.
Now, we are seeing this with Kenyan Drake again, and this time he will be assisted by Melvin Gordon. It is not quite thunder and lightning but more dusty and dustier. What makes it tougher is trying to establish this running game behind the banged-up offensive line.
Lamar Jackson is currently the Ravens leading rusher and with so many names shuffling next to him, he may stay that way. J.K. Dobbins will not return, and it feels like it will be a while until we see Justice Hill again.
Gus Edwards may be able to return from his concussion soon, but we will still be seeing both Gordon and Drake in the mix. Is this going to be an issue for the Baltimore Ravens if they cannot create a consistent run game?
8. Are the snaps catching up to Brandon Stephens?
The Baltimore Ravens have been banged up at cornerback which has led to Brandon Stephens starting on the outside. Stephens has done that before, but he also spent most of the offseason planning to play safety. Injuries and lack of an ability to add depth at the position have him on the outside.
The issue is that he is starting to struggle. He was okay against Robert Wodds, but in the last two weeks, he saw Tee Higgins and a lot of Michael Pittman in the loss to the Colts. Stephens is a good tackler and plays physically, but when the pass rush does not help him, he is not good enough to hold things down.
He has been charged with 198 yards in three weeks, per PFF. When Marlon Humphrey comes back, the Ravens' best bet is to play Ronald Darby and Rock Ya-Sin in their rotation and then replace Stephens, the every-down cornerback with Humphrey. When will this happen?
7. Can Michael Pierce keep this up?
I should not even ask this for the fear that it will actually come true. Still, there have to be concerns about Michael Pierce and how much he can sustain the impact he has had this season. Pierce is about to be 31 years old and has not been healthy for a full season since 2019.
Pierce is also coming off of a 54-snap game, the most snaps that he has played since 2017. He is playing some of his best football at a run he has not played very often. At his age and injury history, there has to be a fear of how much he can keep this up.
This is surprising in a sense. The Ravens could be playing him so much because he is playing so well, and they do not want to lose his momentum. They could be understanding that if he does get hurt, they have Travis Jones ready. Or, they do not trust Travis Jones.
If it is the latter, the Ravens have an issue, but if it is the former, the Ravens may be ready to ride this hot streak until the wheels fall off. We can only hope it does not happen soon.
6. Can the Baltimore Ravens get Lamar Jackson to stop fumbling?
Lamar Jackson has fumbled the football four times through three games. His career high is 12, and he has hit nine and 10 in a season as well. Still, the rate he is at is unsustainable and would cost the team games if it continues.
It already was a key play that cost the Ravens against the Colts. Some of the issues come down the offensive line, but Jackson simply has to be more protective of the football. He thinks that he is being a playmaker and helping the team, but right now it is hurting things. With the injuries the team has and the talent he brings, he has to play it more safely to win games.
Will Lamar Jackson really set a career-high in fumbles this year, or will he get his act together and perform better to keep his team in games?
5. Is the Baltimore Ravens offensive line hanging on by a thread?
The Baltimore Ravens offensive line is not the sole reason the team lost to the Indianapolis Colts, but they were one of the catalysts to the issue. Patrick Mekari allowed a sack to Samon Ebukam, Kevin Zeitler was beaten clean by Taven Bryan for a strip, and Sam Mustipher had a bad snap that cost the team a drive.
The Ravens offensive line has some issues. Mekari and Mustipher are short-term placeholders. They can hold up here and there but are not consistent enough to last for long periods of time. That showed as they got up for the Bengals but could not string it together in a big game against the Colts.
John Simpson has come down to earth and struggled this week, and Zeitler has been a disappointment all season long. Morgan Moses has been great, besides a lapse or two against Will Anderson. Still, there are four positions with questions on the Ravens offensive line. That is not great when you consider the Browns are coming to town.
4. is Kyle Hamilton in the slot making Roquan Smith better?
Roquan Smith was at his best on Sunday. Some of it has to do with the fact that the Ravens played a backup quarterback, but you have to wonder if Kyle Hamilton in the slot is for the best for Roquan Smith as well. Between Patrick Queen and Hamilton, the Ravens bring a ton of athletic potential and length into the box.
Both of them are excellent as blitzes, and both bring a different skill set that helps in the ground game. The big thing is that both of them are right next to Roquan Smith. Smith can communicate with both of them, and he can fill in the gaps and make plays for anything they like. It is like the triangle offense for these three, but on defense.
The Ravens' defense was at its best down the stretch last season when Hamilton was in the slot. Sunday was the best we have seen from both Hamilton and Smith. This may not be a surprise. Should the Ravens just keep Hamilton in the slot, and is that for the best?
3. Can any Baltimore Ravens wide receivers open the downfield passing game?
One big issue that emerged from the Ravens' loss to the Colts was the lack of a downfield passing threat. Odell Beckham had been that through two weeks, and it helped open the offense in a big way. It has drawn attention to him, away from Zay Flowers, and has given the offense spacing in the back end to draw up short passes for Flowers.
On Sunday, the Colts did not fear anyone as the deep threat, and they crashed down on Flowers, who had his weakest game of the season. Rashod Bateman saw his most snaps of the season and then had a hamstring injury. Meanwhile, Agholor was thrust into the role that Beckham was playing, and we realized that he is better as a fourth wideout than he is when all attention is on him.
So, will this be an issue all season long? Beckham is supposed to be back this week, but his health is a major wild card regardless. If he cannot stay healthy, is this asking too much of Agholor? Can Bateman get healthy and step up? Or Will Zay Flowers have to do a lot of the heavy lifting in all areas of the field? The Ravens will need to figure this out.
2. Can Isaiah Likely add anything to the Baltimore Ravens passing game?
The Baltimore Ravens lost Mark Andrews in week one, and they lost Odell Beckham in week three. Rashod Bateman has been banged up and ineffective. The Ravens have played Isiah Likely on 43% of the offensive snaps this year after playing him for 40% of the snaps as a rookie.
Everything is in line for Isaiah Likely to see improvement this year, and we have simply not seen that. This year, he is down from 23.3 yards per game to 10.7. His yards per route run is down from 1.32 to 0.84. He is just not getting anything done. Is this because Todd Monken is not viewing him as a piece of the offense? A lot of his targets have been check-downs. Or, was the rookie year for Likely a bit of a fraud because there were no other options?
The Ravens need to get something out of Likely. Perhaps they start to push Flowers down the field more and use Likely as the underneath target?
1. Can the Baltimore Ravens get one of David Ojabo or Odafe Oweh healthy?
The Baltimore Ravens are really starting to feel it in their edge rusher group. Jadeveon Clowney has been the best thing to happen to the unit and he has been a pleasant surprise. However, the rest of the unit has brought questions.
Tyus Bowser has been on the IR. Odafe Oweh left week three early and has missed week four, with the possibility of missing week five as well. David Ojabo left week four with an injury, and now we have to wonder about his status in week five.
With those two and Bowser out the Ravens shifted to Clowney with Tavius Robinson and Jeremiah Moon across from him. When the thought was that Clowney would mix in with Ojabo and Oweh, it was great.
Now, you wonder if they are going to ask too much of Clowney. When it goes from Ojabo and Oweh to Robinson and Moon the issues came, especially in run defense. Can the Ravens get these two to show a little more?