The Baltimore Ravens (3-1) beat the Cleveland Browns (2-2) in Week 5, but there are more questions surrounding this team and just how high their ceiling is. There are plenty of injury questions (including season-ending ones) and other debates to be had.
What are the burning questions after the Ravens win over the Browns?
10. Will Lamar Jackson remain the Baltimore Ravens leading rusher?
Gus Edwards leads the Baltimore Ravens in carries, with 44, but on just 25 carries, Lamar Jackson leads the Ravens in rushing yards. He has 209 rushing yards, while Edwards has 193. That is not bad for Edwards, but it speaks to what type of presence Jackson is bringing.
Jackson has four rushing touchdowns after just five in the past two years. Some of that is regression, some of that Todd Monken using him at the right time, and some of that is the loss of J.K. Dobbins putting more on the legs of Jackson. Still, Jackson has been a presence in the rushing game without Dobbins.
Considering Dobbins is not coming back, it is hard to see one main name catching Jackson. Edwards will be the steady hand, but even he will split with Melvin Gordon, Kenyan Drake, and now Keaton Mitchell will be back.
The Ravens will be shuffling at running back, and Jackson will continue to use his legs when needed, so there is a great chance he will lead the team in rushing by week 17.
9. Could the Baltimore Ravens defense take another step with Kyle Van Noy?
The Baltimore Ravens signed Kyle Van Noy to their practice squad and immediately called him to their active roster. With David Ojabo heading to IR, it appears Van Noy will be here for a while. However, his addition could be strong for the Ravens' defense moving forward.
Van Noy only played 23 snaps, which is a good amount, considering he was just signed this week. Still, the team needed him, and his role was valuable. Of anyone on the roster, he can play a role most comparable to Tyus Bowser, which is standing up off of the football, running stunts, setting the edge, and dropping into coverage.
These are things that neither David Ojabo nor Odafe Oweh could bring. So, first, this fills a huge hole. Second, it allows the Ravens to play the style of defense they planned to play with Tyus Bowser in the lineup before Bowser returns. Then, the rest of the line can get used to this style when Bowser returns, and Van Noy can stay rotational with Bowser as the team gets eased back in.
The hope is that Bowser will be back soon, and now the transition can get easier.
8. Wil the Baltimore Ravens open things up down the field?
One area in which the Baltimore Ravens need to expand the offense is the downfield passing game. Lamar Jackson has only thrown 8% of his passes 20 yards down the field or further. In the past three seasons, that average was 14%, and in 2019, it was 15%.
So, in a year where Todd Monken was supposed to expand the offense and make things a deep passing attack, the offense has actually condensed (while still performing brilliantly). You can blame the personnel in some ways, mainly because Odell Beckham and Rashod Bateman are hurt.
Still, Lamar Jackson has had worse playmakers and still attempted the ball deep. Nelson Agholor and Devin Duvernay were used almost exclusively near the line of scrimmage in this game. So, Zay Flowers caught the only deep pass against the Browns.
Flowers has shown that he can attack in all areas, but it is clear that the Ravens like to get the ball in his hands near the line, and he is more hit-or-miss when he has to expand his routes further from the line. This is why the addition of Beckham had been so nice for Flowers.
So, can Lamar Jackson start to trust someone like Agholor deep or can Odell Beckham return soon because if neither happens then defenses will soon catch onto this and creep in.
7. How can the Baltimore Ravens get more speed from their running backs?
The Baltimore Ravens are relying on Lamar Jackson to be their speed-running back. In a perfect world, the team had J.K. Dobbins, the lightning, and Gus Edwards, the thunder. For the most part, Justice Hill and Kenyan Drake would back up Dobbins, while Edwards would need Melvin Gordon to fill his shoes more often.
Still, Hill has 22 rushes for 83 yards, and Kenyan Drake has one attempt for no yards. Together, they have 23 for 83, which is rough. On the flip side, Lamar Jackson has 25 rushes for 209 yards, which is just a little bit better.
So, can the Baltimore Ravens find someone to fill that role for Dobbins, or will it just be Lamar Jackson?
The Ravens are supposed to get Keaton Mitchell back soon, and perhaps he could bring more juice than either Hill or Drake at this point. The team needs something because, right now, the loss of Dobbins is weighing on them.
6. Are the Baltimore Ravens seeing progress from Tavius Robinson?
One of the big issues from the Ravens' loss to the Colts was the play of Tavius Robinson. The Ravens are asking him to do a lot as a rookie, and between Robinson and Jeremiah Moon, there were a few runs that leaked to the outside.
This week, the Ravens' run defense was much better. Some of that can be the presence of Kyle Van Noy, and maybe his ability to mix in with Robinson is what helped Robinson progress. Still, this was the best we saw from Robinson, especially as a run defender.
Is he getting better, and is this what the Ravens can expect from him? Did this come at the wrong time because Tyus Bowser and Odafe Oweh might be back soon? If those two come back, and Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy are in the mix, does Robinson go back to the fifth man?
5. Can the Baltimore Ravens get Kyle Hamilton back in the slot?
The Baltimore Ravens had Kyle Hamtilon in the slot against the Indianapolis Colts and it was some of the best football you had seen from him. This week, he started in the slot, but an injury to Daryl Worley called for Arthur Maulet to jump into the slot, and Hamilton moved back to strong safety.
Hamilton played well and is becoming one of the best safeties in the NFL. Still, he impacts the game in the slot so much more because he is much closer to the line. Without any safety depth, it makes sense for the Ravens to ask him to move back to the strong safety role.
Still, if Worley is not out for long, the Ravens may be best off with Hamilton in the slot. More than that, if Marcus Williams comes back, do the Ravens keep Williams with Geno Stone and then keep Hamilton in the slot for the foreseeable future? It could be for the best.
4. Is Mark Andrews about to have a strong second quarter to the season?
There were questions about Mark Andrews coming into the season. He was going to be in a new offense, and the Ravens had more skill players than we ever saw. He got off to a bit of a slow start with his injury, and then he did not record 50 yards in either of the first two games.
However, in week four the Ravens got him the ball in big-time spots and he hauled in five catches for 80 yards and two touchdown receptions. It was easily Andrews' best game of the season and could suggest big things coming.
Andrews caught a few passes where Jackson put the ball in a perfect spot. It was impossible to see anyone catch the ball but Andrews. Jackson and Andrews have that connection that they can find each other when the play breaks down. Now that Andrews is fully healthy and Jackson is getting more comfortable, we could see more of this.
3. Could the Baltimore Ravens start to get healthy?
It is hard to say this in a game when Kyle Hamilton had to change positions due to the Daryl Worley injury, and Morgan Moses left early as well. However, the team may be able to get more players back than they lost in this one.
Ronnie Stanley and Marcus Williams practiced last week. There is no sure thing that either will be back, but both are trending to return. With the injuries to Moses and Worley, these returns would at least offset the loss. Beyond that, John Harbaugh said this was the time for Marlon Humphrey to come back. Do they get him healthy? That would be a major boost to the secondary.
Even Odafe Oweh appears to have a chance to return, and Tyus Bowser is closing in on a return date as well. Getting four or five games back would definitely offset the loss of two. If they could get Moses back without missing much time, it would be even more of a help.
2. Who will start at right tackle for the Baltimore Ravens?
As we noted, the Baltimore Ravens are starting to get healthy. However, starting is the keyword because it did not happen quite yet. Morgan Moses left the game and did not return. He had a shoulder injury and his status for week five is uncertain. Ronnie Stanley did practice, and his status may determine who starts in this game.
If Stanley returns, the Ravens may play Patrick Mekari at right tackle, but if Stanley sits, it will likely be Daniel Faalele. Faalele played 29 snaps at right tackle on Sunday. He struggled, although that is expected for starters against the Cleveland Browns defensive front.
So, if the Ravens had it their way, it may be Mekari to that side, but they also know better than to rush Stanley back. What is the status of Moses and what will the Ravens do? These are big questions.
1. Which cornerback will need to sit for the Baltimore Ravens?
The Baltimore Ravens appear close to bringing Marlon Humphrey back. He was not placed on the IR because the team saw him back in this time frame, and he is expected to practice and test things out this week. So, if Humphrey comes back, who sits?
The Ravens had been splitting time with Rock Ya-Sin and Ronald Darby. This has worked for both of them because they are both working back from differing types of injuries. Still, it has left Brandon Stephens as the every-snap cornerback, and he has been the top corner in snaps all season.
So, do the Ravens sit Stephens and then put Humphrey into that every-snap role? Or do they sit Darby and Ya-Sin and ensure they are both healthy in case any more injuries occur?
It is hard to bench Stephens because he has played well, but he also was the one that the Ravens hoped to change to positions, and they signed Darby and Ya-Sin because they did not want to rely on Stephens. You could make strong cases for either option right now.