Ravens trade deadline decisions look genius after Week 9 blowout victory

The Ravens traded for running back Derrick Henry ahead of last Tuesday's NFL trade deadline, but the Titans owner vetoed the transaction. They explored potential trades for Chase Young and Panthers edge rusher Brian Burns, but "for whatever reason" didn't complete those moves.

What if all of those whiffs went for a home run? Well, judging by what happened on the football field of M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday as Baltimore went on to demolish Seattle 37-3, that could very well be the case.

If we're honest, there was some considerable concern around Baltimore last midweek as Ravens' general manager Eric DeCosta couldn't finalize a trade to reinforce the team's roster.

It's a roster that, we can all agree, has put on some magnificent displays but still had some gaps in the pass-rushing and running back rooms.

Despite engaging in discussions, DeCosta opted not to make a move, citing the team's overall health and lack of significant gaps in the roster. Both DeCosta and head coach John Harbaugh made clear through press conferences that they believe in the roster as-is and that a trade wasn't that necessary. Well, turns out they were right.

Starting running back Gus Edwards continued to shine with two additional touchdowns on Sunday, bringing his total to five over the past two games and seven for the season, a career-high mark.

In his first significant outing after getting on the field on a very limited basis before, rookie rusher Keaton Mitchell showcased his talents to the world racking up 138 yards and a touchdown on just nine carries.

The other area of concern, the second level of the defense, was simply unbeatable. The Ravens fielded veteran free-agent acquisitions Kyle Van Noy and Jadeveon Clowney on the edges and they did everything to prevent Seattle from scoring even a single touchdown.

Van Noy finished Sunday with two sacks (one of them a strip fumble recovered by the Ravens) and a tackle for a loss. Clowney didn't get a sack but he logged three tackles and two batted passes while applying endless pressure on Geno Smith.

Another Geno, safety Geno Stone, picked Smith for his sixth interception of the season, solidifying his place atop the INT leaderboard across the NFL. No need to mention the likes of Patrick Queen, Justin Madubuike, Roquan Smith, etc... also excelled at their respective positions.

It's always great to keep adding pieces to an ever-evolving roster to bolster it and improve the chances of making a Super Bowl run. Sometimes, however, the price is not worth paying and it looks like GM DeCosta might have hit the jackpot by simply staying pat and doing nothing ahead of the NFL trade deadline.

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