The Baltimore Ravens earned a bye week, so while the rest of the NFL is going to be taking a pounding during a physical playoff game, the Ravens will be rested and ready to come out as the top team in the NFL.
This is also a great chance for the team to look at how they have been working things out to decide if there are changes to be made in the playoffs. What can the Ravens sort out this week?
3. How will the Baltimore Ravens deploy their secondary?
The Baltimore Ravens' usage in their secondary will be the most watched subject of the week. First, there are plenty of injury questions for the roster. The Ravens are expected to have Kyle Hamilton from his ankle injury, but it is not a lock.
The more significant injury is Marlon Humphrey. He has a calf injury and is going to be much closer to a game-time decision. Between the two, the Ravens may deploy things differently.
Before they both got hurt, the Ravens had been experimenting with their deployment. Against the San Francisco 49ers, the Ravens tried out Humphrey in the slot with Ronald Darby and Brandon Stephens outside. This allows them to move Kyle Hamilton into the strong safety role and take Geno Stone off of the field.
Even if Humphrey is out, the Ravens have Arthur Maulet and Pepe Williams healthy this week, and both may get work in the slot. The Ravens have been trying to get Geno Stone out of the strong safety role while also keeping him on the field, and moving Hamilton out of the slot helps that.
Will this continue? Will we see Ronald Darby when the playoffs come? Or Pepe Williams? Do the same five play all game, or is there any rotation?