Week 11 made it painfully obvious how vital Justice Hill is to Ravens' offense

The Baltimore Ravens pulled off a 23-17 win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 11. With this win, the Ravens moved up to 5-5 and are one game back from the AFC North division. However, it was an ugly day for the offense; Lamar Jackson struggled all game, completing 56 percent of his passes and throwing two picks. Justice Hill was inactive for this game with a toe injury, and while he isn't a star, his absence was evident on Sunday.

You might look at the fact that the Ravens still had 184 rushing yards, and say, "wait, what?" Listen, Derrick Henry, who rushed for 103 yards, was fantastic. Regardless, Hill was missed in two key areas: screen passes and blocking.

Justice Hill would have opened up the offense for the Ravens

Jackson's struggles were multifaceted; the offensive line failed to contain an elite Browns pass rush, and Jackson was off on several throws. Another factor, though, is that he didn't have Hill as a security blanket in the passing game. Hill has recorded more receiving yards (169) than rushing (93). Likewise, last season Hill recorded 383 receiving yards and 228 rushing yards.

Having him as an easy option on screen passes would have helped Jackson and the Ravens.

Henry and Keaton Mitchell were both involved in the passing game, recording two receptions each for a total of 42 yards. It's crazy to say this, given Henry's overall excellence and Mitchell's explosiveness, but neither is the pass catcher that Hill is. Jackson's pick-six was because a simple screen pass went off Mitchell's hands.

With all due respect, that's a pass that Hill catches, and he is typically the Ravens' main receiving back. Hill isn't a great running back, but he's a versatile one, and his passing-catching would have helped the Ravens build some extra momentum on Sunday.

Another part of Hill's underrated impact is his blocking. In a game where Jackson was sacked five times and pressured on a good amount of his passes, Hill's blocking would have been nice. Whether it is helping chip rushers off the edge, or cleaning up mistakes on the interior, Hill makes a significant impact there.

While Hill is an underrated player, it was clear the Ravens missed him on Sunday. Luckily, this doesn't appear to be a long-term injury as Hill was a limited participant at Friday's practice. Hopefully, he can return to the field next Sunday when the Ravens take on the New York Jets. As the Ravens attempt to make a playoff push, Hill will be a key part of that.