The Baltimore Ravens squeaked their way to a ninth consecutive victory by beating the Buffalo Bills in Week 14. Though it was far from the easiest game Baltimore has had this season, they persevered and continue to control their postseason fate as the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
But with a little time to digest the game and take the pulse of fans around the internet, there are a few things everyone should take away from this game.
Walk away from the ledge
After back-to-back close games, some Ravens fans are starting to sweat. In spite of beating two really good teams, there are those that are really concerned about Baltimore’s offensive output and if the defense is as good as advertised. But anyone still not just as excited about this team’s chances this season has gotta take a chill pill.
As I noted before, bad weather is a good portion of the problem in these last two games. Even with high winds in Week 14 and driving cold rain in Week 13 affected what the Ravens were able to do, they still put up a combined 44 points and were able to mount long drives when they needed them.
Defensively, Baltimore needs to patch up some things, namely their run defense. But against two of the best rushing teams in the league, it wasn’t exactly unexpected that the Ravens might struggle a little. But much like the offense, Baltimore’s defense was able to get key stops and ultimately win the game against the Bills.
The Ravens have guaranteed themselves a playoff spot and still remain the best team in the league right now. They’re doing pretty well for themselves with just three games remaining and a postseason schedule that doesn’t look nearly as bad as expected.
Even on a bad day, Lamar Jackson is good enough
If in the offseason I told you Jackson would complete 64% of his passes and throw three touchdowns to just one interception, everyone would have said he had an amazing game. The fact it was considered just a mediocre one in Week 14 against one of the league’s best defenses proves just how far we’ve come, doesn’t it?
Jackson got off to a slow start in the high winds of Buffalo. With 30 mph wind gusts blowing the ball off track in the snap from center to Jackson, the team had just 30 passing yards at halftime as both offenses struggled to throw the ball on target. But in the second half when the weather cooperated a little more, Jackson became his usual self, going 11-of-15 for 115 yards and two touchdowns.
It might not have been the perfect passer rating games we’ve seen from him a few times this season, but Jackson was more than good enough to get the job done. And when the Ravens needed him to step up his play and push the offense through to victory, he did exactly that with his arm and legs.
Ravens battle back adversity
This week had a little of everything going against Baltimore and yet they still managed to pull it out. Some terrible calls by officials, injuries to guys like tight end Mark Andrews and safety Anthony Levine, high wind gusts affecting the passing attack, and a solid opponent weren’t enough to hold the Ravens down this week.
While some might be upset at how close the game was or the individual stats, being able to rally against everything and still win is an important thing not every team is capable of. If you’ve watched football for any length of time, you’ll likely remember a dominant team fall apart whenever something negative happens or if an opponent is able to punch them in the mouth. Well, Baltimore isn’t a house of cards, they’re solid and they proved it again this week.
Another good way to think about it is if these last two games were the best shots the entire NFL had (weather and all), the Ravens are going to be alright the rest of the way.
