The Baltimore Ravens handled their business on the road, defeating the Seattle Seahawks 30-16 in Week 7. While everyone expected a close game and few were predicting the Ravens to pull off the victory, such a lopsided score leads to knee-jerk reactions.
But when sifting through what’s real and what isn’t, there is a lot for Baltimore to take away from their win. These are the four biggest takeaways from the Ravens’ Week 7 win over the Seahawks.
The defense is starting to come together
This is the type of performance fans were hoping to see all season. While it’s a shame it took until Week 7, the Ravens finally saw everything come together.
Baltimore bottled up running back Chris Carson on most runs, at times bringing him down behind the line of scrimmage. Carson finished the game with just 65 yards on 21 attempts, thanks to good tackling throughout the game by the Ravens’ front seven and bringing the safeties up for extra support.
That put more pressure on the secondary to lock their end up. Wilson’s big plays were few and far between. Baltimore’s pass defense largely kept Wilson to short throws, playing tight coverage for the second half. The end result was Wilson completing just 20 of his 41 attempts for 241 yards and a passer rating of 65.2.
The pass rush might not have brought Wilson down very often, getting just one sack, but they harassed him all game long. They finished with eight quarterback hits and pressured Wilson out of the pocket frequently. With the secondary playing better, Wilson ended up not having many options available and had to force some throws.
But it was the big plays that really put the Ravens into the win column. Cornerback Marcus Peters made Wilson regret a bad decision to throw outside and late, undercutting his pass and returning it 67 yards for a touchdown. Marlon Humphrey also got another huge play of his own in the fourth quarter, picking up a DK Metcalf and returning it 18 yards for another touchdown.
After next week’s bye, Baltimore should get cornerback Jimmy Smith back for the first time since Week 1. It should also give Peters more time to get familiar with the playbook. With the defense finally starting to jell, things should only continue to improve for a unit that has been under fire to begin this season.
The passing attack continues to stagnate
While the defense answered some questions, the offense continues to have them. Quarterback Lamar Jackson is still a force on the ground, racking up 116 rushing yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. But he was far from special with his arm, completing just 45% of his passes and throwing several balls into the dirt, finishing with just 143 passing yards, no touchdowns and a passer rating of 69.4.
It wasn’t all his fault, however. Tight end Mark Andrews will probably want to forget this game ever happened, dropping four passes that hit him firmly in the hands, including one in the end zone. Wide receiver Willie Snead had another game to forget as well, dropping his only target. Snead and Andrews have had increasing issues with catching and securing passes lately, something coach John Harbaugh has typically not had much patience for.
With the passing attack being so limited once again, Seattle was able to key in on the rushing attack. Running backs Mark Ingram and Gus Edwards combined for just 81 rushing yards on 20 carries. That’s not awful, but it put more pressure on Jackson to carry the offense, which isn’t sustainable long-term.
I expect some tweaks to come over the bye as offensive coordinator Greg Roman takes out some struggling players and tries some new lineups to spark better play.
The offense can’t finish drives
While Baltimore’s offense did reach Seattle’s red zone four times, they came away with just one touchdown. While I’m sure kicker Justin Tucker is grateful for the opportunities to pad his season totals, finishing drives in the end zone would have effectively ended this game at halftime.
The offense got away with the lackluster production thanks to the two defensive scores, but that’s not a recipe for success against other good teams. With a host of other good teams coming up on the schedule, offensive coordinator Greg Roman has to come up with a bigger and better list of plays to get the job done. And there needs to be more trust in Jackson to do it with his arm.
Marcus Peters is worth every penny
Recording a pick-six is impressive on its own. Doing so just a few days after being traded is the stuff legends are made of. Peters is the first player to pick off Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson this season, returning the interception 67 yards for a touchdown. But even without the big play, Peters proved his worth immediately.
The Ravens were able to do more things schematically thanks to having Peters on the field. With another lockdown cornerback, defensive coordinator Don Martindale could continue to dial up unusual blitzes. It also allowed Martindale to create a game plan that included very little safety help, using Earl Thomas and Chuck Clark more in run support.
Peters had a solid game by himself and opened up more possibilities on defense. Considering he cost very little to acquire, Baltimore has already been proven to be a major winner in this trade.
