In what many pundits (and sportsbooks) expected to be a one-sided tilt this past Sunday, the Ravens managed to persevere in a thrilling 23-17 victory over the visiting Arizona Cardinals.
Let’s review Baltimore’s “portfolio” for Week 2.
Stock up: QB Lamar Jackson
Sure, it wasn’t the perfect five-touchdown performance we saw in Week 1 against Miami, but Jackson showed how dangerous he can be both in the air and, maybe more importantly, on the ground against the Cardinals defense. His performance earned our Player of the Game accolade. Not only did his vision and quickness routinely gash Arizona for first-down-and-then-some yardage, but Jackson also delivered a spectacular 41-yard pass to Marquise Brown to seal the game. That’s the kind of poise and confidence you want in a franchise quarterback. The doubters are getting quieter by the week.
Stock down: Running backs
Aside from Jackson’s running, the rest of the ground game left something to be desired. Yes, the Cardinals sold out heavily to stop the run and one could argue that the presence of Ingram and company helped fool the defense, giving Jackson the lanes to exploit. But for a team that suggested it would rely heavily on the rushing attack, we certainly haven’t seen much. And maybe that will continue to be the case as teams continue to focus on the run and dare Jackson to beat them in the air. That stipulation might not be so bad as the young quarterback continues to excel with each passing attempt.
Stock up: TE Mark Andrews
This one pretty much goes without saying, but Andrews is quickly becoming the Ravens’ biggest weapon on offense, creating mismatches and big plays left and right. The second-year tight end was poised for a breakout season, and boy, has he surpassed expectations. We expect a lot more from Andrews in the coming games, and his presence will continue to be a bright spot as the Ravens offense continues to develop.
Stock down: Secondary
I know there is a shift in the defensive backfield with Tavon Young and Jimmy Smith sidelined, but there were too many head-scratching plays in the secondary on Sunday. How Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk found wide-open space on more than a few occasions blew my mind, especially with that many jump balls being thrown by Kyler Murray.
For a team that’s known to terrorize rookie quarterbacks, Murray didn’t seem to have too much trouble, finishing the day with 349 yards passing and finding his two top receivers for over 100 yards apiece. While this all may be attributed to general miscommunication from the likes of Anthony Averett, Maurice Canady and Cyrus Jones, a repeat performance next week could spell disaster against a team with the explosiveness of Kansas City.
Stock up: Marquise Brown
Is Brown an emerging No. 1 receiver? His play these first two weeks certainly suggests it. Brown’s overwhelming presence in the offense has seemingly come out of nowhere after he sat out all of training camp and most of the preseason. His speed, route running and sure hands are nightmares for opposing defenders. After what feels like an eternity of trying and failing to draft a capable receiver in the first round, the Ravens may have finally hit the jackpot.
His ability to take the top of defenses with the deep ball, as well as create explosive plays anywhere on the field, gives the Ravens one of their most potent receiving threats in team history. And with matchups against offensive powerhouses like the Chiefs and Patriots on the schedule, Brown’s talent couldn’t have arrived at a more perfect time.
Stock down: Receivers not named Brown
While it’s exciting that the Ravens may have found a star in Brown, the overall absence of the rest of the receiving corps was worrisome. Brown had more receptions than the rest of the wide receivers combined, and even though Jackson spread the ball around — finding nine different targets in the passing game — it would have been nice to see Willie Snead or Miles Boykin make a big play.
Also, someone please let me know if Seth Roberts is actually on this team. He wasn’t targeted against the Cardinals in spite of playing 27 offensive snaps. He has just one catch for 10 yards over the first two games (78 snaps). For a player listed so high on the depth chart, we haven’t seen or heard his name much.
