The most popular question in town this week will probably be, “Is it really 70 degrees? It’ll probably be 25 next week.” But the second most popular might be, “Are the Ravens the best team in the NFL?”
And the correct answer is “maybe?” I’m not trying to be dismissive of the premise, it just doesn’t much matter at the moment.
I mean, no one gives out championships for being good at the midway point of the season. Could you even imagine? What kind of cockamamie, fly-by-night organization would just hand out a cockamamie title halfway through a season and pretend like anyone gave a crap because it competed on hellacious-looking floors and, you know, I think I forgot to include the word “hypothetically” in there somewhere. My fault.
We’ve reached the midway point of the season so to be fair, it’s reasonable to start thinking about it. The Ravens are in great shape. They’re 7-2. They’ve stacked incredible results against good teams. There is so much to be excited about.
So let’s hand out some Ravens first half superlatives since we’re all in such a good mood.
Team MVP: Lamar Jackson
This actually isn’t as easy as it feels like it should be. For as great as Lamar Jackson has been (and he has, for sure, been great), there is an argument that the defense has been so otherworldly that the MVP should be on that side of the ball. The problem is … who? Justin Madubuike and Geno Stone might seem to have the splashiest arguments, but perhaps Roquan Smith remains the most valuable. Ultimately, I default back to Jackson, who has been spectacular.
Best Moment: The Week 7 win against the Lions
The only debate here is whether the Week 2 win in Cincinnati might have actually been better. But since Joe Burrow still didn’t seem fully “right” for that game, we’ll default to the Lions. Detroit looked like a viable Super Bowl contender and Ravens fans were still feeling uneasy about brutal losses to the Steelers and Colts in the month prior. The Lions win was the first time we genuinely thought, “Well, if they could do this, maybe they could win the Super Bowl.”
Biggest Surprise: Geno Stone, by a nose
With due respect to Jadeveon Clowney, who has the seventh-best edge rush win rate in the entire NFL, the answer is Stone. There was no way to see this coming. We’re talking about a player who had one career interception in 32 games coming into the season. We’re talking about a player who is only a few years removed from being claimed off waivers by the Texans only to not be extended a qualifying offer. Clowney has been wonderful, but Stone leading the league in interceptions is nearly impossible.
Biggest Disappointment: The Steelers thing
J.K. Dobbins suffering another injury would be high on this list and the Colts loss was disappointing. But without question, the most deflating moment of the season was the loss in Pittsburgh, particularly how it happened. Thankfully the drops that doomed the Ravens that day have not continued to be an issue.
What makes it all the more strange is that we had been waiting to see Jackson finally have a strong performance in a win against the Steelers (a combination that has, for myriad reasons, eluded him entirely during his career). Jackson was the highest-rated offensive player in the NFL in Week 5, according to PFF. And yet … alas. If he could play that well and still have nothing to show for it, you almost have to start to wonder if there’s some sort of curse in effect.
Unsung Hero: Rock Ya-Sin
I think there’s an argument for Michael Pierce here, too. But we had such significant (and founded) fear about the secondary coming into the season and admittedly, I was not particularly moved by the signing of Ya-Sin. But despite missing the Seahawks game due to illness, he’s been a … very solid cornerback. His 44.3 passer rating allowed was sixth best in the NFL coming into Week 9, according to Pro Football Reference, allowing a league-low 2.6 yards per target. (He was actually tied with Kyle Hamilton in that department coming into the week.)
Biggest Reason For Concern: They still have to prove it in the playoffs
The difficult reality for the Ravens is that they uniquely can’t prove as much during the regular season. Their playoff record since Jackson’s arrival (1-4) leaves that measurement hanging over them. If they finish the regular season 15-2 and win every game by 30-plus points the rest of the way, they will still have to answer for their lack of playoff success. It looks like what they’re doing right now (dominant defense, efficient offense) should be quite translatable in the postseason. But they can’t prove that until they do it.
Second-Half X-Factor: Keaton Mitchell
Perhaps David Ojabo or Tyus Bowser should be in this conversation, but what we saw from Mitchell in Week 9 is so incredibly enticing that you can’t help but wonder if we might have been watching the first steps of a soon-to-be superstar. If his speed and balance can continue to be on display and partner with Gus Edwards’ raw power, a 2019-like run is not remotely impossible.
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox