Lamar Jackson’s low QBR should be a concern for the Ravens

Lamar Jackson ranks No. 1 among quarterbacks in rushing yards, but will his legs be enough to propel the Ravens to an AFC championship?

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson finished Week 12 with a Total QBR of 35.8 and just one passing touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers. Jackson ranks No. 1 among quarterbacks in rushing yards, but will his legs be enough to propel the Ravens to an AFC championship?

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by NFL on ESPN (@espnnfl)

Through 69 total plays on offense in Week 12, Jackson and the Ravens offense produced just 20 points. Jackson was sacked twice and completed only 18 of his 32 passing attempts. It was Baltimore’s first full game without tight end Mark Andrews, who was lost a week earlier to an ankle injury that required surgery.

Jackson and the Ravens rank No. 1 in rushing touchdowns per game with a 1.8 average, but their No. 19 rank in passing touchdowns per game suggests the offense is at times one-dimensional.

Experienced NFL defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz of the Cleveland Browns held Jackson to a QBR of 49.5 in Week 10. (QBR is an ESPN metric separate from passer rating.) The inefficiency needs to be addressed over the Ravens’ bye this week. With the Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers looming on the schedule, the Ravens will need to be better on offense to take some pressure off of the defense.

The Ravens only led the Chargers by six points going into the fourth quarter Sunday. The Ravens have been very effective running the ball, but Jackson’s low QBR and inconsistent play in the passing game should be a cause for concern. The Ravens only lead the AFC standings by one game. Remember, only the No. 1 seed in each conference gets a wild-card bye in the post-season.

AFC North Week 15 preview: Ravens can clinch the division

The Baltimore Ravens can clinch the AFC North in Week 15 with either a win or a Pittsburgh Steelers loss to the Buffalo Bills.

It’s a quick turnaround this week as the Baltimore Ravens host the New York Jets on Thursday night. Though the rest of the AFC North plays on Sunday in Week 15, Baltimore’s early game will help set the tone for the division.

The Ravens can lock up the AFC North this week, guaranteeing them a top-4 seed in the AFC playoff picture. But it’s some other key division games that can pay even bigger dividends for Baltimore in Week 15.

Let’s take a look at how Week 15 shapes up for the AFC North.

New York Jets (5-8) at Baltimore Ravens (11-2)

The Jets travel to take on the Ravens in a game that features a bunch of former faces. But that’s about where the intrigue ends in this game.

New York is in the beginning stages of a rebuild and it shows both on the field and on the stat sheet. With an ever piling number of injuries to key players, the Jets have gotten kicked while already down, losing to the then lowly 1-11 Bengals in Week 13 before bouncing back to barely edge out the Miami Dolphins last week.

For their part, Baltimore hasn’t exactly looked the same either and some small cracks are starting to appear. While much of that can be attributed to poor weather, the Ravens have shown a few defensive holes that are a little concerning. But few things cure what ails a team like beating up on a bad opponent.

Oddsmakers rightfully view this game as a blowout in waiting and it makes plenty of sense. This is a chance for Baltimore to finetune any issues they’ve seen in the last two weeks and walk into the final two games against division rivals with their confidence surging.

Pages: 1234

AFC North Week 14 preview: Ravens can stand alone after this week

The Baltimore Ravens can clinch the AFC North in Week 14 if they once again take care of their own business and get a little help.

The Baltimore Ravens handled their own business in Week 13 but managed to see an AFC North rival fall to the wayside without even playing them.

With their loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cleveland Browns have officially been eliminated from AFC North contention. With a 5-7 record and just four games remaining, the Browns cannot mathematically win the division. It means the Ravens have just one more team to concern themselves with in the AFC North standings as they enter Week 14. Let’s take a look at what the division has on the books for this week.

Baltimore Ravens (10-2) at Buffalo Bills (9-3)

Baltimore is coming off a draining game against the San Francisco 49ers. In the cold rain, the Ravens were taken the distance and beaten up by the 49ers, though they prevailed in the end. Though the Bills aren’t quite as good as San Francisco, they’re another physical team with quite a lot of talent that’s surging. It’s become a cliche to say at this point, but this is yet another really tough test for Baltimore this week.

However, this is a key game for the Ravens. They win, they’re in . . . it’s as simple as that. But they’ll get tested by an athletic quarterback that likes to run in Josh Allen and a defense that plays tough, aggressive football. Buffalo is also fighting for their playoff hopes, even though they can’t lock in a spot in Week 14.

There are no “gimmes” in the NFL and with the importance of this game for the Ravens, they can’t afford to slack off.

Ravens / Bengals-Browns / Steelers

Pages: 123

AFC North Week 11 preview: Big AFC North battle behind Ravens

The Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football is the game to watch as it sets up second place behind the Ravens.

The Baltimore Ravens ride high atop the AFC North standings, maintaining their lead in Week 10 by beating the Cincinnati Bengals.

All four teams inside the AFC North have had their bye weeks, meaning we’ll get a chance to see football from the entire division for the final seven weeks of the season.

With a tough schedule ahead for Baltimore, the coming weeks are an opportunity for the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers to make up some ground on the Ravens. It’ll start this week as those two square off in the national spotlight.

Pittsburgh Steelers (5-4) at Cleveland Browns (3-6)

First up on Week 11’s schedule is an AFC North rivalry on Thursday night. It’s the first time the Steelers and Browns have met and only the second division game Cleveland has played this season.

Pittsburgh has been heating up after their trade for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, putting together solid defensive performances en route to a four-game winning streak. The Steelers have come alive in spite of an offense that has been downright dreadful, ranking 28th in yards and 19th in points scored.

The Browns would love nothing more than to beat their division rival and put themselves back in the hunt for a playoff spot in front of a national audience. With a fairly easy remaining schedule, Cleveland could very well get to 9-7 and put themselves in the running for a wild-card berth. A loss here would all but eliminate them from contention.

This is a pivotal game for the division behind Baltimore and one worth watching.

Pages: 123