Tag: Brandon Stephens

Ravens who benefited the most from first-round bye in the AFC playoffs

We’re looking at the Baltimore Ravens who benefited the most from the first round bye in the AFC playoffs

The Ravens used the bye week to get even healthier ahead of the divisional-round matchup against the Texans. Head coach John Harbaugh is “optimistic” that injured players will gradually return to practice this week.

“We’re pretty optimistic about everybody, varying degrees of optimism with certain guys,” Harbaugh said. “It’s just like any week, you have to see it unfold. Some guys are good to go. Other guys are going to be more day by day.”

Baltimore has decisions on wide receiver/returner Devin Duvernay and defensive back Ar’Darius Washington, who are in the middle of their injured reserve practice window.

With preparation for the Texans underway, we’re looking at which Ravens benefited the most from the first-round bye.

Ravens vs. Dolphins: Brandon Stephens, Kyle Hamilton ruled out for Week 17 showdown

The Baltimore Ravens have ruled out Kyle Hamilton and Brandon Stephens for their Week 17 matchup against the Miami Dolphins

The Ravens have a huge challenge against the Dolphins explosive offense, and they’ll look to contain Tyreek Hill on Sunday without Brandon Stephens or Kyle Hamilton.

Hamilton and Stephens lead the Ravens in passes broken up and have combined for six of the team’s 16 interceptions.

With the Ravens’ defense, it’s the little things that matter the most

Against the 49ers, Mike Macdonald’s Ravens defense proved to be the class of the NFL. All we can hope for is a Super Bowl rematch.

Monday night’s game between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers was billed as a few things: The game of the year, a game between the NFL’s two best teams, and a Super Bowl preview. All possibly true, but the one thing it was not billed as was a total domination on the Ravens’ part. But in the 33-19 beatdown that was not as close as the score indicated, a Baltimore Beatdown was exactly what happened. Lamar Jackson was amazing against a 49ers defense that had risen from 12th to first overall in DVOA, completing 23 of 35 passes for 252 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 105.9. Jackson also had 45 rushing yards on seven carries, which bolstered his Most Valuable Player candidacy.

What else bolstered Jackson’s Most Valuable Player candidacy was what the Ravens, and defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, did to the 49ers’ offense and quarterback Brock Purdy, another possible MVP. That discussion seems to change from week to week this season, but Purdy did himself no favors, completing 18 of 32 passes for 255 yards, no touchdowns, four interceptions, and a passer rating of 42.6. Running back Christian McCaffrey, another MVP candidate, gained 103 yards and scored a touchdown on 14 carries and might have done even more on the ground had the score not gotten out of hand in the third quarter, but this was really about how Macdonald’s defense got after Purdy both with pressure and coverage.

The coach was clearly fired up about this one, and for good reason.

Macdonald has said before that he likes his defense to lie to the quarterback as much as possible, and he expounded on that last Wednesday as he was preparing for this game.

“[Someone] in my introductory press conference asked about aggressiveness. You’re trying to put pressure on the offense. That’s something that’s seminal to hear. That’s a Raven principle on how we want to operate. I think the way that you see the game has evolved, being so pass heavy – especially in critical situations – and the offenses are so good, and the quarterbacks are so good, how do you consistently put pressure on them to make them make grave decisions in real time? I think that’s what the thought process was.”

Macdonald also discussed last week how the 49ers’ use of motion throws so many defenses off, and how he was not going to fall for the banana in the tailpipe.

“A lot of the formations are condensed. How you count, and who you relate to – and things like that – [are] definitely testing your eye discipline, definitely testing your communication – which is obviously one of the reasons why they do it – [and] changing the run fits. Every play [and] every motion really should have a rhyme or reason why they’re doing it, based on what they’re trying to achieve. You just don’t know in real time until after the play. But yes, having the condensed formations make it easier, because the numbers change faster, rather than being spread out. You have longer to react.”

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar.” the guys got deep into the ways in which Macdonald’s defense was able to win — both with scheme, and with pure player effort.

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You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os,” featuring tape and advanced metric analysis of all Week 17’s biggest NFL matchups (including Ravens-Dolphins, of course), right here:

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You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

Who was the Baltimore Ravens MVP from first 12 games of the season?

With Baltimore on a bye week, we’re looking which players has been the Ravens MVP through the first 12 games of the regular season

The Ravens are 9-3 and sitting atop the AFC after a 20-10 win over the Chargers at SoFi Stadium in Week 12.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson was 18-32 passing, for 177 yards and one passing touchdown, while also logging 11 carries for 39 yards. Explosive rookie running back Keaton Mitchell led the group with 64 yards on nine carries, while Zay Flowers had two touchdowns and 62 total yards on the night.

With Baltimore’s much-needed bye week complete and the team set to return to the Under Armour Performance Center to begin preparation for the Rams, we’re looking at the team MVP from the first 12 games.

John Harbaugh says Marlon Humphrey ‘hopefully will be back this week’

Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey missed the team’s Week 11 win over the Cincinnati Bengals after suffering a calf strain the Sunday prior in a loss to the Cleveland Browns. Head Coach John Harbaugh mentioned the possibility of the former …

Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey missed the team’s Week 11 win over the Cincinnati Bengals after suffering a calf strain the Sunday prior in a loss to the Cleveland Browns.

Head Coach John Harbaugh mentioned the possibility of the former All-Pro returning this week against the Los Angeles Chargers when speaking to the media.

While speaking about the team’s other cornerbacks who filled in admirably for Humphrey against the Bengals, Harbaugh added that Humphrey “hopefully will be back this week.”

It was a significant relief when news broke that the non-contact lower-body injury that caused Humphrey to exit the game against the Browns was only a calf strain. With a gauntlet of explosive offenses down the final stretch of the season, including the Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, San Francisco 49ers, and Miami Dolphins, the Ravens will need their best cornerback healthy and at his best as the team gears up for a run at the AFC’s No. 1 seed to secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Baltimore still has to face a plethora of notable wide receivers such as Keenan Allen, Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, Calvin Ridley, Christian Kirk, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, George Pickens, and Diontae Johnson before the end of the regular season.

Humphrey returned to practice on Wednesday, and the Ravens have a much-needed bye week on the horizon in Week 13 following their game in Los Angeles in Week 12 on Sunday Football.

Humphrey should have time to get healthy before the final five games of the regular season and the playoffs.

Damarion “Pepe” Williams returns to Ravens’ practice

Ravens open up 21 day practice window for Damarion ‘Pepe’ Williams

The Baltimore Ravens announced on Tuesday that defensive back Damarion “Pepe” Williams has been designated to return from injured reserve and returned to practice.

The second-year defensive back was placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury that sidelined him for most of the off-season activities. Williams will bring depth to the slot corner position first and foremost, where the Ravens have used a combination of players this season, including veteran cornerback Arthur Maulet and second-year safety Kyle Hamilton, to much success.

Baltimore drafted Williams with the No. 141 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. The Houston cornerback immediately saw playing time in his rookie season for the Ravens, though he saw less and less time on the field as the year went on. Williams finished his first NFL season with 24 total tackles and two passes defended in 14 games.

It is unclear how much playing time Williams could see this season with the amount of quality depth Baltimore currently has at the cornerback position with Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Stephens, Ronald Darby, Arthur Maulet, Rock Ya-Sin, and fellow 2022 draft mate Jayln Armour-Davis.

Still, cornerback is a position that can thin out quickly due to injuries throughout an NFL season, so getting a promising player like Williams back into the fold as a potential option, if need be, on game days is beneficial.

 

Ravens’ CB Marlon Humphrey says Brandon Stephens is playing at a Pro Bowl level

Ravens’ CB Marlon Humphrey says Brandon Stephens is playing at a Pro Bowl level

Brandon Stephens is a jack of all trades whose versatility allows him to play four or five positions in the Ravens’ secondary.

Thanks to injuries to Marlon Humphrey and other Baltimore defenders, Stephens entered training camp at the cornerback position despite being listed as the team’s free safety on the depth chart.

Stephens has been beyond solid through five games, and even with Humphrey back in the lineup, he’ll remain on the outside at cornerback.

During his Friday media session in London, Humphrey praised Stephens, stating that the third-year defensive back is playing at a Pro Bowl level.

According to PFF, Stephens has 34 tackles, four passes defended, and one interception on the season while entering Week 6 as the 57th highest-graded cornerback.

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5 Ravens who could be first-time Pro Bowlers in 2023

We’re looking at five Baltimore #Ravens who could posibbly make the Pro Bowl for the first time in 2023 via @Thacover2NFL

In 2022, the Ravens had six players selected for the Pro Bowl. That number was tied with the San Francisco 49ers for fourth-most of all teams in the league.

Philadelphia accounted for the most selected players with eight, followed by Dallas and Kansas City, and each initially sent seven players.

Of the six players selected from Baltimore, only one (Roquan Smith) was returning Pro Bowl selectees: Mark Andrews, Patrick Ricard, Justin Tucker, Marlon Humphrey, and Devin Duvernay.

The Ravens have completed two games this season and are just hours away from playing their third matchup against the Colts.

With pregame preparation underway, we’re looking at five players who could be first-time Pro Bowlers in 2023.

 

 

 

 

 

Ravens announce inactives for the Wild Card matchup vs. Bengals

The Ravens announce their inactive players for the Wild Card matchup against the Bengals

The Baltimore Ravens are facing the Cincinnati Bengals in back-to-back weeks. Baltimore lost 27-16 in Week 18 to Cincinnati, but this there is much more at stake, as the playoffs have arrived and the two teams will face off on Wild Card Weekend.

Shortly before kickoff, the Ravens announced their inactive players for this Wild Card matchup. Quarterback Lamar Jackson, who hasn’t practiced in over a month, is on the list, as well as running back Kenyan Drake,  defensive back Brandon Stephens, cornerback Pepe Williams, wide receiver Binjimen Victor, center Tryston Colon, and tight end Charlie Kolar.  Stephens is still dealing with an illness that kept him from Week 18.

Williams and tight end Kolar become inactive with the returns of Marcus Peters and Mark Andrews. Peters is returning from injury after being out since getting injured in Cleveland against the Browns in Week 14, and Andrews was inactive in Week 18 to rest up for the playoffs.  The Ravens need to have big games from both if they want to come out of Cincinnati with a win.

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Ravens announce inactives for Week 18 matchup vs. Bengals

The Baltimore Ravens announced the inactive players for Week 18 against the Bengals

The Baltimore Ravens are in Cincinnati to take on the Bengals in Week 18, the final week of the 2022 regular season.  The Wildcard Round starts next week and the Ravens look to build momentum.  Only the top seed gets a bye in the playoffs, which the Kansas City Chiefs already secured.

The Ravens announced their inactive players 90 minutes before the game, with multiple starters slated to sit out for rest purposes in running back J.K. Dobbins, tight end Mark Andrews and guard Kevin Zeitler. Quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley both will not suit up, paving the way for quarterback Anthony Brown to get the start.

The rest of the inactives list includes some important pieces on defense in cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Brandon Stephens, as well as defensive tackle Rayshad Nichols. The Ravens will need to rely on multiple different players to step up if they want to get a win against the Bengals.