Tag: Marquise Brown

6 bold predictions for Ravens vs. Titans divisional playoff game

The Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans clash in the AFC divisional round. We do our best to predict what crazy things could happen.

It’s nearly time for the Baltimore Ravens to get back on the field and prove their worth this season. They’ll take on the hot Tennessee Titans in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs as both teams vie for a spot in the AFC Championship Game.

The Titans are fresh off their win over the New England Patriots, while the Ravens got a relaxing week of vacation as the No. 1 seed. Baltimore is a heavy favorite in this game and for good reason. They had the best record in the league and have toppled many of the best teams behind them this season.

With the playoffs being a win-or-go-home endeavor, the writers here at Ravens Wire put together our bold predictions for this week. We all picked things that we think could actually happen but would be the talking point of the weekend if they come true. So take a look at our six bold predictions for the Ravens vs. Titans playoff matchup.

Matthew Stevens:

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Ravens win by 14-plus points

Baltimore has been dominant during their 12-game winning streak, and Tennessee simply isn’t better than those teams. The Ravens will outmuscle and outrace them to a quick 14-point lead before coasting the rest of the way, as they’ve done so often this season.

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How were 8 other wide receivers somehow drafted before DK Metcalf?

DK Metcalf has lit itup as a rookie in Seattle. How did the former Ole Miss star last until the ninth WR chosen in 2019?

There were eight wide receivers selected before the Seattle Seahawks took DK Metcalf from Ole Miss with the 64th overall pick in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. How did those wideouts chosen before Metcalf fare as the muscular one moves on in the playoffs?

25. Ravens: Marquise Brown

AP Photo/Gail Burton

The Ravens grabbed speedy Marquise “Hollywood” Brown from Oklahoma. He had Lisfranc surgery before the Sooners’ Pro Day and was not able to show his stuff. Once he got healthy, he proved to be a solid target for Lamar Jackson, catching 46 passes for 584 yards and seven TDs.

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Eagles’ RB Miles Sanders continues to make his case for the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award

Miles Sanders deserves to be named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year

The jokes write themselves.

Those were some of the comments used when it was suggested back in November, that Eagles rookie running back Miles Sanders was slowly making his case to be named the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Names like Gardner Minshew, Kyler Murray, and Josh Jacobs were thrown around, but when Sanders was mentioned, there was laughter and obnoxious responses. After helping carry the Eagles offense over the last month and a half, who’s laughing now?

At the end of November, Sanders led ALL NFL rookies with 709 all-purpose yards and became the first NFL running back since Adrian Peterson, to amass 500+ scrimmage yards and 250+ return yards in his first 8 career games.

When November ended, Sanders was the only NFL rookie this season, to amass 200+ rush yards and 200+ rec. yards as well.

If you check vegas odds currently for the award, names like Murray, Jacobs, AJ Brown of Tennesse, Terry McLaurin of Washington and Seattle’s DK Metcalf are mentioned in front of Sanders even now, and yet, the Eagles rookie may be the only player mentioned to make a playoff appearance.

Jacobs has more rushing yards than Sanders, as the Oakland Raiders rookie has amassed 1,150 yards rushing while averaging nearly five yards per carry. Outside of those stats, Jacobs has been injured and his Raiders are unlikely to make the playoffs.

McLaurin has been a goldmine for the Redskins coming out of Ohio State, and probably would be favored for the award if his team was performing better. The former Buckeye star is closing in on 1,000 receiving yards and has a bright future ahead of him.

That leaves Sanders, who has been the Eagles’ biggest and most explosive offensive weapon all season long.

In the win over Dallas, Sanders had 156 total yards and a touchdown, while making big play after big play.

Sanders is now just the 5th rookie since 2000 with 500+ rush yards and 500+ receiving yards in a season, joining Reggie Bush, Giovani Bernard, Alvin Kamara, and Saquon Barkley on that list.

Sanders is only the 8th rookie RB in league history with 750 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards in a season. He joins Hall of Famers Gale Sayers, Marshall Faulk, and Charley Taylor in that category, along with Abner Haynes, Saquon Barkley, Edgerrin James, and Billy Sims.

He may not have more rushing yards than Josh Jacobs but in terms of all-purpose yards, Sanders is among the top-10, as a rookie.

NFL All-Purpose Yards Leaders

1. Christian McCaffrey (2,294)
2. Nick Chubb (1,730)
3. Michael Thomas (1,679)
4. Leonard Fournette (1,674)
5. Dalvin Cook (1,654)
6. Ezekiel Elliott (1,653)
7. Miles Sanders (1,590)

Over his last four games, with the Eagles season on the line, Sanders has 79 carries for 329 rushing yards (4.6 YPC) and 20 receptions for 173 yards and 6 total touchdowns.

Sanders leads all NFL rookies in all-purpose yards, he’s now set the franchise rookie record for scrimmage yards.

On Sunday against Dallas, Sanders became the first Eagles rookie with 75 yards rushing and 75 receiving in a game since Billy Ray Barnes did it in 1957 per Rueben Frank.

Sanders just broke LeSean McCoy’s team rookie rushing record and in Week 15, he became 1st Eagles rookie with 170+ scrimmage yards, one touchdown receiving and one touchdown rushing in the same game.

The race shouldn’t even be close, but those numbers above and the dynamic ability Sanders is set to display in the season finale and the playoffs, suggest another award should be on its way to Philly.

4 studs, 2 duds from Ravens’ win over Jets in Week 15

The Baltimore Ravens beat up on the NY Jets but not everyone had a perfect game in spite of the lopsided win. These are the studs and duds

The Baltimore Ravens once again handled their business, returning on a short week to blow out the New York Jets at M&T Bank Stadium. In the 42-21 drubbing that wasn’t nearly as close as the score indicates, the Ravens got back into the flow on offense but struggled in a few other spots.

Though there aren’t very many duds in their Week 15 win, Baltimore has a few spots they need to address moving forward. Here are the four studs and two duds from the Ravens’ win over the Jets.

Stud: Lamar Jackson

Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Jackson was expected to break the single-season rushing record in this game. But needing 23 yards, I’m not sure many really expected he’d do it on the opening drive. However, just like this entire season has been, Jackson was more impressive with his arm and leadership in spite of where all the headlines will focus.

Jackson was far from perfect, failing to connect on a few deep shots that he’ll likely be upset about. But it was still an amazing game from Jackson as he completed 65.2% of his passes for 212 yards and five touchdown throws on the night. But his best play of the game was easily the 4th-and-1 from their own 29-yard line where Jackson told the punt team to stay on the sidelines and found tight end Mark Andrews for 36 yards to convert.

Jackson looked every bit the MVP he’s likely going to earn this season while extending his lead on touchdown passes, TD% and amazing individual plays.

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Ravens vs. Bills: Who’s playing and who isn’t in Week 14

The Baltimore Ravens have no players already ruled out but with four listed as “questionable,” there could be some concern in Week 14.

The Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills will enter Week 14 against each other fairly healthy. Both the Ravens and Bills have very few names on their final injury reports and even fewer with their game status in question.

For Baltimore, they have just four players listed as “questionable.” While seeing Marlon Humphrey and Marquise Brown among them is concerning, there’s some upside for both. Humphrey had been limited in the first two practices but returned to full participation today. Brown wasn’t even on the injury report on Wednesday and was also a full participant on Friday. If Friday’s final injury report is any indication, all four players should be able to suit up this week.

Baltimore Ravens game status:

WR Marquise Brown (ankle) – Questionable
CB Marlon Humphrey (thigh) – Questionable
LB Patrick Onwuasor (ankle) – Questionable
WR Seth Roberts (knee) – Questionable

Buffalo Bills game status:

T Ty Nsekhe (ankle) – Out

Nsekhe is Buffalo’s backup left tackle, so being ruled out already isn’t exactly a killer. But Nsekhe has played a decent number of snaps every week he’s been healthy, seeing no fewer than 27% of the offensive snaps in a game this season.

That could end up affecting how the Bills run the football, something they’ll need to do effectively to keep up with the Ravens. But with Baltimore being able to sack quarterbacks 15 times over the last five games, quarterback Josh Allen won’t like missing a key blocker in front of him either.

Fantasy football: 5 sleepers to start, 5 starters to sit in Week 14

Fantasy football Sleepers, sits, starts, ahead of Week 14.

It’s crunch time in fantasy football.

A little scouting and you can avoid a crucial late-season loss or do just enough to cross the finish line with a win this week. We’ve got you covered with a quick scouting report to help you out.

Here are five sleepers to start and five starters you’ve got to sit in fantasy football Week 14:

Starts
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)

QB Tom Brady

Things aren’t going well for the Patriots. Correction: Things aren’t going well for the Patriots offense. Their defense had led them to their 10-2 record. But this could be a good game to have faith in Tom Brady. The Chiefs have an offense that could put up some points even against a stout defense such as New England’s, plus Brady played well against the Kansas City defense twice last season. He had 340 yards and two scores in that game, which was also a home game for him.

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4 Studs and 3 duds in Ravens’ 20-17 win over the 49ers

The Ravens didn’t play their best football but still pulled out a win against the 49ers. Here’s the studs and duds that made it happen.

The Baltimore Ravens played some championship football in Week 13, defeating the San Francisco 49ers 20-17. Both teams slugged it out on the ground and through the air but Baltimore managed to pull out a win as time expired.

It’s a time to celebrate as the Ravens make it eight-straight wins this season, with several being against top competition. But it was far from a perfect win, with several players not playing their best football. Let’s take a look at the stud Ravens who helped win the game and the few duds that made it harder than it needed to be.

Stud: K Justin Tucker

Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images

As if Tucker needed any more credit for being the best kicker in the league, he answered Baltimore’s call. A 49-yard game-winning field goal as time expired on a field that had been rained and iced on all day long is about as amazing as it gets.

There are 31 other teams in the NFL that wished they had a kicker they knew was going to nail that through the uprights. When the Ravens called Tucker out onto the field, there was little question they had already won the game.

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3 matchups that will decide 49ers – Ravens showdown

The 49ers move to the second step of their three-game stretch of teams .800 or better with a visit to Baltimore. 

The 49ers visit Baltimore on Sunday for the second phase of their three-game stretch against teams with winning percentages of .800 or better. They’ll have a tough task trying to slow down the highest-scoring offense in the league, led by quarterback Lamar Jackson. San Francisco’s offense also faces a tall task against a Ravens defense that’s allowed just 11.5 points per game in their last four.

Here are the three matchups that matter most in Baltimore:

Robert Saleh vs. Lamar Jackson

Saleh will have to figure out how to do something not many teams have been able to this season: put together a game plan to slow down Jackson. Slowing him is the key to keeping Baltimore from racking up 30-plus points–  something they’ve done six times this season.

If there’s any defensive coordinator that can do it, it’s Saleh. Saleh was able to put together a plan last week that held Aaron Rodgers to just 104 passing yards and his worst-ever yards per attempt. It could be game of adjustments for Saleh and the defense, but they’ll need to play their best game of the season against Jackson and company.

Richard Sherman vs. Marquise Brown

Brown has been Jackson’s second-favorite target behind Mark Andrews, but Brown is by far his most explosive. It’s not easy to beat Sherman. Speed is one way teams have tried to attack the 31-year-old. Sherman has also had a penalty issue the past couple of weeks with five penalties, including three pass interferences, against Arizona and Green Bay. Sherman can thwart Brown’s speed with physicality, but that opens him up to those flags coming out.

Fred Warner vs. Mark Ingram

Lost in Jackson’s MVP-caliber season is Mark Ingram’s importance to the Ravens’ offense. Ingram is averaging a whopping 5.2 yards per carry and has nine rushing touchdowns. The 49ers have struggled against the run game all season, allowing 100 or more yards on the ground in nine of their 11 games. Warner has been good against the run while putting together an All-Pro caliber season in the middle of the 49ers’ defense. He has a team-high 81 tackles and six tackles for loss. Not only will Warner be important against a running Jackson, but also Ingram while trying to contain the league’s best running team.

Lamar Jackson hits Hollywood Brown in Hollywood for their 2nd TD vs. Rams

The Baltimore Ravens are out to a 14-0 lead against the Los Angeles Rams due to the second touchdown connection between Jackson and Brown

One play after center Matt Skura went down with an apparent leg injury, quarterback Lamar Jackson came back and delivered a play that lifted everyone’s spirits against the Los Angeles Rams.

Jackson found receiver Marquise Brown for an 18-yard touchdown strike. Brown was sent right down the middle of the field, splitting the secondary. It left him wide open for one of the easier touchdown catches he’ll get. It helped put Baltimore out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.

The Ravens have been pounding the ball down the Rams’ throats to start this game. It’s forced Los Angeles to keep an eye in the backfield. But with Jackson being perfect through the air, looking off defenders to open up passing lanes, this touchdown pass showed Baltimore’s offense can beat teams in multiple ways.

The Jackson-to-Brown connection has been strong throughout the season. Brown now has his second multi-touchdown game in his rookie campaign. It highlights the youthful offensive connection that looks to be a dominant force in the NFL.

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Watch: Ravens strike first with Lamar Jackson TD pass

A quick throw to Marquise “Hollywood” Brown has the Baltimore Ravens up early against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 12

The Baltimore Ravens have been kings of starting fast this season, scoring a touchdown on their opening drive more often than not in the 10 games this season. So it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise they’ve done it against this week against the Los Angeles Rams.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson capped off a 55-yard drive with an easy five-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Marquise Brown on a quick slant.

The Ravens started out with excellent field position after De’Anthony Thomas returned a Rams punt to the 45-yard line. A few big runs from Mark Ingram and Jackson got the Ravens down into the red zone, where Brown was able to get wide open for an easy score.

The Baltimore Ravens offense has been red hot this season, in large part because of the dynamic trio of Jackson at quarterback, Ingram at running back, and Brown at wide receiver.

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