With the Baltimore Ravens’ injuries getting out of control, it’s time to lower expectations for the 2020 season.
If you look at the Baltimore Ravens purely from an outside perspective, they still very much look like one of the few Super Bowl contenders in the NFL. They’re 6-3, have the reigning MVP at quarterback, a smothering defense, and the best kicker in the game. But dive in a little further and you’ll find quite a few holes, a massive number of injuries, some sloppy play, more injuries, inconsistencies on both sides of the ball, and a couple more injuries. Though Baltimore started the season as Super Bowl favorites, it’s finally time to adjust expectations.
The Ravens could fix just about every issue they have. Through a combination of better execution and coaching, Baltimore could decrease the number of penalties, shore up the inconsistencies on defense, and begin to look more like last year’s offense. At this point in the season, those types of massive and sweeping changes are fairly unlikely to happen to the extent they need to, but they could. Where the Ravens can’t help but watch in horror is the injury report.
Following Week 10’s game against the New England Patriots, Baltimore placed yet another two players on injured reserve. Tight end Nick Boyle and cornerback Terrell Bonds join a host of other players with season-ending injuries, unfortunately stacking even more pressure upon some already shallow positions.
Bonds is the fifth cornerback the Ravens have placed on injured reserve this season — joining Tavon Young, Iman Marshall, Anthony Averett, and Khalil Dorsey. While Averett could still return in the coming weeks, the sheer number of injuries has created a problem of even putting enough players on the field for a full game. Baltimore has had to sign free agents off the street at midseason, adding Tramon Williams and now bringing rookie safety Geno Stone up off the practice squad to be able to limp into Week 11.
Boyle’s injury deals a huge blow to a tight end depth chart that was already struggling following the trade of Hayden Hurst this offseason. There was some hope in training camp that UDFAs like Jake Breeland and Eli Wolf could replace Hurst’s smaller role well enough, but both have dealt with injuries that have kept them from the 53-man roster.
Keep in mind that the Ravens used heavy formations (either two or three tight ends and either one or two rushers) 42.7% of the time last season, per FiveThirtyEight. Already not having Hurst was an issue that has limited Baltimore’s success on the ground and through the air this year. Now without Boyle, the team’s best non-lineman blocker, the rushing attack will undoubtedly take yet another hit it could ill afford.
Speaking of blocking, the Ravens have lost two starting offensive linemen to the injured-reserve list. While the loss of rookie right guard Tyre Phillips might have been a bit of a blessing in disguise considering his struggles this season, there’s no way to make the loss of left tackle Ronnie Stanley sound better. Admittedly, Baltimore made a pretty big mistake going into this season with no clear-cut backup offensive tackle and the team now looks to be changing from D.J. Fluker to Patrick Mekari at right tackle after just two weeks. But the loss of Stanley was going to have a massive impact on the offense regardless of who they had backing him up.
Even the list of injuries that haven’t made it to injured reserve is worthy of a deep sigh and some concern. Defensive linemen Calais Campbell and Brandon Williams are expected to miss some time with various injuries. Running back Mark Ingram missed several weeks with an ankle injury. Cornerback Jimmy Smith has been battling back and Achilles injuries all season long. Linebacker L.J. Fort missed the last two games with a finger injury. Rookie defensive lineman Justin Madubuike started the season on the injury report, missing the first four weeks with a banged-up knee. That’s not even getting into the role players who have missed a week or two along the way as well.
While all the expectations piled on the Ravens at the beginning of the season were legitimate and fair, those types of injuries change the situation pretty dramatically. If I were to tell you Baltimore would lose two starting offensive linemen (in addition to Marshal Yanda’s retirement), five starting cornerbacks, a starting tight end, and long-term injuries to guys like Campbell, you’d likely and rightfully tell me that this team’s ceiling would be just making the playoffs.
So, while the Ravens sit at 6-3 and still have a clear path into the postseason, it’s far from certain. Even at their current record, Baltimore is just barely hanging onto a wild-card berth entering Week 11, sitting in front of two teams with the same overall record for the seventh and final playoff seed. With games against the Tennessee Titans and Pittsburgh Steelers in the next two weeks, it’s easy seeing the Ravens slide to 6-5. In the AFC this season, a 10-6 record isn’t likely going to guarantee a playoff berth, meaning Baltimore is in a position where every other remaining game is a must-win scenario.
I think it’s important to note that just getting into the playoffs would make the Ravens a Super Bowl contender. If the team’s 2012 postseason campaign is any indication of what could happen, Baltimore punching their ticket for extra games automatically gives them a chance, no matter how small. That’s what helps make football such an amazing and unpredictable sport. But it’s also important to come back down to Earth and not be crushed if neither happens.
It’s not the end of the world if Baltimore doesn’t make the playoffs or win the Super Bowl this season, even if it’ll be pretty disappointing. This is a team that has a great young core, top coaching, and a front office that has few rivals. The Ravens are set up to do well over a prolonged period, giving hope in 2021 and beyond.
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