Dennis Pitta snagged a critical third down late in the game, Joe Morgan and Kamar Aiken combined for 12 catches for 200 yards, Chris Givens caught a 55 yard touchdown pass and Breshad Perriman snatched a fade in the end zone. Late in the fourth quarter Brent Urban sacked Quarterback Andy Dalton on a critical third down and Buck Allen runs out the clock as time expires and the Ravens defeat the Bengals and continue their push for a perfect 8-0 after starting 2-6.
Yes, that may be a fantasy and what we would all like to hear but I think it touches on everything the Ravens need to do to even think about getting to 10-6 by the end of the season. However, if they address these few issues, those one score losses could turn into victories. Right now the toughest team on the schedule is the Cincinnati Bengals and we only lost by one score to them. It is not impossible to believe that could be turned into a victory by addressing those items I speculated about in the fantasy scenario I created in the first paragraph.
Whether it be Pitta or Gillmore or Williams or someone else who steps up, Flacco has got to find that guy he can go to and convert on critical third downs. Well, not just critical, but any third downs. The Ravens have been horrible on third downs and a guy to stretch the field and a guy who can create separation short will make a huge change in this offense. Hopefully with Givens now stretching the field, Aiken amd Morgan working underneath and perhaps a Pitta sighting every now and then could make a huge difference. Just think how much improving third downs by about 20 percentage points would help this team.
The defense needs to be able to generate pressure on the opposing quarterback without having to blitz. Where Timmy Jernigan is coming around in spurts, Brent Urban is that guy the Ravens were really hoping would develop into a top rated pass rusher. Urban is on the IR to return list and is available after week 8 and Coach John Harbaugh said he is healthy and when he is able to return to practice, then he will. With Chris Canty’s health and play improving, Jernigan stepping up, Brandon Williams as a force in the middle, the addition of Urban could be the help the line needs to get pressure without invoking the linebackers.
The last thing in my Ravens fantasy to address is the run game and trust me, the Ravens are very aware of the importance of developing the run game to the caliber it was last year. The Baltimore Ravens website addressed that today with an article pointing out the importance that Offensive Coordinator Mark Trestman is placing on the run game during the bye week. Quarterback Joe Flacco has been playing well, virtually carrying the team on his shoulders and the importance that a run game plays in taking that load off of him is well documented. We all know from last year how important the run game is to the play action passing game, taking pressure off Flacco and being able to move down the field in chunks and not in bits and pieces.
The fans and pundits have been criticizing Ozzie Newsome from his handling of the cap and dead space to his failure to draft superstars at picks that are usually between 26 and 32. However, behind the scenes, Ozzie is slowly putting together a competitive team. The loss of Steve Smith Sr. is a devastating loss but it seemed Trestman’s calls and Joe’s decision-making started to spread the ball around more, which is always a good thing. Will Davis was also a big loss. Only two games into his stint as a Raven he was showing a lot of progress before going down. In steps Charisse Williams and he is playing well. Ozzie continues to pick up talent on the down low, not making a splash at the end of the trade deadline no more than he makes splashes during the draft or free agency. Still, with the few key additions Ozzie has made and players returning from PUP and IR could set this Ravens team up for an interesting end to the season.