AWOLFNATION

Just a tough game to lose. As good as the defense has played this season, they gave up way too many big plays to Odell Beckham. With all of the injuries this team has, they still played tough and fought until the end. Hopefully they can find a way to get some wins.

I've been perusing a couple of the Raiders message boards this week, and boy are their fans cocky. A lot of them seem to think that the Raiders will win with minimal problems, and I've read some of them saying that the Saints and Titans were harder opponents than the Ravens. I hope that the Ravens make them look foolish on Sunday. M&T Bank Stadium should be fired up and loud.

I noticed how he switched to that low, knuckling, end-over-end punt against the Jaguars, and it really seemed to throw their returner off his rhythm after he had a big punt return earlier in the game. He's truly become a master of his craft.

Dumervil and Dixon possibly being back could help spark both sides of the ball. The defense has been playing very well, but having a pass rusher like Dumervil back will be a boon. Dixon might be the most explosive of all the running backs, but it all depends on if he is able to practice this week, and how much. This could very well be a higher scoring game than the first three have been, but the NFL is always unpredictable. Hopefully, the Ravens will be able to get the win at home.

Mosley looks much better and much more comfortable in the defense than he did last season. Part of it is the experience he now has under his belt, while the other part is that he clearly worked on improving his coverage skills. He's playing fast and decisive. He looks like he's on the way to a very nice season.

I actually like the way Orr has played. He's been very solid in the run game, and his coverage is improving as well. One play that I didn't like from yesterday was the one where Bortles rolled out to his left, and Orr left his coverage to try and get to Bortles. He shouldn't have released coverage there, and Bortles took advantage by completing an easy pass for a first down. Other than that, I think he's certainly played well and fits the defensive scheme just fine.

I have mixed feelings on Shareece Wright. He's clearly not a very good cover corner, but he's solid. His tackling and aggressiveness in the run game are what makes him an asset when the other team runs the ball. It might be a schematic issue, but seeing him get burned by Corey Coleman and Allen Robinson three times total for touchdowns puts him in the spotlight, and not in a good way. While I don't believe he's a guy that you count on for years to come at corner, I think that he will be a decent player in the short-term. Tavon Young has stood out for his play, and I would think that he starts to solidify his role in the slot. I'm curious to see what kind of impact Jerraud Powers and Will Davis can have if they get opportunities. I thought that Davis especially showed potential before he got injured last season, but I'm not sure that he's fully recovered from his injury.

During the draft, I was really hoping that Ramsey would somehow fall to the Ravens. When I heard that they tried to trade up with the Cowboys in order to draft him, but that the deal fell through, I was somewhat disappointed. We have seen the team have lackluster secondary play for a few seasons now, and the notion of having a top-notch prospect like Ramsey was pretty appealing. I'll also admit that I wasn't thrilled with the Stanley pick, and viewed it as an overly safe pick for a team that needed playmakers. However, Stanley has proven to be worth the pick. The importance of a good offensive line can't be overstated, and having a player like Stanley will pay dividends down the road. Ramsey should have a nice impact in Jacksonville, and Stanley will be a force on the offensive line for Baltimore.

This seems like another game where both teams should put up 20+ points. While the Ravens would certainly like to get the run game going, a depleted Jaguars secondary could provide strong opportunities for a good day for the passing game. I could see Pitta being heavily involved in this game. Defensively, the Ravens must get pressure on Bortles. I've been encouraged by the interior pass rush so far, but the outside rushers need to step up as well. Hopefully Suggs will continue to round into shape, and Dumervil could provide a spark if he plays. Judon has been close to making some plays the past two weeks, so I think that you could see him break through and get a sack this week. The secondary will be going up against a strong group of receivers and a solid tight end that has had success against them in the past, so a strong pass rush is even more important in a game like this. The Ravens need to avoid the slow starts they tend to have on the road. Hopefully it will be a good game, and the Ravens can fly on to victory.

I think that the running game will be of huge importance this week. Going up against an offense that can score like the Jaguars can, it will be important for the Ravens to control the time of possession battle. If they can do that, and hold the Jaguars to field goals instead of touchdowns, they can hopefully get out of town with a win.

I also was saying that he should retire. When you view it as a guy that has won a Super Bowl, made a good amount of money, and has a family, the easy choice would have seemed to be retirement. I give him tons of credit for not only grinding through two major injuries, but becoming the starting tight end again. Hopefully he can continue to put together a solid season.

Michael Pierce has really stood out so far. He played extremely well in the preseason, and it's nice to see him get not only a roster spot but significant playing time as well. He looks like he could be another gem the Ravens found as an undrafted rookie free agent.

I think that Lewis will be fine at LG, but I would like to see Urschel get a chance at C. Zuttah isn't cutting it right now.

I would say Pitta. He really played a solid game, and made some big catches. It's nice to see him out there after all of the injuries he's sustained and contributing to wins.

Very sad news. Hopefully the defense can ball out today in honor of Clarence Brooks.

On paper, this seems to be a decent matchup for the Ravens. The offensive line will absolutely need to play better. Yanda had an uncharacteristically sloppy day for his level of talent, but still finished with a fine game overall. I think that Stanley and Lewis will continue to improve each week, even though they might hit some rough patches here and there. Wagner was solid, and that seems to be about what we can expect of him. Zuttah is my biggest concern. He doesn't have the pure power to really stop strong lineman, and it wouldn't surprise me if Urschel replaces him at center at some point this season. If the Ravens can find some improvement from the offensive line this week, the running game should click. That could open up some downfield chances to Wallace and Perriman. I also think that Pitta will have a solid day. Flacco could look to him often if the downfield routes are well-covered . Defensively, I think that they will continue to play aggressively. It wouldn't surprise me to see the Browns put up a fair amount of yardage in this one, but I also think that the Ravens can get to McCown and will be able to shut down the Browns running game. They won't have to worry as much about containing McCown like they did with Tyrod Taylor and like they would have with RGIII, so I can see their outside rushers being able to be more aggressive. I think that having Weddle as the general of the secondary will continue to pay dividends. He will be able to keep cohesion more often than they had last season, which should help to eliminate some of the sloppy breakdowns in communication that were far too frequent. Special teams could be a wild card. I think that Tucker and Koch will be reliable as usual. It's the blocking/coverage units and Hester that could go either way. They didn't do a particularly good job blocking on returns against Buffalo, which contributed to Hester's first return that didn't gain much yardage. If they can find some improvements this week, I think that you will see more opportunities for Hester to find lanes to run in. He obviously has the talent, even if he doesn't have the speed that he once had. Hopefully he will feel more comfortable each game. While he might now have the explosiveness of past seasons, he's still a Hall of Fame returner that is knowledgeable and sure-handed. Overall, I'm hoping to see a good game that will result in a Ravens win.