Next Up: Ravens at Steelers, Sunday December 25 at 1630

[redrum52]

I might be reaching here, but... If we beat Steelers, I will GUARANTEE we make playoffs.  How?  Well it's simple.  We beat the Steelers then all we have to do is beat the Bengals.  I feel among both of our teams there is a mutual respect, where as the Bengals really don't like the Steelers.  I think they might be motivated to maybe give us a boost into the post season over letting the guys in Pit in.  You all may continue on with your day now...  

[BNat]

19 hours ago, allblackraven said:

How exactly would that be a shock? We beat them 5 times out of last 6 games. Even 5-11 Ravens beat them twice last year.

That ends Christmas.

[frozen joe flacco fan]

6 hours ago, codizzle said:

Technically agreed but still not someone I'm going to list to instill fear in an opponent 

You're right as usual, codizzle! I couldn't list all 53.

[Ravens4Real]

1 minute ago, redrum52 said:

I might be reaching here, but... If we beat Steelers, I will GUARANTEE we make playoffs.  How?  Well it's simple.  We beat the Steelers then all we have to do is beat the Bengals.  I feel among both of our teams there is a mutual respect, where as the Bengals really don't like the Steelers.  I think they might be motivated to maybe give us a boost into the post season over letting the guys in Pit in.  You all may continue on with your day now...  

If you honestly believe that the Bengals would lay down for us just because they don't like the Steelers, I'm not sure what to say. 

I can guarantee you that the Bengals are going to have the mindset to try and ruin any chance we have at the playoffs. They will also be at full strength, unlike last time.  Hopefully the Ravens are by next weekend also.

[Ravens4Real]

1 hour ago, BmoreBird22 said:

What you'd have to do is look at the games without Jimmy and then total up their yardages and points and compare against the league averages. Of course, having  a game like the AJ Green-less Bengals helps, but if you look at the Giants game, Jimmy goes out and Beckham has 211 yards and two touchdowns. No Jimmy and Dez goes for two touchdowns. Brady goes for over 400 yards.

So yardage they are the 30th best in team defense. 

In terms of points:

Giants: 27

Cowboys: 27

Bengals: 14

Pats: 30

Eagles: 26

That comes out to an average of 24.8 points per game. That would put us at 24th overall. 

So without Jimmy, we are 30th in total yards and 24th in points given up. Couple that with our inept looking offense 90% of the time. You can see why it will be difficult for us to win both of these last two games.

[redrum52]

7 minutes ago, Ravens4Real said:

If you honestly believe that the Bengals would lay down for us just because they don't like the Steelers, I'm not sure what to say. 

I can guarantee you that the Bengals are going to have the mindset to try and ruin any chance we have at the playoffs. They will also be at full strength, unlike last time.  Hopefully the Ravens are by next weekend also.

I'm just extra delusional.  Big week. Ravens are basically playing for the division and I'm in fantasy championship.  Odds in both look bad.

Edited December 20, 2016 by redrum52

[BmoreBird22]

1 minute ago, Ravens4Real said:

So yardage they are the 30th best in team defense. 

In terms of points:

Giants: 27

Cowboys: 27

Bengals: 14

Pats: 30

Eagles: 26

That comes out to an average of 24.8 points per game. That would put us at 24th overall. 

So without Jimmy, we are 30th in total yards and 24th in points given up. Couple that with our inept looking offense 90% of the time. You can see why it will be difficult for us to win both of these last two games.

Giants is 40 and Patriots is like 27, assuming an average for each game.

[Ravens4Real]

1 minute ago, redrum52 said:

I'm just extra delusional.  Big week. Ravens are basically playing for the division and I'm in fantasy championship.  Odds in both look bad.

Haha well you should have started out with that! I can understand where you are coming from now.

[robbie29]

14 minutes ago, redrum52 said:

I might be reaching here, but... If we beat Steelers, I will GUARANTEE we make playoffs.  How?  Well it's simple.  We beat the Steelers then all we have to do is beat the Bengals.  I feel among both of our teams there is a mutual respect, where as the Bengals really don't like the Steelers.  I think they might be motivated to maybe give us a boost into the post season over letting the guys in Pit in.  You all may continue on with your day now...  

Yeah you're not only reaching, you're dreaming.

[Ravens4Real]

3 minutes ago, BmoreBird22 said:

Giants is 40 and Patriots is like 27, assuming an average for each game.

Yeah, you are correct. Like I said in the yardage post, I just took the overall game of the two that he left early. The numbers would be a whole lot worse if someone were to actually factor in the exact time he left and the total numbers from then.

We could honestly be dead last in total yards and very near to last in PPG. But people say Jimmy isn't that important.

Edited December 20, 2016 by Ravens4Real

[BmoreBird22]

Just now, Ravens4Real said:

Yeah, you are correct. Like I said in the yardage post, I just took the overall game of the two that he left early. They numbers would be a whole lot worse if someone were to actually factor in the exact time he left and the total numbers from then.

We could honestly be dead last in total yards and very near to last in PPG. But people say Jimmy isn't that important.

I did averages like Jimmy left in the second quarter, so did a half withoit him and he left in the firsr against the Pats, so did three quarters.

It's absurd that we even question how valuable he is.

[frozen joe flacco fan]

15 minutes ago, BmoreBird22 said:

Sorry, couldn't give a more detailed response before because I was about to play an online game, but...

Yeah, having Jimmy will immensely help your run defense. He allows Webb or Weddle to drop down and you can really just allow Zach Orr to play down on the line and not have to drop into coverage. I don't think it's a coincidence that some of Orr's worst games have been without Jimmy. Take away Weddle on a TE to play the deep safety spot and you put Orr in an uncomfortable spot. 

Lots of moving parts.

As far as the run defense issue goes, it's been a mixed bag. I don't remember the Giants doing much, the Bengals weren't running anywhere, and Elliot was largely held in check in the first half. However, in the Giants game, it's really hard to make an adjustment on the fly like that when your gameplan centered around having this player, so the Ravens probably didn't really change too much and kept the run game in check before sacrificing the passing defense. In the Cowboys game, Elliot goes off in the second half when the Ravens are forced to defend the pass more because Prescott and the line started catching fire. The Bengals game, they had no AJ Green and their top weapon was LaFell. Didn't have to really defend the run. 

Then you look at games like the Patriots (where the game plan would largely be to stop the pass, anyway) and Eagles and the Ravens were just getting gashed.

Your analysis is spot on as usual but the point is this. One guy should not affect the way our total D plays or the outcome of games. If he does, something is wrong with the TEAM concept. Are we better with Jimmy? Of course we are. Can we  win without him? I hope so. As much as you and I love Jimmy, he needs to stay on the field and stay healthy to e a force in this league. Look at the mental and physical toughness of Suggs, Smith, Sr., Yanda and Wallace, not to mention Weddle. These are all "Old School" players. We need more of them. I don't want to call Jimmy a cupcake but he is a Millenial. Just sayin'! If you can play without hurting the team, Jimmy, Just Do It! If not, we need to move on 'cause its not about Jimmy; its about the team.

[Underdogsontop!]

On December 18, 2016 at 0:59 PM, Tank 92 said:

Bell scares me more than Ben/Brown.

I think our defense scares bell as much as he scares you. I think he only had one 100 yard game against our defense since he was drafted. 

[January J]

29 minutes ago, redrum52 said:

I might be reaching here, but... If we beat Steelers, I will GUARANTEE we make playoffs.  How?  Well it's simple.  We beat the Steelers then all we have to do is beat the Bengals.  I feel among both of our teams there is a mutual respect, where as the Bengals really don't like the Steelers.  I think they might be motivated to maybe give us a boost into the post season over letting the guys in Pit in.  You all may continue on with your day now...  

Pretty sure the Bengals don't like us either rum. They ain't lettin up.

[allblackraven]

2 minutes ago, Underdogsontop! said:

I think our defense scares bell as much as he scares you. I think he only had one 100 yard game against our defense since he was drafted. 

That game went to OT, too. He got close in regular time.

[Underdogsontop!]

I think this next 2 games and our playoff hopes come down to our offense.... what they can and can't do. Really wish we could run the ball, but our struggles with that is real. Our defense had a rough game last week, but I think they make some adjustments and come back to a top defense. It's gonna be a nail biter this next 2 weeks. 

[frozen joe flacco fan]

NEWS FLASH:  Statistically, the Steelers should win the game by a score of 27-20, but, as any astute fan of sports knows, statistics are for losers. Based on most measures such as, strength of schedule, performance against common opponents and wins over quality teams, the Steelers have a better team right now. However, you can throw the stats out the window when these two teams meet. The Steelers offense has been slightly better than ours on the whole and our defense has been a little stingier. So, the Ravens will win this game by a final score of 23-20 on a game-winning FG by Justin Tucker. What happens in Cincy the following week is anybody's guess 'cause we unfortunately have a tendency to play up or down to the level of competition. Remember the Jets game? Heaven knows NE does not want to play the Ravens again but they may have no say in the matter! Spittsburgh is listed as #5 on the power ranking this morning and we're ranked 12th. Are you serious? I like it. The Twin Grinches, Wallace & Smith, Sr. will steal Christmas from the Squealers on Christmas Day! On paper, the New York Jets didn't belong on the same field with the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. The Jets won 16-7. I'll say it again, Le'Veon, Ben & Antonio, statistics are for losers! Go Ravens!!   

[redrum52]

1 minute ago, frozen joe flacco fan said:

NEWS FLASH:  Statistically, the Steelers should win the game by a score of 27-20, but, as any astute fan of sports knows, statistics are for losers. Based on most measures such as, strength of schedule, performance against common opponents and wins over quality teams, the Steelers have a better team right now. However, you can throw the stats out the window when these two teams meet. The Steelers offense has been slightly better than ours on the whole and our defense has been a little stingier. So, the Ravens will win this game by a final score of 23-20 on a game-winning FG by Justin Tucker. What happens in Cincy the following week is anybody's guess 'cause we unfortunately have a tendency to play up or down to the level of competition. Remember the Jets game? Heaven knows NE does not want to play the Ravens again but they may have no say in the matter! Spittsburgh is listed as #5 on the power ranking this morning and we're ranked 12th. Are you serious? I like it. The Twin Grinches, Wallace & Smith, Sr. will steal Christmas from the Squealers on Christmas Day! On paper, the New York Jets didn't belong on the same field with the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. The Jets won 16-7. I'll say it again, Le'Veon, Ben & Antonio, statistics are for losers! Go Ravens!!   

Why wouldn't NE want to play us again?

[trevorsteadman]

7 minutes ago, redrum52 said:

Why wouldn't NE want to play us again?

One score difference even though they led the entire game... I still find it completely different if Jimmy Smith was in. That 80 yard touchdown killed the team. 

[hn68wb4]

35 minutes ago, redrum52 said:

Why wouldn't NE want to play us again?

Because if we play again it'll be in the playoffs and at this point Joe doesn't have to prove himself come playoff time, 6 postseasons, 6 great performances by him, he's a proven player in the playoffs, we all wish he were the same player in the regular season. Also, if we play again then it's likely we'll have both Jimmy and Lewis back in the lineup which would be huge considering where our struggles were during that game - that, all things considered, ended way closer than it should have given those struggles. As has already been said, with Jimmy that long TD doesn't happen, with Lewis we don't have the Ducasse handicap that allowed Flowers to destroy us. Proven Flacco + proven defense is not something any team wants to see come the playoffs. Giants are the same story, no one wants to play them in the playoffs.

Edited December 20, 2016 by hn68wb4

[The Mom Gene]

1 hour ago, Ravens4Real said:

The initial poster never stated that it dropped us to 27th overall, throughout the year. 

He said that without Jimmy on the field, those stats taken over the course of the year would make us 27th in the league.

This is getting out of hand....

Yes, I know what the original poster said.

[hn68wb4]

Mike Wallace is only 37 yards shy of his first 1000 yard season since 2011, he should cross that mark with ease against the suspect Steelers' secondary

[The Mom Gene]

1 hour ago, frozen joe flacco fan said:

Your analysis is spot on as usual but the point is this. One guy should not affect the way our total D plays or the outcome of games. If he does, something is wrong with the TEAM concept. Are we better with Jimmy? Of course we are. Can we  win without him? I hope so. As much as you and I love Jimmy, he needs to stay on the field and stay healthy to e a force in this league. Look at the mental and physical toughness of Suggs, Smith, Sr., Yanda and Wallace, not to mention Weddle. These are all "Old School" players. We need more of them. I don't want to call Jimmy a cupcake but he is a Millenial. Just sayin'! If you can play without hurting the team, Jimmy, Just Do It! If not, we need to move on 'cause its not about Jimmy; its about the team.

If being a millenial is a factor...  we are all in trouble going forward.

[Ravens4Real]

1 hour ago, The Mom Gene said:

This is getting out of hand....

Yes, I know what the original poster said.

If you understood what the initial poster said, then why are you needing us to explain to you that he was right?

[The Mom Gene]

1 minute ago, Ravens4Real said:

If you understood what the initial poster said, then why are you needing us to explain to you that he was right?

I don't, you guys took that upon yourselves.  Nobody said 27th overall throughout the entire year

[shaikh1500]

This will be the biggest game of the year... I think Ravens really have a shot at taking these guys 2 games knocking out there playoff hopes... They will draft ahead of us in April and they draft just as well as we do with Ozzie...

 

[VermontRaven]

Steelers TE Ladarius Green is in concussion protocol and "iffy" if he is able to play Sunday.

 

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/18319411/ladarius-green-pittsburgh-steelers-protocol-status-iffy

[rmcjacket23]

1 minute ago, VermontRaven said:

Steelers TE Ladarius Green is in concussion protocol and "iffy" if he is able to play Sunday.

 

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/18319411/ladarius-green-pittsburgh-steelers-protocol-status-iffy

Has a lengthy concussion history. Can't imagine he would get cleared for Sunday.

[hn68wb4]

33 minutes ago, shaikh1500 said:

This will be the biggest game of the year... I think Ravens really have a shot at taking these guys 2 games knocking out there playoff hopes... They will draft ahead of us in April and they draft just as well as we do with Ozzie...

 

Not even remotely, the only position that they consistently draft better than Ozzie is WR, we're about equal when it comes to Oline, but outside of that Ozzie has them beat every other position.

Edited December 20, 2016 by hn68wb4

[Ravens4Real]

2 minutes ago, hn68wb4 said:

Not even remotely, the only position that they consistently draft better than Ozzie is WR, we're about equal when it comes to Oline, but outside of that Ozzie has them beat every other position.

Everywhere else outside of WR?! Man, there's a bunch of people up in Pittsburgh that would argue that to the death. Even as a Ravens fan, I could argue more positions for them.