Baltimore Ravens: A Sigh of Relief…For Now
Nov 24, 2013; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs (55) reacts after recovering a fumble during the game against the New York Jets at M
Every time I watch the Ravens play the Steelers I get nervous. The whole Thanksgiving week I was wondering what would happen. Would I be able to hold my turkey that night? This was a huge game for both teams on the brink of virtual elimination. Now Mike “Twinkletoes” Tomlin’s team might be done, and that makes me sigh with relief. If there is any team that knows how to beat the Ravens…its the Steelers.
Although the Steel Curtain is more like a sheer, silky curtain these days, the Ravens’ offensive struggles are just as transparent. Speaking of windows and paneful experiences…we’ll start with Michael Oher.
Good grief, that guy is going to end up in the state penitentiary if he keeps up his new pace of false starts…two of the three coming in the red zone! I thought maybe he’d finally given up that bad habit. Jason Worilds made Oher look more like a condo doorman than a blocker. Not that Oher was the only guy to stall drives with penalties: A.Q. Shipley and Torrey Smith added to the mix as well. But…
The Ravens offense was just good enough to keep the lead. With a few changes here and there it could have been a blowout.
No sacks from the Ravens either. Big Ben’s got elusiveness…but usually the Ravens pull out a couple. I’m left wondering if the Steelers O line just had a great pass-blocking day. One thing Baltimore made sure of though — no running the ball, thank you. Not gonna happen. Notice that Pittsburgh pretty much gave that up in the second half.
If anything, NFL seasons are filled with more questions than answers. I think that’s why we like it so much. So here are some questions for our readers…
1. Can the Ravens play two halves of good football this year? In the beginning of the season they only played well in the second half. Now they’re only playing well in the first. Running low on gas? Nagging injuries? Not enough Gatorade? Did they score a touchdown in the second half this week?
2. Is Justin Tucker ever going to miss another field goal? Let’s hope not! Seriously, his streak is longer than any tipsy British soccer fan at Wembley.
3. Will Ed Dickson continue his new pattern of holding onto the ball? Way to go Ed! We’ve been waiting for you to get a grasp of the situation.
4. What’s up with Suggs lately? He had a very average night against the Steelers…and his reputation of getting to Big Ben is in serious jeopardy. Too many double team situations?
Maybe the Vikings will be a good team to go against and gain some of these answers before the final three games against clubs with winning records.