It’s unclear if Sunday was always the return date the Ravens had in mind when they learned early in training camp that rookie first-round receiver Rashod Bateman needed groin surgery before he could get back on the field.
The timing, however, couldn’t be better. Bateman’s NFL debut Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers at M&T Bank Stadium gives the Ravens another weapon to try and keep pace with one of the league’s most explosive offenses. It helps the Ravens compensate for the absence of veteran Sammy Watkins, who is dealing with a hamstring injury and didn’t practice all week.
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And it comes at a time when quarterback Lamar Jackson looks as dangerous and comfortable as a downfield passer as he ever has, and he has a representative group of pass catchers around him.
The Ravens don’t need Bateman to come in and resuscitate the receiving corps. Baltimore is already getting more balanced production from its pass catchers than it has enjoyed in quite a while. Watkins was playing well when he got hurt late in the first half of Monday’s 31-25 overtime win against the Colts, so he’ll definitely be missed.
However, Marquise Brown is playing the best football of his career and ranks eighth in the NFL in receiving yards (451), 19th in receptions (28) and is tied for second in receiving touchdowns (five). Devin Duvernay has seven catches for 76 yards over his past two games and is being utilized more and more offensively. James Proche finally is getting opportunities and he’s making the most of them with seven catches for 89 yards over his past two games.
Then, of course, there’s Mark Andrews who leads all tight ends with 400 receiving yards and is second with 29 receptions. Add Bateman to that group and for the first time in years, nobody is talking about the Ravens’ lack of targets in the passing game.
“He obviously hadn’t played football for a while (but) he’s looking good,” Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman said of Bateman. “I think as he ramps in, he should do nothing but get better. His temperament, his attitude (and) everything has been A-plus. I don’t think we’re going to throw him into the fire for every play. I think we’re going to build him into the plan on a week-to-week basis. Rashod is going to have a long and fruitful career, and this is just the first step. So, we will integrate him into the plan when the time is right.”
Bateman certainly looked the part of a first-round receiver in the various minicamps and early in training camp before he got hurt Aug. 10. He showed reliable hands, polished route running and the ability to get open in the intermediate areas while also stretching the field.
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His chemistry with Jackson is a work in progress, but the potential at least is enticing.
“Things always look good in practice,” Jackson said. “I’ve got to see it in the game, once we’re actually out there.”
Sunday will likely be the first glimpse.
During game weeks, we’ll take a look at some of the big storylines, key matchups, primary questions and roster decisions that the Ravens face heading into their contest. This week’s first-and-10:
1. Jackson and his counterpart Sunday, Los Angeles’ Justin Herbert, are on everybody’s shortlist of early season MVP front-runners. These lists fluctuate every week and it’s far too early to pay much mind to postseason award talk. It isn’t too early, however, to note that Jackson has been slightly more productive this year through the first five games than he was in 2019, when he was the second unanimous MVP in league history. Through five games in 2019, Jackson was completing 67.9 percent of his passes for 1,271 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions while rushing for 308 yards and a score. This year, he’s completing 65.4 percent of his passes and thrown for 1,519 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions while rushing for 341 yards and two touchdowns. As good as he was against the Colts, Jackson will again have to be in peak form. Herbert ranks in the top five in several of the pertinent quarterback stats and the Chargers can put up points quickly, as the Cleveland Browns learned last week.
2. The Ravens’ offense leads the league in yards per game and that’s despite a recent trend of slow starts, which are a significant departure from recent seasons. In 2019 and 2020, the Ravens led the NFL in first-quarter scoring, averaging 7.5 points in 2019 and 6.6 last year. This year, they rank 21st, averaging just 2.8 points in the first quarter. The Ravens have gone three consecutive games without scoring in the opening 15 minutes. They punted on their first four drives Monday against the Colts and on their first three drives the previous week against the Denver Broncos. In Week 3 against the Detroit Lions, their first three drives featured two punts and a missed field goal. Roman has talked a lot about how defenses are giving them different looks that they haven’t seen on film and it’s taken them time to adjust. Against a high-powered Chargers team, the Ravens would be well served to figure things out fast.
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3. What has happened to the Ravens’ run game when anybody but Jackson has the ball in their hands? There are a number of explanations. Teams are loading the box and taking the run away, forcing Jackson to beat them with his arm, which he’s doing. The Ravens clearly miss J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards as none of their current backs strike fear in opposing defenses. The banged-up offensive line is also not run blocking as well as it has in the past. The Ravens have been held to under 120 yards rushing in three consecutive games. That happened just three times all of last year and it didn’t happen at all in 2019. It hasn’t become a major storyline because Jackson is throwing the ball so well and the Ravens are winning. But if the Ravens struggle to run the ball against the Chargers, who have the league’s worst run defense and have allowed more than 185 yards rushing in three of the past four games, there will be plenty of questions.
4. According to NFL’s Next Gen Stats, the Chargers have put eight men in the box on just 9 percent of their opponent’s running plays. The league average is 24 percent. Will Chargers head coach Brandon Staley, a former defensive coordinator, keep that same approach and dare the Ravens to run the ball? The chess match between Staley and Roman will be one of the game’s more intriguing storylines.
5. John Harbaugh has always been one of the more proactive coaches in going for it on fourth down and his counterpart Sunday has already shown a similar willingness to be aggressive. The Chargers have gone for it on fourth down eight times this year, which isn’t especially remarkable. The Browns and Lions have each gone for it 11 times in five games. But it’s the situations when Staley has kept his offense on the field that are notable. Four of the Chargers’ eight fourth-down attempts have been in their own territory and two of them have been inside their own 35-yard line. The Ravens’ defense is going to have to be prepared to make fourth-down stops Sunday.
6. Ravens defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale said that he’s not worried about the confidence of cornerback Anthony Averett, who was beaten for eight catches and a touchdown against the Colts. It’s a copycat league, though, and Martindale surely knows that the Chargers will have Averett in their crosshairs. In Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, the Chargers have one of the better receiving duos in the league. Allen ranks fifth in the NFL in catches (34), 18th in receiving yards (369) and he’s considered one of the league’s best route runners. Williams is in the midst of a monster season with a league-high six receiving touchdowns to go along with 31 catches and 471 receiving yards. It will not be an easy game for Averett to rebound.
7. The Chargers’ Austin Ekeler ranks fifth among running backs in receiving yards (194) and third in all-purpose yards (533). He’s facing a team Sunday that has been among the worst at defending running backs out of the backfield, leading Martindale to say Thursday that the Ravens “got to do some different things and change up pictures for upcoming opponents.” Will that mean less of struggling young inside linebackers Patrick Queen and Malik Harrison and more of veterans Josh Bynes and Chris Board? Or perhaps playing more dime with a safety like Chuck Clark and DeShon Elliott closer to the line of scrimmage? The coaching staff’s frustration with the situation at inside linebacker was palpable this week. It will be interesting to see what Martindale has up his sleeve because Ekeler is an impact player.
8. The Chargers like to move dynamic safety Derwin James like a chess piece and take advantage of his versatility. It sure would be fun, though, to see a James-Mark Andrews matchup on some plays. Andrews made some plays on Denver’s Justin Simmons, one of the league’s top safeties, a couple of weeks ago, but the athletic James presents his own set of challenges.
9. Elliot’s expected return after missing the previous two games with a quad injury gives Martindale more options. He can use rookie defensive back Brandon Stephens in more of a matchup role and has more leeway to use Jimmy Smith at outside corner, potentially to spell Averett. He also can put out his dime package more against a team that involves its backs and tight ends. Elliott also figures to help the team’s tackling as he’s one of the Ravens’ hardest hitters.
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10. Bateman will be officially activated by 4 p.m. Sunday. He may not be the only one returning to the 53-man roster either. The Ravens have a decision to make on guard/tackle Tyre Phillips, who has been on IR since he hurt his knee in Week 1. Phillips returned to practice Oct. 9. With Ronnie Stanley still out and rookie guard Ben Cleveland having recently gone to IR, the Ravens only have six healthy offensive linemen. To even be eligible to make practice squad elevations for Sunday’s game, they’ll need to dress eight offensive linemen. That means another likely elevation for Andre Smith to serve in the swing tackle role and either Phillips being added to the active roster or one of the practice squad linemen (David Sharpe?) being elevated. If Phillips is added to the active roster Saturday, the Ravens would then have the option of using the two practice-squad elevations on Smith and a player at another position. Running back Le’Veon Bell is certainly an option.
Quick hits
• The Ravens, Chargers and Los Angeles Rams are the only teams in the NFL with players ranked in the top 10 in passing yards, rushing yards and receiving yards.
• With Marquise Brown (451 yards) and Andrews (400), the Ravens are the only team in the league to enter Week 6 with two players who have 400 receiving yards.
• Teams that have won on Monday night, as the Ravens did, have won the following week on short rest nine consecutive games dating back to last year.
• Ravens outside linebacker Odafe Oweh leads all NFL rookies with 18 quarterback pressures to go along with three sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
• Expect Chargers standout pass rusher Joey Bosa to get the same treatment that the Ravens gave Von Miller a few weeks ago with chips by running backs and the occasional double-team.
• At 4-1, the Chargers are off to their best start since 2014.
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• The Ravens are 17-4 all-time in the regular season in home games against teams from the West Coast.
• The Ravens and Chargers are two of the most penalized teams in the league with the Ravens ranking 25th in penalty yards against (324) and the Chargers ranking 32nd (397).
• The Ravens seemingly have a big advantage at kicker with Justin Tucker as Chargers kicker Tristan Vizcaino has already missed four extra points this season.
• Ravens outside linebacker Jaylon Ferguson was removed from the Reserve/COVID-19 list this week, but he’s unlikely to play Sunday.
• The Chargers’ last trip to Baltimore was a 23-17 win in January 2019 in an AFC wild-card matchup, a game in which Jackson turned the ball over twice and was sacked seven times.
Prediction
Chargers 30, Ravens 24
There’s no doubt that the Ravens have been living dangerously for most of the season and giving themselves very little margin of error late in games. It just doesn’t feel sustainable for them to keep pulling out games in the manner they are doing it, especially against quality opponents. I’m not ready to anoint the Chargers, but they have been impressive. It seems that they have the offensive weapons and structure to take advantage of where the Ravens are having issues defensively. In order to win, the Ravens are going to need to get off to a quick start and run the ball effectively to control the tempo. Both areas have been a struggle lately. The Ravens love challenges like this, but they’re going to need to do a whole lot more than play a dominant fourth quarter Sunday.
(Top photo of Lamar Jackson: Geoff Burke / USA Today)
