The Baltimore Ravens have been sitting in the catbird seat since their dominant 56-19 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 17.
That win secured Baltimore the No. 1 seed in the AFC and essentially cemented quarterback Lamar Jackson as the favorite to earn his second MVP award in just five years as a starter.
Throughout the regular season, the Ravens embodied the “sleeping giant” label that numerous pundits and analysts bestowed upon them in the preseason. That mindset of taking things one week at a time and refusing to be satisfied paid off in a huge way as it resulted in Baltimore earning an extra week of rest before the Divisional Round matchup against the Houston Texans this weekend.
This could be pivotal in the long run because it gives players who are dealing with injuries such as safety Kyle Hamilton, wide receiver Zay Flowers, tight end Mark Andrews, and safety Geno Stone more time to recover before Baltimore’s postseason run begins. Plus, it gives the coaching staff more time to self-scout and iron out the game plan for the Texans.
Unfortunately for us observers, the only thing the bye week gives us is more time to pace around the house as the anticipation of the upcoming game gnaws at our psyche. But I believe we can put our time to better use.
You’ve probably already read stories about Baltimore’s defense putting together a historic season, the impact of a deep playoff run on Jackson’s already-impressive resume, and the rapid ascension of Hamilton as one of the NFL’s premier safeties. But those aren’t the only intriguing narratives surrounding this team.
With everyone’s attention focused on reveling in Baltimore’s stellar regular season and manifesting a Super Bowl appearance, there are plenty of interesting storylines that have flown under the radar ahead of the Divisional Round.
What is Baltimore’s long-term plan for John Harbaugh?
With the NFL being a copycat business, teams are always looking for ways to implement (read: steal) effective strategies from each other.
Oftentimes, the easiest way to incorporate elements from opposing teams is to poach staff members from them and reap the benefits of their expertise. Several teams have already inquired about conducting head coach interviews with key figures from Baltimore’s coaching staff like defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, assistant head coach and defensive line coach Anthony Weaver, and offensive coordinator Todd Monken.
While losing any of those coaches would present Baltimore with difficult decisions to make in the offseason, Macdonald is far and away the most coveted candidate.
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay broke the mold when he became the youngest modern-era head coach in NFL history at just 30 years old — although recently appointed New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo now holds that title — and was the youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl at age 36.
Now, most NFL teams are searching for the next young, innovative head coach who can lead their team to the mountaintop in this pass-happy era of football. Macdonald not only offers a wealth of potential at just 36 years old, but he has a blueprint for stifling modern NFL offenses.
The 2023 Baltimore defense finished the regular season with a triple crown NFL record as the first team in history to lead the league in points allowed (16.5 per game), sacks (60), and takeaways (31, which tied with the New York Giants).
Although the Ravens boast a swarm of preeminent defensive players like Hamilton and inside linebacker Roquan Smith — both of whom earned All-Pro first team honors — Macdonald deserves recognition for getting everything he could out of unheralded veterans like linebackers Kyle Van Noy and Jadeveon Clowney (who combined for 18.5 sacks).
Macdonald’s NFL career started as a coaching intern for the Ravens in 2014, and now many fans — and players — are hoping it ends in the Charm City as well. Baltimore’s storied history of strong defense makes Macdonald the ideal choice to lead this team at some point. There’s no rush to move on from head coach John Harbaugh, but one can only hope Baltimore finds a way to hold onto Macdonald until Harbaugh retires.
Keep in mind, the Ravens are no strangers to putting a succession plan in place. General manager Eric DeCosta was touted as the heir apparent to former general manager Ozzie Newsome for several years before he officially took over the position.
Baltimore could implement a similar plan for Macdonald to be at the helm in a few years while Harbaugh gradually shows him the ropes and puts the final touches on a potential hall of fame career.
But if Macdonald jumps at one of the six vacant head coach positions he’s interviewed for, the Ravens could be left scrambling for alternative options in the long term.
With Harbaugh at 61 years old and Jackson still yet to reach the prime of his career, it’s critical that Baltimore secures a coach who can unlock his full potential moving forward.
How will this offense look in 2024?
Monken may not be considered young in NFL years either at 57 years old, but he showed that he still has plenty of gas left in his tank this season.
Baltimore finished the 2023 regular season as the fourth-ranked scoring offense and the top rushing team in the NFL. Monken’s willingness to give Jackson the ability to make changes at the line of scrimmage this season paid dividends as Jackson more than likely secured the second MVP award of his young career.
The Ravens looked shaky offensively at times early in the season as it was apparent they weren’t used to their modernized offensive scheme, but they found their rhythm late in the season — culminating in their Week 17 blowout of the Dolphins. The scary part is, I don’t believe we’ve seen the best version of this offense yet.
Under former offensive coordinator Greg Roman, Baltimore’s identity was purely about punishing the opposing team by running the ball nonstop. Now, the Ravens don’t have a true offensive identity. Although they led the NFL in rushing, that was a result of their unpredictability on any given play.
At times, they’d pound the ball with bruising running backing Gus Edwards or speedy running back Justice Hill. Then a few plays later or on a crucial third down, they’d let Jackson do some damage with his legs and gash the defense for a long gain. Just as soon as the defense is keyed in on stopping the run, Jackson would fake a handoff and find a receiver downfield for another massive play. The next thing you know, Baltimore is in the red zone (within 20 yards of scoring), where it finished the drive with a touchdown 62% of the time.
Despite this impressive efficiency, this offense still has plenty of room to grow. Health will be critical in making this jump as the Ravens achieved a lot of this success without Andrews and versatile running backs J.K. Dobbins and Keaton Mitchell.
The return of Andrews combined with the rise of fellow tight end Isaiah Likely could present huge matchup problems for defenses next year. And Mitchell showed he can be an X-factor with his gamebreaking speed, adding an explosive element to this offense that only Jackson and Flowers can match.
A healthy Jackson with a full season in a modern offense under his belt along with a full assortment of weapons could result in back-to-back MVPs and a historic offensive showcase.
The only potential hitch in this unit making a huge leap in 2024 is that it remains to be seen whether Monken will remain with Baltimore or opt to take a head coach position elsewhere. The next evolution of this offense will be a joy to watch, but only time will tell when that ascension can begin.
Baltimore is changing the perception of Black quarterbacks
The NFL has long been archaic in the way its talent evaluators judge quarterbacks. The league is full of lifers who still cling onto the days when the league was filled with standstill passers who rarely scrambled outside of the pocket.
Athletic quarterbacks who can buy time with their legs are often asked to change positions or labeled as mentally incapable of operating an NFL offense. There’s no more egregious an example of evaluators completely missing the boat than in how Jackson was discussed entering the 2018 NFL Draft.
Many experts believed Jackson needed to play wide receiver or running back in order to have any success at the highest level, but the Ravens never bought into that idea. They saw Jackson for who he is, a genius quarterback with supreme confidence and top-tier athletic ability.
Jackson showed Baltimore it made the right choice as he earned the second ever unanimous MVP in NFL history in his first year as a starter. Since 2019, he has made massive strides as a passer and as a more vocal leader. And he’s still finding ways to make history.
Jackson was part of a historic group this season as the 2023 Ravens are thought to be the first-ever NFL team with an entirely Black quarterback group, including players and coaches. The unit is comprised of quarterbacks Jackson, Tyler Huntley, and Josh Johnson along with quarterbacks coach Tee Martin and assistant quarterbacks coach Kerry Dixon.
It’s unfortunate that this is an anomaly in the NFL, but this represents progress for a league that has continually turned Black people away from football’s most important position.
Jackson’s development as a passer is not only shattering the preconceived notions of what the NFL thought he’d be, but is paving the way for dual threat quarterbacks to be the norm and receive more opportunities to demonstrate their skills.
Baltimore’s front office deserves some credit for refusing to buy into the NFL’s antiquated definition of what a quarterback should be.
If the Ravens are able to cash in on their investment in Jackson with a third Super Bowl title, the rest of the league will follow suit soon enough. Remember, it’s a copycat league. Thankfully for Baltimore, there’s only one Lamar Jackson.
The Ravens stirred some controversy by honoring Ray Rice
Baltimore honored Ray Rice, a former running back who was arrested 10 years ago on domestic violence charges and was part of the team’s 2013 Super Bowl win, as a “Legend of the Game” during its Week 17 win against Miami.
Rice played six seasons with the Ravens before his career ended in 2014, when he was caught on video in an Atlantic City elevator knocking out his then-fiancee (now wife) Janay Palmer and dragging her out of the elevator.
The Ravens explained their decision in an article on the team’s website that detailed Rice’s football accolades and discussed his efforts to redeem himself. Rice’s actions were abhorrent at best and completely indefensible, but what’s often forgotten about this incident is how the NFL completely mishandled it.
The NFL has a long history of brushing domestic violence under the rug and being reactive about it rather than proactive.
Rice’s egregious actions gave the NFL an opportunity to show it cared about this issue and would do everything in its power to stamp out this sort of behavior. Instead, the NFL suspended Rice for just two games.
It wasn’t until the video of Rice’s attack became public and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell received unrelenting backlash that the league imposed a longer suspension and essentially blackballed Rice from ever playing again.
That’s because the NFL is all about optics. It only pays attention to serious issues when it’s good for the bottom line. In this case, it can be argued that the Ravens disregarded optics when considering whether honoring Rice was appropriate or not.
The Legend of the Game announcement sparked outrage among many fans while others came to Rice’s defense and argued that his actions following the incident show he has grown from his discreditable past.
Since then, Rice has been involved in domestic violence awareness groups, spoken to more than a dozen NFL and college teams to share his story, and coaches two youth football teams. Still, he’s aware that his efforts at redemption aren’t enough to make what he did right.
“I knew it would be hard to forgive me, but the one thing I have been consistent with was that I was going to be better. I’m not going to be a victim of my past,” Rice said, via the team’s website. “My legacy won’t be domestic violence. My legacy will be what I became after.”
While it’s more than fair to focus ire on the Ravens for this decision, the NFL deserves a lot of heat for failing to make any progress in its “efforts” to get ahead of the curve when it comes to domestic violence.
This will remain a longstanding issue for the NFL unless it starts impacting the league’s profit margins. Hopefully at some point in the future, every football fan responds to all domestic violence incidents with the same fury as they expressed for Rice’s actions without needing a video for it to click how despicable the league’s complacency really is.
