Scouting the AFC North: No-Huddle Hurting the Ravens?
By Jason Marcum
Sep 16, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) passes the ball during the third quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles defeated the Ravens 24-23. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE
The Ravens running the no-huddle offense may actually be hurting their aging defense, since in two games, opponents are holding a 14:34 advantage in time of possession. The Eagles held a 34:21 advantage on Sunday in a game the Ravens lost by a single point. It will be interesting to see if their defense can hold up all season with that big a discrepancy in TOP.
According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger did the majority his damage Sunday against the Jets by standing in the pocket, something he hasn’t done commonly in the past, but did complete 17/21 passes for 177 yards, and his QB rating was 117.7 when throwing from the pocket. It looks as though new offensive coordinator Todd Haley is making Ben become a more discipline QB.
The Bengals are hurting at defensive-end now that Jamaal Anderson is expected to miss significant time, but instead of bringing in a free agent, they could put SAM backers Manny Lawson and Dan Skuta at end on some passing downs.
Ravens OLB Paul Kruger (back) expects to return for Week 3, while strong safety Bernard Pollard has been diagnosed with a rib contusion and his status for week 3 remians up in the air.
The Ravens’ play calling on third-and-short in their 1-point loss to the Eagles Sunday was very suspect, and it may have been what cost them the win.
Brandon Jackson was a healthy scratch in Sunday’s loss to the Bengals. Jackson entered the year expected to challenge for the backup RB spot, but has given way to Chris Ogbonnaya, who led the Browns with six catches for 73 yards, both of which were career highs, though he played limited snaps behind their bell-cow back, Trent Richardson.
The Browns can forget about the playoffs if they lost to the Bills on Sunday, because since 1990, only three teams have started 0-3 and made the playoffs, though no one really believes they’re capable of making the playoffs, despite losing to the Eagles and Bengals by a combined 8 points, two teams expected to contend for playoff spots.
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