Once again, to repeat, let's stay positive as I'll take a 9-7 win every week if necessary. Remember, the Ravens are 3-2 and with St. Louis and Buffalo coming up on the schedule, they can go into the Bye week with a 5-2 record. However, the big question remains: Is this team a contender or pretender? Stats tell the story but not necessarily the ending. The most important stat in football other than wins and losses is points allowed. As they say, "defense wins championships." The Ravens defense last year was good enough to compete for the championship. In order to get there, the same must be true this year. While this defense is still much better than it has played, it still has the pieces to get back to the top of the standings. However, this year it will need some help from the offense, and that just hasn't happened. Look at the stats. Willis McGahee is third in the league in rushing. However, the Ravens have passed 157 times and rushed only 142 times. Steve McNair is 8th in the league in attempts, yet 19th in yards, 27th in yards per pass and his longest completion of 30 yards is not in the top 42 (Kyle Boller is tied for 34th at 37 yards). The Ravens QB's have ONLY three completions of over 20 yards! As strange as it sounds, the vertical game must improve to help the defense. This will give the Ravens better field position, more scoring opportunities and lead to more turnovers, a shorter field and ultimately - wins.
Defensive stats tomorrow.