Ravens News 10/10: Pass rush promise, advanced stats and more

Five best, worst NFL offensive lines: Cowboys shine, Jets a mess - Chris Wesseling

3. Ravens

Ranked first in pass protection and sixth in run-blocking by PFF, the line is the heart of a Ravens offense that may be as explosive as any in franchise history. Their streak of nine straight regular-season games with at least 100 more rushing yards than the opponent was stopped in Week 3, when they still gashed Kansas City’s defense for 203 yards on the grounds. The pass blocking has been almost as impressive, leaving Lamar Jackson enough time to run into a series of figure-eight sacks in the past couple of weeks. While it all starts with seven-time Pro Bowl selection Marshal Yanda at guard, the tackle tag-team of Ronnie Stanley and Orlando Brown might just rival Armstead and Ramczyk as the best in the business.

NFL Week 6 Preview: Players to watch, fantasy football advice and betting projections - PFF

Cincinnati Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens

Players to Watch

Throwing the ball 10 or more yards beyond the line of scrimmage, Lamar Jackson has thrown an inaccurate, uncatchable ball 47.3% of the time. Only Cam Newton, Mitchell Trubisky and Josh Rosen have logged worse percentages than Jackson on such throws. The Bengals’ defense is nothing to be scared write home about, but Jackson’s flawed accuracy shows up against the best and worst NFL defenses. Cincinnati needs to capitalize and force the young Ravens signal-caller to throw into tight windows.

News & Notes: Matthew Judon Sees Promise for Pass Rush - Clifton Brown

Matthew Judon and Pernell McPhee are tied for the team lead with three sacks and Judon is optimistic for several reasons that Baltimore’s pass rush will trend upward soon.

He likes the way rookie pass rusher Jaylon Ferguson is developing, and the return of Patrick Onwuasor to weakside linebacker should allow him to become a more effective blitzer.

“You know, it’s hard,” Judon said. “Some of the quarterbacks have been getting the ball out pretty fast against us, and then other teams, they just hold the ball. And then we’ve been getting some pretty good blocking schemes.”

Only two quarterbacks have been sacked more than Cincinnati’s Andy Dalton (20), so the Ravens pass rush has an opportunity to turn up the heat this Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium.

Baltimore Ravens vs. Cincinnati Bengals: 4 advanced stats that could tell the story - Aaron Kasinitz

1. Bengals QB Andy Dalton has thrown the ball 2.47 seconds after the snap on average, the fourth fastest time in the league (per NextGen Stats)

It’s easy to draw a couple of conclusions from this stat. First, quarterback Andy Dalton and the Bengals haven’t abandoned their preference for quick throws under first-year head coach and play caller Zac Taylor. Second, Cincinnati’s pass protection is shaky. Very shaky.

The pressing question this week is whether the Ravens and their flimsy pass rush can take advantage. Baltimore has totaled just three sacks the past three games and none after the first half.

Rotational edge rushers have failed to provide aid to starting outside linebackers Matt Judon and Pernell McPhee. No defensive lineman has given Baltimore true interior pass rush pop, either.