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After a statement win had many thinking the Ravens were the class of the AFC, they suffer a loss to the Indianapolis Colts with backup quarterback Gardner Minshew II. As a result, pundits dropped the Ravens for both the 22-19 overtime loss and the injuries piling up.
The Athletic: 8 (Last Week: 5)
“Lamar Jackson seems to be getting his feet under him in offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s new system, and he’s still Lamar. On Sunday, he became the first quarterback in league history with three games of at least 100 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. He has 13 career games with more than 100 rushing yards, the most by a quarterback.”
Sports News: 9 (Last Week: 7)
“The Ravens got a little sloppy in the wet conditions at home and it cost them against the Colts in overtime. They still seem to be at their best running with Lamar Jackson and others and still uncomfortable forcing downfield passing.”
USA Today: 10 (Last Week: 7)
“Tough to gig them too much given another inordinate pile of injuries and a bad weather day that limited K Justin Tucker’s superpowers. But losing to the Colts in Baltimore … c’mon, fellas.”
Yahoo Sports: 9 (Last week: 7)
The Ravens’ loss Sunday wasn’t great, but it needs to be noted that they were without several injured starters. Just because they won at Cincinnati without those starters doesn’t mean it wasn’t a real reason for the loss to the Colts. The Ravens will be fine, but they do need to get healthy.
NFL.com: 8 (Last week: 7)
“Not sure how to portray the OT loss to the Colts as anything but a concerning step backward. The Ravens looked confident for most of their first two offensive drives, drafting off a strong Week 2 performance — but the tide turned three plays into Drive No. 2 with Kenyan Drake’s bad fumble. Lamar Jackson’s lack of ball security and backup center Sam Mustipher’s bad snap helped put the Colts in position to force overtime. It still feels a bit improbable that the Ravens actually lost. Jackson didn’t record his first incompletion until the third quarter, and he ran for 101 yards and two scores. There were just so many missed opportunities, including a failure to secure Gardner Minshew’s first-half fumble, fair-catching the free kick that followed Minshew’s safety late in regulation and failing to convert points on two overtime possessions that started near midfield.”
ESPN: 7 (Last Week: 6)
From ESPN staff, excerpt from Jamison Hensley
“Of the 11 projected offensive starters entering the season, five have missed at least one game: wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., tight end Mark Andrews, left tackle Ronnie Stanley, center Tyler Linderbaum and running back J.K. Dobbins. Through Week 3, they have combined to miss a total of eight games. Baltimore has been hardest hit at running back. In addition to the season-ending Achilles injury to Dobbins, two other backs have suffered injuries: Gus Edwards (concussion) and Justice Hill (toe). There’s a chance that the Ravens will start a different running back in each of their first four games. This explains why QB Lamar Jackson nearly has as many rushing yards (193) as all of Baltimore’s running backs combined (249).”
MMQB: 9
“I loved the Ravens’ defensive plan going into this game. Kyle Hamilton was unleashed off the edge and proved himself to be an apt situational rusher. He already has more sacks in 2023 than he did a year ago. There were a few plays, like the Zack Moss touchdown catch, that I don’t think the opposition is going to replicate if the game is played a second time under similar circumstances. It’s a long way of saying I really love what I’m seeing from this team. The offense has home run wrinkles nestled inside a scheme that can still frustratingly draw out a defense if needed.
CBS Sports: 8 (Last Week: 5)
From Pete Prisco
“That was a horrible home loss to the Colts. The injuries are impacting this team in a big way, but scoring 19 points isn’t at good look. The passing game has to be better.”
The Ringer: 7 (Last Week: 7)
After some preseason and early-season injuries (notably to tackle Ronnie Stanley, center Tyler Linderbaum, and running back J.K. Dobbins), there was a moment when it looked like 2023 would be another what-could-have-been year for Baltimore. But Lamar Jackson is in near-peak form under new offensive coordinator Todd Monken, Odell Beckham Jr. looks like his old self, Zay Flowers is an early contributor as a rookie, and the defense has been one of the best in football (ranking sixth in expected points added per drive through the first two games). This team is even getting meaningful contributions from Nelson Agholor. Watch out—the Ravens may just be back. —Riley McAtee
Pro Football Talk: 10 (Last Week: 6)
“So much for that super-easy September schedule.”
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