Baltimore Ravens’ 2014 Midseason Grade

By Kyle Mountain on October 29, 2014

At the half way mark of the 2014 NFL season, the Baltimore Ravens find themselves sitting at second place in the AFC North with a 5-3 record, and they’ve certainly put themselves in a position in which a playoff run is a possibility. The Ravens are right on the heels of the division-leading Cincinnati Bengals (4-2-1) and a strong second half for Baltimore will put them right in the playoff mix. Here’s a look at how they’ve done half way through the season.

Offense: B+

The Ravens have been able to employ a dynamic offense, as they’ve used various weapons to put up a lot of yards and points. They’re averaging 27 points a game, good enough for seventh best in the league, and they’re protecting the football decently well ( seven interceptions and two fumbles). Baltimore is averaging 375.5 yards per game, (ninth best in the NFL) 247 yards through the air and rushing for 128.5 yards per game. Their average time of possession is a hair over 30 minutes per contest and they’ve converted 43% of their third downs, 10th best in the league. Wide receiver Steve Smith has proven to be a key offseason acquisition for Baltimore and their running game has been effective despite the absence of would-be starter Ray Rice. Losing tight end Dennis Pitta and to a season-ending hip injury was a big blow for the offense, but Joe Flacco has constantly found ways to move the ball without him.

Defense: B

It may not be the Baltimore defense of old, but this defense has kept them in games and done a good job thus far, particularly against the run. The Ravens are only giving up 90 rushing yards per game and they’ve recovered seven fumbles, nearly one per game. Their turnover differential is at +3 and they’re allowing under 350 yards of total offense per game. Additionally, the defensive line has been effective getting to opposing quarterbacks as they’ve totaled 17 sacks (just over 2 a game.)

Rookie linebacker C.J. Mosley has proven to be an very bright spot for the future of this defense. The Alabama product leads the team in tackles with 76 and also has two interceptions and a forced fumble. The team needs to be better on third down as they’ve allowed over 42% to convert, however, overall this defense has been very effective.

Special Teams: A-

Justin Tucker is one of the elite field goal kickers in the game and his 18 field goals so far this season are the seconnd most in the league. Tucker has made 18 of 21 kicks this year and all three misses came from outside 50 yards.

Return man Jacoby Jones has the fifth highest kick return average in the league as of right now, with 28 yards per return, and though he hasn’t taken one to the house yet, he still has been very effective bringing kicks back. Additionally, for what it’s worth, Ravens punter Sam Koch has only punted the ball 22 times this year, a number they’ll look to keep low as they move forward.

Overall: B

The Ravens have been very good (and when I say very good, I say that relative to other teams and also in comparison to Baltimore’s expectations) on paper so far this year. Their numbers are very good and their position in the division gives them an opportunity to make a run at the division title and postseason in the second half. One thing that troubles me about this team and one area in which they’ve failed is in games against the better teams on their schedule, games they need to win if they want to be a playoff team. The team’s three losses have been against very good teams (two against the Bengals and one to the Indianapolis Colts,) but being able to win such games is an obstacle this team will have to overcome.

They’ve proven that they’re a good team at this point, but I, along with many others, would be very reluctant to say this is a great football team. They have the potential to be, and they may reach such a status in the second half, but as of right now I think they have a bit of a way to go to be considered amongst the NFL’s elite.