The Baltimore Ravens secured an important win in the playoff hunt in Week 12 over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday Night Football, but there's still reason to be concerned about how the Ravens will fare down the stretch and into the postseason.
Here are the three biggest concerns moving forward for the Ravens that were illuminated by Sunday night's performance:
3. Will the Ravens trust Lamar Jackson to throw in neutral situations?
The Ravens ran the ball 35 times to 32 pass attempts for Lamar Jackson on Sunday, which could indicate an even more run-heavy focus with Baltimore being without the services of Mark Andrews for the rest of the year. The Ravens played things pretty conservatively late with a lead against the Chargers, including a 3rd down rush attempt to set up a Justin Tucker field goal attempt to go up six.
Will John Harbaugh and the Ravens trust Lamar Jackson to convert on neutral downs without his top target working the middle of the field? The Ravens defense has been stout, and the running game has improved with the emergence of Keaton Mitchell, but there are serious concerns whether the Ravens will be able to pick up critical third-down conversions through the air.
If the Ravens are facing a deficit in the postseason, will Jackson be able to move the chains through the air without Andrews? Isaiah Likely performed well (4-40) in Andrews' absence, but Baltimore rarely threatened the Chargers defense downfield throughout the game. Whether or not the Ravens can still hang in a shootout is something we'll need to see before the postseason rolls around.
2. Will the run defense hold up against a team that stays dedicated to it?
Baltimore's pass defense has been playing incredibly over the last few weeks, holding five straight opponents to less than 200 passing yards. The run defense, however, has been more of a mixed bag. allowing 4.3 yards per attempt (21st in the NFL). Opponents know they'll need to run the ball against Baltimore to have any real offensive success, and to help keep the defense fresh to deal with Lamar Jackson and Baltimore's running game on the other side.
Great tests lie ahead for the Ravens run defense, with the Rams, Jags, 49ers, and Dolphins being the next four opponents coming out of the bye week for Baltimore. Those teams should stay committed to running the ball, which could present the Ravens with some problems defensively. We know that Baltimore can tee off on quarterbacks with creative blitzes and cover incredibly well, but can the defense get stops in short-yardage situations and get off the field when it counts?
1. Can the Ravens win convincingly on the road?
Baltimore's last four games on the road have all been close, despite some underwhelming opponents in the Chargers, Cardinals, Titans, and Steelers. Blowing out a team on the road (like Baltimore did in Week 4 against the Browns) would provide some confidence heading into the playoffs, especially if it looks like the Chiefs have the inside track on home-field advantage throughout the postseason once again.
Big road wins against the Jaguars and 49ers would build a lot of confidence heading into the postseason, and perhaps put Baltimore in a situation to not play on the road at all for the rest of the way.
The Ravens once again look like a difficult out in the playoffs, but a road win in a high-scoring battle where the Ravens have to throw to get back into the game would answer a lot of questions and put a lot of concerns to rest before the playoffs begin.
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