The Baltimore Ravens travelled to the desert and defeated the Arizona Cardinals by a score of 31-24. On the flight back, linebacker Roquan Smith will be working on ways to improve his unit's performance.
Following a game in which Baltimore's defense surrendered 24 points, Smith sounded unimpressed with the effort. “Personally, speaking for myself — and I think I can speak for the rest of the defense — we didn’t play to our standard,” Smith admitted to reporters after the game, per ESPN's Jamison Hensley.
Smith pointed to “basic fundamentals” as problem areas. Despite earning the victory, the Ravens were given a handful by Joshua Dobbs and the Cardinals offense.
In fact, Arizona had more yards and first downs than Baltimore (with one more drive, to be fair.) The performance almost makes one wonder if the Cardinals would've pulled off the upset had they inserted newly healthy QB Kyler Murray into the lineup at quarterback.
Smith shouldn't feel too bad though. Signal caller Lamar Jackson pointed the finger at his own unit after the win. Jackson felt that the Ravens' 31 points weren't enough, and that the offense had to step it up and pull their weight.
It's a good problem to have when, after a win, the team's offense and defense are point looking within to diagnose problem areas. Baltimore is now riding a three-game winning streak and find themselves atop the AFC North with a 6-2 record.
But the standards coach John Harbaugh have set are high, and that attitude has clearly trickled down to his team's leaders. There's no time to celebrate a victory when holding teammates accountable.
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