Risers and fallers from 35-10 win over Buffalo
The Baltimore Ravens annihilated what many considered to be the best team in the NFL heading into Week 4in the Buffalo Bills. Derrick Henry and the Ravens ran all over an undersized Bills defense; defensively, they shut down Josh Allen and a Buffalo offense that led the league in points scored through three weeks. We finally saw the buzzsaw that many fans and pundits imagined Baltimore to be heading into 2024.
Stock Up
Derrick Henry, RB
Running back Derrick Henry continues to defy all the odds. At the age of 30, King Henry leads the NFL in rushing and was once again absolutely dominant on Sunday Night Football in Baltimore. On the team’s opening play, Henry raced untouched for an 87-yard touchdown, the longest touchdown run in Ravens history. Buffalo had zero answers for Henry, who finished the night just one yard short of his 7th career 200-yard rushing performance.
Offensive Line
The Ravens offensive line has gotten better every week. Despite guard Andrew Vorhees being out in Week 4, the Ravens were able to open up rushing lanes and keep Lamar Jackson clean for the majority of the game. Rookie tackle Roger Rosengarten looked comfortable while the largely criticized Daniel Faalele has had solid performances over the past two games. Fullback Patrick Ricard has also been a larger part of the offense in the past two games which has aided the overall blocking performance.
Todd Monken, OC
Offensive coordinator Todd Monken has pitched incredible game plans over the past two weeks. Similarly to last week’s game in Dallas, the Ravens scored 21 points in the first half and scored touchdowns on their first three drives. Monken is using the presence and dominance of Henry to set up play-action and quarterback runs that have gashed the Cowboys and Bills, making life easy on Lamar Jackson. Baltimore’s receivers and tight ends have hardly been used in the last two weeks, highlighting the talent and options Monken can work with.
Pass Defense
Through three weeks, the Ravens sported the worst pass defense in the NFL. In week four against Josh Allen and the Bills, we finally saw glimpses of the 2023 Ravens defense that broke multiple records and terrorized opposing offenses for the majority of last season. Defensive coordinator Zach Orr and the Ravens defense completely shut down a Buffalo offense that was averaging a league high 37.6 PPG heading into week four. The pass defense was tight all night while the pass rush and run defense continues to dominate. It took a few weeks for the Mike MacDonald defense to find it’s groove and it looks like it might be starting to happen with Zach Orr and company. The Ravens defense will look to carry this momentum into pivotal games against the Bengals and Commanders in weeks four and five.
Stock Down
Brandon Stephens, CB
While the Ravens pass coverage was great last night, teams are clearly picking on cornerback Brandon Stephens. Last night, Stephens gave up multiple back-shoulder passes to rookie receiver Keon Coleman and seems to be having a tough time locating the ball.
Mark Andrews, TE
Although the game plan the last two weeks hasn’t warranted any big receiving performances, it’s a bit shocking to see just how little tight end Mark Andrews has been involved in the Ravens passing offense. Andrews has now gone two straight games without a catch and has seen a major decrease in his snap participation from last year. On his lone target last night, Andrews dropped a wide-open pass that would’ve been a big gain. As a blocker, Andrews has been exceptional, but there has to be a level of frustration on his part being so little used in the passing game.