The Ravens Are Not Nearly as Good as We Thought They Were

Coming into Sunday's tilt against the Cleveland Browns, the Baltimore Ravens looked like the real deal. They started the season 2-1, with that one loss coming in a nail biter against the Kansas City Chiefs on the road.

Suddenly, the entirety of AFC North narratives have been flipped, following an embarrassing 40-25 loss to the Browns that somehow wasn't even as close as the scoreboard portrays it. Yes, it's clear the Ravens aren't quite as ready for primetime as we initially thought (and Cleveland isn't entirely devoid of offensive innovation).

A lot of people this offseason felt there was too much talk about Ravens' defensive losses, too much focus on the leadership and production that left the building. Been a long time since a Ravens defense has looked this overwhelmed at home. Defense hasn't done a single thing well
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) September 29, 2019

With this loss, the Ravens officially vacated sole possession of first place in the AFC North. They also seem to have lost their defensive edge, which is huge. They gave up 531 yards of offense in a game where running back Nick Chubb exploded for 165 yards and three touchdowns, and wideout Jarvis Landry piled up 167 yards on eight catches.

This was the first game in Browns history they had a 300-yard passer (Baker Mayfield), 150-yard rusher (Nick Chubb) and 150-yard receiver (Jarvis Landry), according to Elias Sports Bureau. https://t.co/xovmUxsMHA
— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) September 29, 2019

When the Ravens lost Terrell Suggs, C.J. Mosley, and Eric Weddle in free agency, it was expected that Baltimore would struggle to find themselves initially. With Brandon Williams, Jimmy Smith, and Tavon Young all out for Baltimore on Sunday, it only made matters worse, to the point where Lamar Jackson was firmly unable to go Superman on his competition.

Baker Mayfield had struggled greatly entering this game, yet seemed to hit his stride, with his receivers seemingly being open all game long. He would finish the game with 342 passing yards, a season-high for the sophomore quarterback, and much of it coming in the second half.

Baker Mayfield has thrown for 342, 376 and 342 yards in his three games against the Ravens.
— Andrew Gribble (@Andrew_Gribble) September 29, 2019

It's not just the defense that struggled for Baltimore, as Lamar Jackson had difficulty throwing the ball before the fourth quarter, totaling just 71 yards on 9-of-12 passing. He would eventually finish with 247 yards to go with three touchdowns and two interceptions.

If the Ravens defense is going to continue struggling in this fashion, John Harbaugh will have to find a way to get more consistency out of his quarterback. Otherwise, Baltimore will not be able to stay in contention for much longer.