The Baltimore Ravens might be two games behind the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North standings. And they might not have addressed every issue at the NFL trade deadline.
That doesn’t mean they can’t completely erase a woeful start to the season and win their third straight division title.
In fact, that’s what ESPN’s Dan Graziano believes will happen. The NFL insider gave the Ravens high marks for their work around the margins ahead of the deadline, saying he’s “confident” John Harbaugh’s team will be the last man standing in the North once again.
“Baltimore knows how to do this. I’m confident the Ravens will run down Pittsburgh and win the AFC North in spite of their terrible start to the season,” Graziano declared in a post-deadline latest buzz column with ESPN colleague Jeremy Fowler.
Ravens Ace Trade Deadline Despite Lack of Blockbuster
The Ravens’ deadline was a quiet one, particularly in comparison to AFC rival Indianapolis, which acquired All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner from the New York Jets. Baltimore also didn’t do anything on deadline day, but the moves they made in the days and weeks leading up to Nov. 4 have received high marks.
Most notably, the Ravens parted with edge rusher Odafe Oweh to pry safety Alohi Gilman out of Los Angeles, and they helped fill in that gap by landing edge rusher Dre’Mont Jones from the Titans. Baltimore also tidied up the secondary depth chart by putting an end to the Jaire Alexander experiment, shipping the cornerback to Philadelphia.
“Jones is only 28. Gilman, also 28, has 16 total tackles, a pass deflection, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in three games with Baltimore,” Fowler noted in the same ESPN.com story. “So, while the Ravens’ trades weren’t flashy, they signaled sound decision-making from a team that usually makes sound decisions.”
ESPN’s Ben Solak listed the Ravens as a trade deadline winner, largely because of the Gilman trade, a move that has allowed defensive coordinator to better utilize safety Kyle Hamilton.
“Since Week 6 — when Gilman entered the starting lineup — the Ravens are second in points allowed per game, seventh in EPA per play and ninth in success rate,” Solak wrote. “Gilman has been solid. He forced a fumble and recovered another against the Dolphins last Thursday, but his greatest value has been in the unleashing of Kyle Hamilton.”
Ravens Have Plenty of Control Over Fate Down Stretch
At 3-5, the Ravens are still two games behind the division-leading Pittsburgh Steelers. However, Baltimore has momentum. The defense has come around, and a recent bye paired with extra rest this past week, has the Ravens finally getting healthy. That includes, above all, quarterback Lamar Jackson, who returned in Week 9 and instantly won Offensive Player of the Week honors.
So maybe it’s not that bold to expect Baltimore to usurp their division rivals. It’s a two-horse race at this point, and despite how the standings look, the Ravens are odds-on favorite to take the North. Baltimore is -145 to win the division at FanDuel Sportsbook, a dollar better than the Steelers at +145.
The silver lining for the Ravens as it relates to the early-season swoon is that they have played just one divisional game, and they won that decisively over the Browns in Week 2. Five of the Ravens’ final nine games come against divisional rivals, including a pair against the Steelers.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post NFL Insider Makes Bold Ravens Claim Following NFL Trade Deadline appeared first on Heavy Sports.