Ravens kicking team (l-r)holder Jordan Stout, kicker Justin Tucker and long snapper Nick Moore warms up before game against the Broncos at M&T Bank Stadium Dec. 4, 2022. (Kenneth K. Lam, Baltimore Sun)
The Ravens lost quarterback Lamar Jackson to a knee injury at the end of the first quarter and nearly lost the game to the offensively inept Denver Broncos. But Jackson’s backup, Tyler Huntley, mustered a 91-yard touchdown drive in the last five minutes, and they survived, 10-9, to remain in a tie at atop the AFC North with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Players of the game
QB Tyler Huntley: Huntley relieved the injured Jackson at the start of the second quarter, and the Ravens’ offense continued its recent struggles with him at the helm. But he engineered a long drive when they absolutely needed it, completing eight passes and finishing it off with a 2-yard touchdown burst.
LB Roquan Smith: The Ravens traded for Smith, hoping he could help pull them through grimy games like this one. He did not disappoint, leading the team with 11 tackles, two of them for loss. They have not given up more than 88 rushing yards in a game since he arrived.
TE Isaiah Likely: The rookie left the field with a shoulder injury after he caught a short pass on the second play of that final drive. But he came back for a 12-yard catch and run that gave the Ravens a precious first down as they moved deeper into Denver territory. He caught all four balls thrown his way and reminded us why he could be an important weapon down the stretch.
Snap-count analysis
Outside linebacker Odafe Oweh played a season-low 32% of defensive snaps, while veteran Justin Houston played a season-high 72%. With Kyle Hamilton back as the team’s primary nickel back, Brandon Stephens dropped from 51 defensive snaps in Week 12 to one against Denver. Defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald continued to try different combinations in the secondary, using Ar’Darius Washington for eight defensive snaps while benching rookie cornerback Damarion “Pepe” Williams.
After Gus Edwards took a dominant share of the running-back workload in Week 12, he played just 17 snaps against the Broncos, ceding the No. 1 spot to Kenyan Drake, whose pass catching proved crucial on the game-winning drive. Fullback Patrick Ricard played just 35% of offensive snaps, his lightest workload of the season by far. With tight end Isaiah Likely back in the lineup, Josh Oliver dropped from 44 offensive snaps in Week 12 to 24 against Denver. Rookie tackle Daniel Faalele had not played an offensive snap since Week 4 but gave the Ravens 34 against the Broncos as starter Patrick Mekari battled a foot injury. At wide receiver, Devin Duvernay played a season-high 94% of offensive snaps while fellow starter Demarcus Robinson played 76%.
Number crunch
31.2: Third-down conversion percentage against the Ravens after Denver succeeded on two of 12.
28: Seconds for which the Ravens held a lead in their victory.
25: Total points allowed by the Ravens over their three wins with Roquan Smith.
0: Turnovers created by the Ravens’ defense, breaking their streak of 13 games with at least one.
Quote of the day
Coach John Harbaugh when asked about the team’s offensive woes: “We’ll work on it, just like we always do. It’s not the time to talk about that stuff; it’s game-to-game right now. It’s game-to-game. There are no big narratives; the big narrative questions, they’re irrelevant. What matters is the next game and trying to find a way to win it.”
Next Up
Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium, Sun., Dec. 11, 1 p.m.
After a dreadful start, the Steelers, buoyed by the return of outside linebacker T.J. Watt, have quietly won three of their last four. Their offense, led by rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett, ranks 28th in scoring and 26th in total yards. Their pass defense has been unusually vulnerable. But coach Mike Tomlin still has them moving in the right direction, as he usually does by this point in the season.
Offensive snap counts
Ben Powers G 72
Kevin Zeitler G 72
Morgan Moses T 72
Tyler Linderbaum C 72
Devin Duvernay WR 68
Tyler Huntley QB 62
Mark Andrews TE 61
Demarcus Robinson WR 55
Patrick Mekari T 39
Daniel Faalele T 34
Kenyan Drake RB 34
Patrick Ricard FB 25
DeSean Jackson WR 25
Josh Oliver TE 24
Isaiah Likely TE 19
Justice Hill RB 17
Gus Edwards RB 17
James Proche WR 13
Lamar Jackson QB 10
Binjimen Victor WR 1
Defensive snap counts
Chuck Clark SS 53
Geno Stone SS 53
Marlon Humphrey CB 53
Marcus Peters CB 53
Roquan Smith LB 51
Patrick Queen LB 44
Justin Houston LB 38
Calais Campbell DE 34
Tyus Bowser LB 34
Justin Madubuike DT 33
Kyle Hamilton FS 29
Broderick Washington DT 22
Jason Pierre-Paul DE 22
Odafe Oweh LB 17
Travis Jones DT 17
Brent Urban DE 14
Ar’Darius Washington FS 8
Malik Harrison LB 7
Brandon Stephens FS 1
()
Originally published at Tribune News Service