No Lamar, No Problem: Ravens Win An Ugly One Against a BAD Broncos Team

Greg Fiume. Getty Images.

That's a FAR more optimistic headline than the truth. The Ravens played an UGLY game today. Had nothing going on early offensively when Lamar was sacked and injured on the last play of the 1st quarter.

Tyler Huntley came in the game and didn't really provide much in his stead. He hit a ton of short throws, scrambled and picked up a few yards with his feet, but really didn't threaten the Broncos deep at all. Which has become too much of a norm in this Ravens offense whether it's Lamar or somebody else. But regardless… when the going got tough, Huntley showed up with the biggest drive of this team's season, marching 91 yards inside 5 minutes to punch in a game-winning tuddy with a punchie inside 30 seconds to put the boys ahead.

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All of that was set up with a couple key clutch plays on the drive. The first one was Mark Andrews on a QB (… TE?) sneak in a 4th and 2 situation around the Ravens' own 30. This is a play I feel like the Ravens went for regularly a couple years ago, but had been punting this season. It felt like all those 4th quarter/2 point conversion failures late last season had reeled John Harbaugh's aggressiveness in. Going for it here was a big balls decision and paid off in a big way when they converted and eventually got the big punchie.

The other big play was this pump fake/deke by Huntley that sprung Drake open and got us down to the 2 yard line.

 The Ravens have struggled soooo much in the red zone in recent weeks, to the point where it felt like we were doomed to drive down deep and come up just short yet again. This is the type of play that ensures that doesn't happen. Incredible moxie, incredibly clutch, and it reminded me a bit of the big time throw Huntley made to Sammy Watkins in Chicago last year to put us in position to win that game. Huntley wasn't particularly impressive for 3 quarters today, but he was impressive when he needed to be and I feel like that's a habit of his. Love him for that.

All of that said, the Broncos are a bad team and the Ravens played to their level today. The defense was awesome and prayers up for Patrick Queen, but the offense isn't scaring anybody right now. They simply don't have an offense that's going to beat the big boys in the AFC with the way they're playing. I'm trying to be hopeful that Lamar will be healthy come January and things can be different, but the Ravens simply aren't giving me much to think otherwise. Hope I'm wrong.

8-4 is a good place to be. And the schedule remains light the rest of the way. But the Ravens aren't burying bad teams so we can't just assume they're going to coast their way into the playoffs here. Tough game in Pittsburgh next week, hope Lamar can make that one happen. Fingers crossed.