Jets vs. Ravens previewOctober 2, 2011
Tonight the NFL is give us a great matchup. Well it’s the NFL, I guess they are all good matchups, but this game could really set the tone for each team for the rest of the season. The Jets and Ravens are both 2-1 coming into tonight. The Jets are coming off a loss to the upstart Raiders and the Ravens are coming off an offensive explosion for a win against the anemic Rams.
The Jets are a little fortunate to be 2-1 at this point. They got dominated up front by Run DMC and the Blockers on Sunday. In week 1, they were very fortunate to get a win thanks to some late game blunders by Tony Romo over the Cowboys. This was before Romo somehow turned into a folk hero over the past two weeks since rib gate. Oh yeah, in week two they played Jacksonville. So yeah, that was the second W.
The Jets are sort of puzzling me this year. I figured they would be a run heavy team and lean on a strong defense. Thus far, they have been awful at the run and are ranked 31st in stopping the run. The D has been stout against pass, as you might expect, which bodes well for them in the pass happy AFC East. I guess the thing that puzzles me is the offense. The Jets have typically been a team that depended on the run and used the pass to get themselves out of trouble. This season they seem to be relying heavily on the pass and getting away from their normal smash mouth approach. I don’t think that this will bode for the Jets specifically, because I don’t see Mark Sanchez as a QB that you want to depend on to win games for you. Sanchez is average in my mind and on pace to throw 20-22 INTs. A team that is getting away from the run and turning the ball over this much will have trouble making the playoffs, especially in a division with Team Belichick.
The Ravens have been a bit of a paradox this season. Week 1 was as dominant performance as you will see. They beat the Steelers 35-7 and it wasn’t even that close. A lot of this was due to the 7 TOs by the Steelers but you have to give credit to the Ravens for helping cause the TOs. The odd thing was week 2 when the Ravens lose to the Titans on the road. Nothing against the Titans, but I guess it was a big letdown game after dominating the Steelers. Week 3 brought a sacrificial lamb in St. Louis for Baltimore to feast on and they didn’t disappoint. The Ravens are the same ol’ same ol’ on D. They are stifling against the run and doing pretty well against the pass. They are running the ball very well, as usual, but the difference is they are passing the ball on an above average level. Joe Flacco may be turning into a QB that doesn’t just manage games but one that can go out and win a game or two for you. Anquan Boldin and the emergence of Torrey Smith on the outside could help get some defenders out of the box and allow Ray Rice to, again, be one of the dominant RBs in the league.
I like both teams but my gut has me leaning towards Baltimore tonight. It is hard to bet against a strong defensive team and one that runs the ball so well. I like teams who play defense and who can control the clock in tight games with the run. I like the Ravens in a tight one, 20-17.
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