After getting off to a hot start and sitting atop the AFC North just two weeks ago, the Baltimore Ravens (5-4) have dropped back-to-back divisional road games and now find themselves at the bottom of a tight AFC North divisional race. On Sunday, they welcome a relatively rested Tennessee Titans (2-6) team who are coming off of their bye week and looking to hand the Ravens their third consecutive loss.
If the Ravens anticipate heading into their bye week on a high note, the offensive line will need to perform better than they did last week and provide Joe Flacco some time to make plays down field.
That being said, the Ravens have fielded one of the best offensive lines in football this year, especially considering the fact they’ve had to deal with multiple injuries. With a Pass Blocking Efficiency (PBE) of 84.5, the Ravens' offensive line has the fourth-best PBE and they’ve ranked in the Top 4 all year.
Second-year right tackle Ricky Wagner, specifically, has been Baltimore’s strongest lineman in pass protection this year. After earning his only ‘red’ negative performance of the year in Week 8, Wagner rebounded nicely and earned a pass protection grade of+2.2 in Week 9, the highest of his career. On the year, Wagner has earned a pass protection grade of +8.2, the highest grade of all right tackles and the seventh-best among all tackles. Furthermore, of all tackles who have played at least 114 snaps, Wagner is one of six who has yet to allow a quarterback hit and has the seventh-best PBE at 96.9.
Wagner is likely to matchup against Jurrell Casey throughout the day, as Casey has started games at both left and right end this year. With a pass rush grade of +10.2, Casey is the highest-rated pass rusher on the Titans and the third-best among all 3-4 defensive ends. Of 3-4 defensive ends who have played at least 86 passing snaps, Casey has a Pass Rush Productivity (PRP) of 8.7, tied for fifth-best.
This matchup should make for a good one, as both Wagner and Casey look to continue their dominant play.
Here are three more notable numbers for each side:
Tennessee Titans
Zaviar Gooden – Although Gooden hasn’t seen as much action as other inside linebackers (137 snaps), he has yet to miss a tackle and has a perfect Tackling Efficiency.
Delanie Walker – Of all tight ends, Walker has been targeted six times in the deep passing game (20+ yards), tied for fifth-most.
Zach Mettenberger – In his first start, Mettenberger attempted six deep balls (20+ yards), tied for fourth-most in Week 8.
Baltimore Ravens
Marshal Yanda – Yanda continues to dominate, as his overall grade of +26.3 is best among all guards.
Tramain Jacobs – After cutting Chykie Brown and Dominique Franks, the Ravens have promoted Tramain Jacobs to the active roster. The underafted rookie performed well in the preseason, earning a coverage grade of +0.7.
Timmy Jernigan – Another rookie, the Ravens are getting what they expected out of their second-round draft pick. Jernigan has earned a run defense grade of +6.3 and has yet to earn a negative grade in run defense.
Recently at PFF
ReFo: Ravens @ Steelers, Week 9
Midseason All-Pro Team
32 Observations, Week 9
© 2024 PFF - all rights reserved.