Weeks 1-8: The Quest for Win Number Four
Weeks one through three were (pretty much) everything you could ask for. Did they face particularly tough opponents? No. The teams they beat have a combined 6-14 record, including the Browns who have yet to win a single game this year. They also didn't win those games with flashy scores. In order, they won 13-7, 25-20, and 19-17; those are chin scraping scores. What's important, though, is that they were winning games the way they were designed to, with strong defense and competent offense. Furthermore, they were winning the games you would expect a playoff contender to win. No, it's not remarkable they beat the Browns, but could you imagine if they didn't? Could you imagine if Clevland was 1-6 with their one victory being against Baltimore? If that happened, the only way John Harbaugh would be able to express how angry he was was if he tore off his face Mission Impossible style and it was actually Jim Harbaugh underneath. It wouldn't be pretty. So while the Ravens didn't do anything special the first three weeks, that's what made those games so remarkable. It felt like business as usual, and the Ravens' business was winning. Then it all went sideways.
The losing streak showcases what happens when a strength turns into a weakness. After two losses, Harbaugh tried to solve the Ravens' woes by firing his offensive coordinator, and to a certain extent, it worked. The Ravens scored 13 more points the next game against a much better defense, but they still lost. During the four-game slide, the Ravens' have averaged 19 points per game (PPG), and have allowed 23.75 PPG. During their three-game winning streak, they averaged 19 PPG but allowed only 14.6 (for reference, the average PPG this season by NFL teams is 22.6). What this means is that offense has been consistently below average all season, but that's ok so long as you have an above average defense to bail them out, which the Ravens' had in September. In October, however, a string of injuries and overall tired play has dropped the Ravens' defense from being in the top five down to below average. So while yes, the offense probably needs to get to at least "league average" level for the Ravens' to be serious contenders, the bigger story is that the defense has gone from an asset to a liability. If Baltimore wants to get their season turned around, the defense is going to have to be the top priority, because even if the offense picks it up, that alone won't be enough to capture a playoff spot.
