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Speaker 1: Welcome into the Lounge presented by DraftKings.

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Speaker 2: I'm Ryan Ink here with Garrett Downing, and we are

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Speaker 2: gonna break down where the Ravens stand following their loss

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Speaker 2: in Kansas City and what they need to do to

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Speaker 2: kind of turn things around, especially given all the injuries

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Speaker 2: that they have right now. So, Garrett, a couple of

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Speaker 2: days removed from that loss to the Chiefs, how are

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Speaker 2: you feeling?

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Speaker 3: I think I feel better now than I did certainly

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Speaker 3: after that game. And John Harball made the point during

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Speaker 3: his press commerce on Monday that he felt a lot

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Speaker 3: better after watching the tape. And I think that, like

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Speaker 3: this isn't just lip service. I think there's justification and

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Speaker 3: reasons to feel that way.

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Speaker 4: And when you really go back through.

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Speaker 3: That game against Kansas City, like the Ravens, as we know,

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Speaker 3: opened the game, march right down the field and score

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Speaker 3: a touchdown. Then the offense on the next four possessions,

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Speaker 3: really they sputtered for different reasons, and like you could

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Speaker 3: go through them one by one and look at what

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Speaker 3: went wrong in those situations. On one, it was the

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Speaker 3: interception that Lamar threw. On the other, basically the delay

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Speaker 3: of game penalties set them back and put them in

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Speaker 3: bad position. On another it was a deflected pass on

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Speaker 3: a screen that looked like it was set up to

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Speaker 3: really go the distance to Derrick Henry. He had a

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Speaker 3: convoy in front of him that looked like that was

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Speaker 3: going to be a big play, and Chris Jones just

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Speaker 3: barely deflected that ball and so like So my point

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Speaker 3: is just there's when you go back through and you

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Speaker 3: look at it like the game ends up being a blowout,

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Speaker 3: but and you go drive by drive. The Ravens were

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Speaker 3: obviously very much in that game in the first half,

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Speaker 3: and I think it could have gone a lot differently

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Speaker 3: had a couple of those plays calling the other way.

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Speaker 3: Then at that point, injuries sink in, the Chiefs are

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Speaker 3: off to the races. Lamar Jackson's out of the game

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Speaker 3: in the fourth quarter, it was done. The thing was

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Speaker 3: over and it was a runaway at that point. But

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Speaker 3: when you really look at it kind of play by

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Speaker 3: play and drive by drive, I do think it gives

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Speaker 3: you a little bit more optimism moving forward.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I would agree with that. I thought that, you know,

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Speaker 2: the defense has struggled. There's no way around that, you know,

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Speaker 2: I mean, they're last in the league in points, allowed.

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Speaker 1: They've allowed the most points in the league.

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Speaker 2: But when you look at it, I also do think

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Speaker 2: that the Chiefs played at a really high level. That's

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Speaker 2: what the Chiefs often do, right, I mean, they came

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Speaker 2: into the game with a offense that was kind of sputtering.

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Speaker 2: Getting Xavier Worthy back was big for them, and then

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Speaker 2: they just I.

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Speaker 1: Don't know why. I don't know why they.

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Speaker 2: Play their best game against the Ravens, but they played

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Speaker 2: their best game against the Ravens. Like, you know, some

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Speaker 2: of those plays. You go back to the lofty float

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Speaker 2: pass to Travis Kelce on third down and like a

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Speaker 2: kind of a third and medium to long, you know,

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Speaker 2: complete that ball. Like just I'm tired of seeing Mahomes

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Speaker 2: play well against the Ravens. It's like he saves his

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Speaker 2: best game for us. And I thought they made to

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Speaker 2: John Harbell's point, I thought it was accurate.

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Speaker 1: They made some tight plays.

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Speaker 2: And now the Ravens need to do that, right, Like

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Speaker 2: if you're going to ultimately get over the hump, as

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Speaker 2: we've talked about a nauseum right and beat the Bills

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Speaker 2: and the Chiefs, like, you got to play to that

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Speaker 2: level and that level of execution.

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Speaker 1: The Ravens didn't do that.

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Speaker 2: You know, you can't keep saying kind of to your point, well,

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Speaker 2: is it was close, and it was it was this penalty,

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Speaker 2: and it was this turnover and it was this and

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Speaker 2: you know this mistaken you know, well, like you got

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Speaker 2: to eliminate that stuff if you're going to beat the

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Speaker 2: best teams, and the Chiefs are one of those teams.

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Speaker 2: And so the Ravens aren't there yet the keywords yet,

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Speaker 2: And I give that's kind of how John Harball operates

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Speaker 2: is it's it's always yet. And I think that there's

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Speaker 2: a lot of season left and the health is a

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Speaker 2: major part of that in getting guys back on the field.

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Speaker 2: But if the Ravens can do that, I do think

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Speaker 2: they still have the makings of a team that can

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Speaker 2: go from being close to making those key plays that

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Speaker 2: you need to make to win games.

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Speaker 3: Yeah. I know, there's certainly the sky is falling feeling

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Speaker 3: around the Ravens right now, considering the expectations coming into

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Speaker 3: the season and and and really the way that the

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Speaker 3: last two games have gone, getting getting beaten handily against

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Speaker 3: the Chiefs and against the Lions, just not where you

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Speaker 3: expected to be, didn't expect to be one and three

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Speaker 3: and didn't expect to lose those games in the fashion

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Speaker 3: that you did. But I and now you have the

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Speaker 3: injuries pile up, So you have losses and the injuries,

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Speaker 3: and you're saying, this is the season's due. And so

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Speaker 3: I think that there's that narrative that exists. On the

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Speaker 3: flip side of it, I think that there is a

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Speaker 3: lot of reason to believe that. Like, it is a

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Speaker 3: long season and we're going to get into all these points,

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Speaker 3: but like the division is still very much up for grabs,

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Speaker 3: and the Ravens are a team that I think that

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Speaker 3: if they, like if they're able to correct some of

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Speaker 3: the issues that have plagued them these first four games

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Speaker 3: and get healthier and make some of those like they

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Speaker 3: need to make some plays, Like they need to make

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Speaker 3: the play in that situation. Like I look at the

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Speaker 3: interception that the Chiefs made in that game. Defender Lamar

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Speaker 3: throws the ball, Andrews is looking back for the football.

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Speaker 3: The defender has his back to the ball, it turns around,

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Speaker 3: bats it to himself and makes an interception.

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Speaker 4: You're like, how does that happen? How does that happen

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Speaker 4: against the Ravens.

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Speaker 3: Like that's the type of play that the Ravens need

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Speaker 3: to make at some point if you're gonna win these games.

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Speaker 3: And so those are the things that will need to

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Speaker 3: happen if they're going to turn it around. But I

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Speaker 3: do not like, I'm not in the camp that this

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Speaker 3: this thing, this season is doomed. I think that there

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Speaker 3: is very much reason to feel like this thing can

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Speaker 3: get turned around, and the Ravens have to do that

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Speaker 3: starting this week against Houston.

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Speaker 2: The fact of the matter is the Ravens have had

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Speaker 2: the most difficult schedule to open up the year in

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Speaker 2: the NFL.

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Speaker 1: In the first four.

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Speaker 2: Weeks, and you played the Chiefs and the Bills, the

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Speaker 2: two other AFC Super Bowl contenders slash favorites, both on

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Speaker 2: the road.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, okay.

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Speaker 2: You play the Detroit Lions, who might be the NFC

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Speaker 2: the NFC's best team right now.

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Speaker 1: Yep, okay.

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Speaker 2: And then you played the Browns, who it's always a

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Speaker 2: tough divisional game against the Browns. They have one of

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Speaker 2: the best defenses in the league. And by the way,

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Speaker 2: they beat the Packers, who two weeks ago everybody thought

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Speaker 2: was the best team in the NFC. Now everybody's saying

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Speaker 2: the Lions are the best team in the NFC, and

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Speaker 2: so like, you know, I know the Browns, don't they

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Speaker 2: only have one win on the year, but like they're

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Speaker 2: gonna win some games this year. And so but the

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Speaker 2: fact that you played three of the four best teams

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Speaker 2: on the road, exactly two on the road, So like

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Speaker 2: that is what it is. And like I think that

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Speaker 2: it's easy to get caught up in and and I

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Speaker 2: agree like the way that the Ravens have lost the

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Speaker 2: past two weeks, on top of how deflating that Week

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Speaker 2: one loss in Buffalo was, like it stings, you know,

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Speaker 2: the raven You don't see the Ravens oftentimes just get

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Speaker 2: beat beat, and they got beat in back.

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Speaker 1: To back weeks. It's what happened.

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Speaker 2: And so like the way in which they lost to

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Speaker 2: those teams is also discouraging. I think injuries are part

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Speaker 2: of the reason why they got beat beat, you know,

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Speaker 2: and and a big again factor in in their turnaround

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Speaker 2: if they're gonna have one, which I think that they certainly.

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Speaker 1: Have that capability.

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Speaker 2: But let's not lose the forest for the trees here

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Speaker 2: and like lose the context that the Ravens have played

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Speaker 2: some really really good teams to begin this season.

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Speaker 4: Well, we've mentioned it.

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Speaker 3: Injuries are a huge piece of the equation for this

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Speaker 3: team right now, and the biggest one is quarterback Lamar Jackson.

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Speaker 3: He exited Sunday's game with a hamstring injury in the

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Speaker 3: second half, and John Harball said out Monday, the question

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Speaker 3: was phrased to him like, could he have gone back

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Speaker 3: in the game under different circumstances, Considering at that point

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Speaker 3: it was a three score game and you may not

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Speaker 3: put him back in that situation, But if it was

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Speaker 3: different circumstances, could he have gone back in the game.

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Speaker 3: And Harwall said no, the injury precluded him from going

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Speaker 3: back in the game. It was too bad of an

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Speaker 3: injury for him to go back in the game. It

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Speaker 3: was not just, hey, this thing's out of hand, let's

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Speaker 3: take Lamar out of here and protect him.

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Speaker 4: He was hurt and so he couldn't play.

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Speaker 3: And the question is whether that's going to extend to

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Speaker 3: this game against the Texans or beyond. If he's out

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Speaker 3: this week, then it's Cooper Rush most likely.

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Speaker 4: You know, I think.

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Speaker 3: That that's the question when Lamar gets back on the field,

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Speaker 3: and we're going to get a better idea of that

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Speaker 3: over the course of the week and we see when

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Speaker 3: he practices.

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Speaker 2: John Harball really didn't give any update on Lamar's status

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Speaker 2: on Monday when he spoke, other than the fact that, yeah,

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Speaker 2: he couldn't go back in the game, which is an

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Speaker 2: indication of the severity of the injury. Right, it wasn't

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Speaker 2: a nothing. If it was a you know whatever, we're

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Speaker 2: protecting them, then I feel a lot better, to be honest.

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Speaker 1: And so.

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Speaker 2: That is obviously the biggest factor for the Ravens because

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Speaker 2: we all know just how critical Lamar Jackson is to

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Speaker 2: this offense and to this team, and so you know,

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Speaker 2: this is why they brought Cooper Rush in and paid

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Speaker 2: what they paid for Cooper Rush. They paid more than

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Speaker 2: they spent more on the backup quarterback position than they

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Speaker 2: have in years to have a quality, experienced backup with

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Speaker 2: a lot of starting experiences, played and won a lot

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Speaker 2: of games as a backup in Dallas. And so that's

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Speaker 2: the task for Cooper Rush. The Ravens felt like they

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Speaker 2: had a good enough roster around Lamar Jackson defensively and

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Speaker 2: offensively enough offensive weapons, you know, and felt like they

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Speaker 2: were going to be a really strong defense this year

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Speaker 2: that like, even if Lamar went down for a brief

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Speaker 2: period of time. I don't think if anybody thinks that

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Speaker 2: if Lamar Jackson was out for an extended extended period

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Speaker 2: that like it'd be tough. But for if you need

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Speaker 2: somebody to step in for a couple few games, like

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Speaker 2: we feel like we have a good enough roster where

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Speaker 2: Cooper Rush, if he plays at an adequate level, solid

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Speaker 2: execute the.

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Speaker 1: Offense like that, we can beat teams.

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Speaker 2: We can still win and that's the task this week

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Speaker 2: if Lamar Jackson can't play now.

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Speaker 3: Of course, it's not just Lamar Jackson who's dealing with

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Speaker 3: the injuries. There's also ro Kwand Smith, who left the

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Speaker 3: game with the hamstring injury as well. Reports are that

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Speaker 3: it's a Grade two hamstring strain and that he's going

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Speaker 3: to be sidelined for a period of weeks. Marlon Humphrey,

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Speaker 3: also less a game, left the game with a calf injury.

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Speaker 3: Report from Ian Rappaport is that he could miss a

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Speaker 3: few weeks, a couple of weeks, a couple of weeks.

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Speaker 2: So then the Ravens have two games for their buy,

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Speaker 2: so that would potentially put Marlin on track to return

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Speaker 2: after the buy and a few weeks for you know,

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Speaker 2: you're always were like parsing together these words.

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Speaker 1: From from reporters, these reports. What's a few? How many

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Speaker 1: is a you? Is that three to four? Yeah, I

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Speaker 1: don't know exactly.

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Speaker 2: I mean those it sounds like after the bye for

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Speaker 2: both of those guys, most likely according to those reports.

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Speaker 3: And and if those reports are accurate, that they're not

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Speaker 3: going to be available for Sunday against the Texas, which

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Speaker 3: means there's gonna be a shorthanded uh defense. The other

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Speaker 3: one is that we do have clarity on for at

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Speaker 3: least this season, is nonmat BK John Harbroll.

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Speaker 2: The other one is Nate Wiggins, who exited the game

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Speaker 2: during the game elbow.

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Speaker 1: We did not get enough. There have not been any

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Speaker 1: reports about Yeah, Ate.

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Speaker 4: Wiggs off with a noble injury. Not sure what the stack.

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Speaker 1: And that'd be a big one too.

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Speaker 2: I mean, he's arguably he's arguably been the Ravens' best

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Speaker 2: defensive players so far.

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Speaker 3: I think he probably has been and tough to see

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Speaker 3: him go down late and we'll I mean, if that's

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Speaker 3: the case, you're down to your starting corners. The Raves

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Speaker 3: of course have Jiy Alexander, who's been basically on the

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Speaker 3: shelf since week one, working to get his way back.

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Speaker 3: I think that he's going to be in the lineup

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Speaker 3: this week given the injuries, But you would be down

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Speaker 3: to a situation where you'd have Jennie, Alexander and Chido

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Speaker 3: Ouzie out there as your top two and then TJ.

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Speaker 4: Tampa coming in she starts.

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Speaker 3: He's a starter really for this group, but losing Wiggans

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Speaker 3: would be significant if he if this is something that

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Speaker 3: lingers for him. No, Harba did not have any update

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Speaker 3: on the verity of that or how long he will

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Speaker 3: be out, but then nam Matabik did confirm that with

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Speaker 3: the neck injury, he is out for the rest of

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Speaker 3: the season. The question, I'm at a bike really, I

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Speaker 3: mean that that's really tough to lose him for the

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Speaker 3: rest of the season. To talk about best players on

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Speaker 3: this defense, he probably was the best player on this defense. Uh,

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Speaker 3: you know through the first two games, had two sacks

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Speaker 3: in those games. Was playing a really high level.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I just want to pause, like because I don't

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Speaker 2: want to gloss over the fact of like how serious

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Speaker 2: that injury is. Yeah, non the Matta b. Gay is

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Speaker 2: one of the best defensive linemen in football. He led

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Speaker 2: all defensive linemen in sacks with thirteen in twenty twenty three. Like,

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Speaker 2: I think we've also seen how important he has as

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Speaker 2: a run defender, which is something maybe he doesn't even

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Speaker 2: get enough credit for.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and the pairing that he.

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Speaker 2: Is with Travis Jones, Like those two guys are a

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Speaker 2: really high level duo inside for the Ravens, And you

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Speaker 2: just really feel bad for the for the player and

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Speaker 2: the person because on top of that, Nom the Matta

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Speaker 2: b Gay is one of the Ravens' best people and

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Speaker 2: that's a painful one. I mean, this is a guy

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Speaker 2: the Ravens gave a big contract extension to before last

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Speaker 2: season and now to have this neck injury where John Harball,

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Speaker 2: you know, is unable to give specifics and says nom,

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Speaker 2: he's gonna have to talk about his long term future

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Speaker 2: and prognosis like that, that sets up red flags for

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Speaker 2: me in alarms, you know, like it makes me concerned

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Speaker 2: about what his long term future is. This is a

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Speaker 2: franchise that went through this kind of with Zach Orr.

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Speaker 2: You know, it's hits close to home. The Ravens own

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Speaker 2: defensive coordinator who had to retire early because of a

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Speaker 2: vertebrae neck issue, and so like you just pray that

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Speaker 2: that's not the case for Nomdi. But the fact that

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Speaker 2: he's going to be out for the entire year, the

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Speaker 2: fact that the Ravens can't really say much about it,

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Speaker 2: and Nomine's gonna have to be the one that speaks

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Speaker 2: it long term, I just don't like the way it sounds.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it's really tough, and I really feel for him,

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Speaker 3: just as again, one of the best players and guys

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Speaker 3: on this team, a leader on this team, and somebody

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Speaker 3: who the Ravens felt like when he came up for

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Speaker 3: a contract, he's the type of guy you want to

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Speaker 3: invest in, ye Like they made the decision like we

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Speaker 3: want to invest one hundred million dollar contract in this

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Speaker 3: guy because he's the kind of guy that you want

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Speaker 3: on your team, you want him in your program, player

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Speaker 3: and person. And so to lose him at least for

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Speaker 3: this season is significant from a football standpoint. And beyond that,

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Speaker 3: we'll see.

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Speaker 1: You don't want to speculate. We don't know nobody.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, there's no answer at this point, you know, but

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Speaker 3: the fact that there's no answer is concerning, And so you.

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Speaker 2: Know, John if Harves is like he's out for the

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Speaker 2: rest of this year and we'll see him the beginning

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Speaker 2: of next year.

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Speaker 3: I'd feel better, Yeah, definitely, and so hopefully that's the case,

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Speaker 3: but just don't know at this point, and certainly hope

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Speaker 3: that he's uh doing as well as he can right now.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean the NFL, of course, like you're just

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Speaker 2: you're you. We heard it last week. You know, it's

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Speaker 2: next man up, and we feel confident in their backups

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Speaker 2: and all those things. And that's what that's the mindset

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Speaker 2: that you have to have because injuries happen to every

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Speaker 2: single team across the league. And I agree with what

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Speaker 2: John Harwall said yesterday, it's too in large part it's

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Speaker 2: who can adjust to those injuries the best as the

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Speaker 2: team that ends up going the furthest or at least

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Speaker 2: giving yourself a shot. And so that's the position the

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Speaker 2: Ravens are in, and that's the mindset that they're taking.

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Speaker 2: But like also me, like I think it's it's tough.

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Speaker 2: I don't want to minimize how rough that injury is.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, And the injury report continues after Matt a BK two.

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Speaker 3: Roger Washington also on an injured reserve. The silver lining

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Speaker 3: on him is that it's a short term injured reserve,

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Speaker 3: so he will have the opportunity to come back this

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Speaker 3: year and potentially play.

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Speaker 2: And then Arbos even said it's kind of the four game,

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Speaker 2: which is the minimum. So whether he's hits them, whether

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Speaker 2: he's at the minimum or not, we'll see, but he

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Speaker 2: did use four week.

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Speaker 3: The others who it was questionable coming into the game,

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Speaker 3: Travis Jones Kyle van Noy both practice on a limited

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Speaker 3: basis last week, but we're not able to play in

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Speaker 3: the game. The fact that they practiced at least somewhat

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Speaker 3: last week. Van Neu returned on Friday, given a glimmer

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Speaker 3: of hope. But I think that that's at least positive

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Speaker 3: about their you know, prognosis over the course of this week.

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Speaker 4: Their practice participation is going to be something to monitor.

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Speaker 3: But you hope that you get both those guys back

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Speaker 3: in the lineup against.

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Speaker 4: Houston Stanley and he's on the offense.

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Speaker 2: About another another guy who left the game early, Ronnie's

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Speaker 2: been dealing with the ankle, had one limited practice last week,

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Speaker 2: ended up giving it a go in the game in

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Speaker 2: Kansas City, but then had to come out early just

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Speaker 2: you know, was was not feeling like himself apparently, and

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Speaker 2: so yeah, he's gonna be another guy to monitor this week.

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Speaker 2: I mean, it's a long list. You look at the

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Speaker 2: the Ravens injury list and it looks like a Pro

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Speaker 2: Bowl roster, I mean.

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Speaker 1: Exactly. And so.

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Speaker 2: The Ravens fortunes, they gotta they gotta get to the

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Speaker 2: buy basically, like they're limping to the bye. The bye

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Speaker 2: is going to really help the scene of all years

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Speaker 2: to have an earlier bye. This is I'm glad that

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Speaker 2: this is the year, But you gotta you gotta win

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Speaker 2: some games before then to do that game.

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Speaker 1: Exactly.

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Speaker 2: That's that's the thing, Like, yeah, it's not the buy

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Speaker 2: is not this weekend. You have a tough Texans team

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Speaker 2: with a really good defense come into your stadium, and then, oh,

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Speaker 2: by the way, here's the Los Angeles Rams, who, like

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Speaker 2: the Lions, are one of the best teams in the NFC. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: and so like it's not only that you can just

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Speaker 2: kind of limp there. You got to win some games

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Speaker 2: while you're limping. Yeah, And so's the that's the challenge.

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Speaker 3: So yeah, let's get into that game against the Texas,

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Speaker 3: but just quickly before we do that, want to kind

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Speaker 3: of close the book on the Kansas City game and

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Speaker 3: how that one went a lot of questions really about

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Speaker 3: both sides of the ball in that game. And coming

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Speaker 3: out of the press conference on Monday, John Harball really

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Speaker 3: talked about the offense in this one, and again they

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Speaker 3: opened the game with the touchdown, but then they sputtered

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Speaker 3: for much of the rest of the game, turned the

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Speaker 3: ball over or not crisp, and he had some harsh

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Speaker 3: words for just the process, the entire operation, the play calling,

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Speaker 3: everything that went into the offensive side of the ball.

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Speaker 4: In that game.

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Speaker 3: And what did you make out of basically the way

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Speaker 3: that the team played and Harball's take on the offense

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Speaker 3: from that game.

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Speaker 2: Well, I think, as we said in our postgame reaction podcast,

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Speaker 2: the Ravens did not have the right answers at least

395
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Speaker 2: for the Chiefs Blitz and and you all, you know,

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Speaker 2: it's coming from Steve Spagnol, Like we've seen this story

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Speaker 2: a number of times, including in head to med matchups

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Speaker 2: we've seen the Ravens and Chiefs, and so that was frustrating,

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Speaker 2: you know, to not have those kind of answers.

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Speaker 1: You know, how much of that was execution?

401
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Speaker 2: How much of that was I'm sure Todd Monkin knew

402
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Speaker 2: that they were would blitz in key situations. Whether that

403
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Speaker 2: he you know, just didn't have the right play call

404
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Speaker 2: in those situations or or what, I don't know, but

405
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Speaker 2: that was the frustration. I think it's like we've seen

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Speaker 2: this before and it happened again. Like the Ravens have

407
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Speaker 2: to get the number, their number out of the chief's

408
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Speaker 2: phone right because they got it, Like we're just I

409
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Speaker 2: think that John Harboll's tired of seeing that same story

410
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Speaker 2: play out well in.

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Speaker 3: Terms of the blitz and the pressures, like they didn't

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Speaker 3: they didn't seem to have as a good enough plan

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Speaker 3: on the pressure situation. Here's what Harbell said about that.

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Speaker 3: So we did not stick with the plan that we had.

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Speaker 3: We had an idea of how we wanted to approach

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Speaker 3: their defense, and we didn't stick to it. I'm not

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Speaker 3: happy about it, neither as anybody. None of our coaches

418
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Speaker 3: are happy about it. You specifically talk about the coaches.

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Speaker 3: Was the point that he made, so like they had

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Speaker 3: a plan in his mind to attack the pressure and

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Speaker 3: they didn't stick to that plan.

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Speaker 2: Part of that was just how much they ran the

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Speaker 2: ball and it just quite frankly, was not enough against

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Speaker 2: the Chiefs. I think that that was a bigger part

425
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Speaker 2: of the game plan and it didn't come to fruition then,

426
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Speaker 2: of course, And every time you look back at the

427
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Speaker 2: play by pay play, some of this is situational. You know,

428
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Speaker 2: you have two delay game penalties that put you in

429
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Speaker 2: second and third and long. Well, it's tough to run

430
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Speaker 2: Derrick Henry in those situations. To me, it was some

431
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Speaker 2: of the early down running, getting out and running the

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Speaker 2: ball on first down to kind of establish it more

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Speaker 2: early in drives. I think also some of the short

434
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Speaker 2: yardage situations. You know, why is Justice Hill in the

435
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Speaker 2: game and not Derrick Henry And some of that is tendencies,

436
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Speaker 2: and the Ravens want to break tendencies, but it seems

437
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Speaker 2: like the tendency too often has been not having Derrick

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Speaker 2: Henry in the game in critical goal line in short

439
00:20:21,600 --> 00:20:25,399
Speaker 2: aired situations, and so the Ravens, the Ravens did not

440
00:20:25,480 --> 00:20:28,080
Speaker 2: play their game plan like they intended. Derick Henry had

441
00:20:28,400 --> 00:20:32,040
Speaker 2: only eight rushing attempts, which was the fewest that he's

442
00:20:32,080 --> 00:20:34,840
Speaker 2: had in a game as a Raven. Heage he was

443
00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:37,960
Speaker 2: averaging five point three eclip so he was running the ball.

444
00:20:38,160 --> 00:20:40,000
Speaker 2: The Ravens are actually running the ball pretty well.

445
00:20:40,119 --> 00:20:41,960
Speaker 3: They also got it to him on two screens, which

446
00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:44,600
Speaker 3: like typically hasn't been his game, but early on in

447
00:20:44,600 --> 00:20:46,800
Speaker 3: this one they got him two screen passes and then

448
00:20:46,840 --> 00:20:48,560
Speaker 3: there was a third one that almost.

449
00:20:48,280 --> 00:20:48,719
Speaker 4: Went to him.

450
00:20:48,720 --> 00:20:50,560
Speaker 3: As I mentioned that, they just got tipped at the

451
00:20:50,560 --> 00:20:52,520
Speaker 3: line and he might have been off to the races

452
00:20:52,520 --> 00:20:53,720
Speaker 3: if that one had been completed.

453
00:20:53,720 --> 00:20:56,240
Speaker 2: I mean, Derrick Henry's had thirty one carries over the

454
00:20:56,240 --> 00:20:59,800
Speaker 2: past three games. Yeah, we're talking about ten yard ten

455
00:21:00,040 --> 00:21:02,679
Speaker 2: areas a game. That's not enough for a player of

456
00:21:02,720 --> 00:21:07,679
Speaker 2: Derek Henry's caliber, and honestly part of part of the

457
00:21:07,760 --> 00:21:10,280
Speaker 2: Ravens when you step back and look at it holistically,

458
00:21:11,280 --> 00:21:14,080
Speaker 2: as good as the offense has been, and really up

459
00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:16,800
Speaker 2: until this week, it's it's been awesome, one of the

460
00:21:16,840 --> 00:21:19,320
Speaker 2: best of the week. They've almost kind of hurt themselves

461
00:21:19,359 --> 00:21:22,480
Speaker 2: because they've been scoring so fast. And John Harball did

462
00:21:22,520 --> 00:21:25,760
Speaker 2: talk about the need to just have more snaps offensively,

463
00:21:26,400 --> 00:21:28,600
Speaker 2: and that also will conversely help.

464
00:21:28,480 --> 00:21:31,080
Speaker 1: The defense, you know, keep the defense has.

465
00:21:30,960 --> 00:21:33,760
Speaker 2: Been playing a high number of snaps and that's not

466
00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:37,400
Speaker 2: I'm not using as just to excuse all the defense's problems,

467
00:21:37,400 --> 00:21:40,320
Speaker 2: because it's not. But it's been a contributing factor that

468
00:21:40,359 --> 00:21:43,000
Speaker 2: certainly hasn't helped the defense. And so I think in

469
00:21:43,080 --> 00:21:45,200
Speaker 2: some ways the Ravens have to get back a little

470
00:21:45,240 --> 00:21:47,879
Speaker 2: bit to their identity. Like you want to be explosive

471
00:21:47,880 --> 00:21:50,879
Speaker 2: as an offense, And Todd Mounkin got this question last week.

472
00:21:51,080 --> 00:21:53,280
Speaker 2: You know, do you sometimes not want to score as

473
00:21:53,280 --> 00:21:56,840
Speaker 2: fast or as sc scoring is scoring? And he said

474
00:21:57,200 --> 00:21:59,679
Speaker 2: it can go both ways. You have to have an

475
00:21:59,680 --> 00:22:02,520
Speaker 2: explo elements to your offense because you're not just gonna

476
00:22:02,560 --> 00:22:04,480
Speaker 2: march down the field every single drive and convert on

477
00:22:04,520 --> 00:22:07,640
Speaker 2: third down every single time. You know, He's like, you're

478
00:22:07,640 --> 00:22:10,240
Speaker 2: not gonna have many ninety yard drives. Lions had two.

479
00:22:10,119 --> 00:22:12,120
Speaker 1: Of them last week.

480
00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:16,400
Speaker 2: So like it's not impossible, yeah, and so, but like

481
00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:19,000
Speaker 2: you want to have an explosive element to your game,

482
00:22:19,160 --> 00:22:22,280
Speaker 2: you also sometimes want to play bully ball and control

483
00:22:22,680 --> 00:22:24,560
Speaker 2: time of possession a little bit more than what the

484
00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:27,400
Speaker 2: Ravens have done and established your identity as a team

485
00:22:27,400 --> 00:22:29,560
Speaker 2: that's gonna run it down your throat and Derek Henry's

486
00:22:29,560 --> 00:22:31,600
Speaker 2: gonna wear you out physically and all that stuff, and like,

487
00:22:32,160 --> 00:22:34,919
Speaker 2: quite frankly, the Ravens have had the terms dictated to

488
00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:37,800
Speaker 2: them the other offense is dictated terms to the Ravens

489
00:22:38,520 --> 00:22:40,119
Speaker 2: too much in these past two games.

490
00:22:40,359 --> 00:22:43,600
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's it's there's this like very very thin line

491
00:22:43,960 --> 00:22:46,840
Speaker 3: in this whole equation of like scoring too fast or

492
00:22:46,920 --> 00:22:50,840
Speaker 3: just wanting to control the clock and just playing your game.

493
00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:52,480
Speaker 3: Like the flip side of it is kind of what

494
00:22:52,520 --> 00:22:55,399
Speaker 3: happened in Buffalo where the Ravens feel like offensively they

495
00:22:55,400 --> 00:22:57,000
Speaker 3: took their foot off the gas to try to control

496
00:22:57,040 --> 00:22:57,879
Speaker 3: the clock late in that one.

497
00:22:57,880 --> 00:22:59,800
Speaker 4: Of course there was a late turnover in that.

498
00:22:59,720 --> 00:23:02,280
Speaker 3: Game, but like that's the flip side is you just say,

499
00:23:02,320 --> 00:23:03,920
Speaker 3: why did you change what you're doing? You were scoring

500
00:23:03,960 --> 00:23:05,560
Speaker 3: every single time you had the ball. Just keep the

501
00:23:05,560 --> 00:23:07,600
Speaker 3: foot on the gas and keep putting up points. And

502
00:23:07,640 --> 00:23:10,520
Speaker 3: I think that like that mentality is is good. And

503
00:23:10,520 --> 00:23:12,600
Speaker 3: that's like that's certainly the way Lamar Jackson thinks, Like

504
00:23:12,840 --> 00:23:14,800
Speaker 3: in his mind, we got to score a touchdown every

505
00:23:14,840 --> 00:23:16,840
Speaker 3: time we have the ball. He's not sitting there staying like,

506
00:23:16,840 --> 00:23:18,400
Speaker 3: all right, can we take six minutes off the clock?

507
00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:20,879
Speaker 3: Like he saying, no, let's go get points. And so

508
00:23:21,920 --> 00:23:24,840
Speaker 3: there's like it's it's a it's a tricky balance, and

509
00:23:24,920 --> 00:23:28,960
Speaker 3: I like I tend to lean more towards like just

510
00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:32,480
Speaker 3: score points. But I also think that you got to

511
00:23:32,560 --> 00:23:35,760
Speaker 3: have Henry as a featured piece of this offense.

512
00:23:35,760 --> 00:23:35,920
Speaker 1: Oh.

513
00:23:36,080 --> 00:23:39,120
Speaker 2: The fact is can you score points with establishing Derrick

514
00:23:39,160 --> 00:23:41,679
Speaker 2: Henry and slowing it down Ken The Ravens also score

515
00:23:41,680 --> 00:23:42,360
Speaker 2: points that way?

516
00:23:42,440 --> 00:23:44,560
Speaker 1: Yeah, and then that's the question. And they should be

517
00:23:44,560 --> 00:23:44,879
Speaker 1: able to.

518
00:23:45,280 --> 00:23:47,120
Speaker 3: They they certainly looked like they were. They were able

519
00:23:47,160 --> 00:23:49,560
Speaker 3: to against Buffalo when he had a monster game until

520
00:23:49,560 --> 00:23:51,840
Speaker 3: the late fumble, and it looked like that he was

521
00:23:51,840 --> 00:23:53,400
Speaker 3: going to be able to do that in this game.

522
00:23:53,440 --> 00:23:56,119
Speaker 3: I mean, he was picking up chunks early in this game,

523
00:23:56,400 --> 00:23:59,200
Speaker 3: and then things and then game situation in the second

524
00:23:59,240 --> 00:23:59,960
Speaker 3: half got away from that.

525
00:24:00,080 --> 00:24:01,560
Speaker 1: And I think the frustrating thing is too.

526
00:24:02,080 --> 00:24:04,160
Speaker 2: I mean, you go back to the AFC Championship game

527
00:24:04,160 --> 00:24:05,679
Speaker 2: here two years ago, and one of the there is

528
00:24:05,680 --> 00:24:07,880
Speaker 2: coming out of that game was you didn't establish the run.

529
00:24:07,880 --> 00:24:08,680
Speaker 1: You didn't run the ball.

530
00:24:08,760 --> 00:24:12,080
Speaker 4: Yeah, and like Derek Henry Weston on the team, then.

531
00:24:12,359 --> 00:24:15,480
Speaker 2: Right, that's correct, but yeah, still like you you want

532
00:24:15,480 --> 00:24:17,679
Speaker 2: to run the ball at the Chiefs some like that's

533
00:24:17,760 --> 00:24:19,399
Speaker 2: part of the formula, and the Ravens did not.

534
00:24:20,080 --> 00:24:21,360
Speaker 1: They just didn't do it.

535
00:24:21,520 --> 00:24:24,679
Speaker 2: And so and I think we can all sit step

536
00:24:24,760 --> 00:24:27,840
Speaker 2: back and say, thirty one carries for Derrick Henry over

537
00:24:27,840 --> 00:24:30,280
Speaker 2: the past three games, it's just not enough, like point

538
00:24:30,280 --> 00:24:35,280
Speaker 2: blank is just not enough. And so I think the Ravens,

539
00:24:35,960 --> 00:24:38,160
Speaker 2: I think that will change moving forward.

540
00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:40,000
Speaker 3: Well, let's talk about that. We're gonna take a quick

541
00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:41,800
Speaker 3: break and we come back. We'll dive into this game

542
00:24:41,840 --> 00:24:44,760
Speaker 3: against Houston and what the Ravens need to do in

543
00:24:44,840 --> 00:24:47,840
Speaker 3: order to get the win against the Texans. You're listening

544
00:24:47,880 --> 00:24:49,400
Speaker 3: to Lounge Podcast. We're coming to you from the Sea

545
00:24:49,440 --> 00:24:50,840
Speaker 3: Geek Studio. Want to give a shout out to our

546
00:24:50,840 --> 00:24:53,640
Speaker 3: friends at Draftking Sportsbook. They are an official sports betting

547
00:24:53,640 --> 00:24:56,320
Speaker 3: partner of the Baltimore Ravens Draftking sports Book. The Crown

548
00:24:56,560 --> 00:24:58,800
Speaker 3: is yours. So the Texans are coming to town this

549
00:24:58,840 --> 00:25:01,960
Speaker 3: week and a question for the Ravens is what will

550
00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:03,720
Speaker 3: they need to do to win this game? If Lamar

551
00:25:03,800 --> 00:25:06,760
Speaker 3: Jackson is sideline, according to Brian Wacker for the Baltimore Sun,

552
00:25:07,280 --> 00:25:10,280
Speaker 3: he's going to miss two to three weeks and is

553
00:25:10,640 --> 00:25:13,560
Speaker 3: not likely to play in this game against the Texans.

554
00:25:13,960 --> 00:25:16,879
Speaker 3: And so if that report is accurate and he is

555
00:25:17,240 --> 00:25:21,120
Speaker 3: he is sidelined in this game, that means it's it's

556
00:25:21,119 --> 00:25:25,040
Speaker 3: Cooper Rush time and how do the Ravens adjust in

557
00:25:25,080 --> 00:25:28,439
Speaker 3: that situation? So I think that that's the question for

558
00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:30,879
Speaker 3: this team as you look at it. What does this

559
00:25:30,960 --> 00:25:34,359
Speaker 3: offense look like if it's Cooper Rush at the helm

560
00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:36,560
Speaker 3: and and how does that change things? We just finished

561
00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:39,600
Speaker 3: talking about Derrick Henry and get more carries. I think

562
00:25:39,600 --> 00:25:41,159
Speaker 3: that's gonna be a big piec of the equation. But

563
00:25:41,200 --> 00:25:43,400
Speaker 3: how do you look at it if it is Rush

564
00:25:43,480 --> 00:25:43,919
Speaker 3: this week?

565
00:25:44,160 --> 00:25:45,920
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think that you lean more heavily on the

566
00:25:45,960 --> 00:25:46,480
Speaker 1: ground game.

567
00:25:46,600 --> 00:25:49,520
Speaker 2: That's the driver of this offense, and Cooper Rush has

568
00:25:49,600 --> 00:25:52,639
Speaker 2: to be a distributor of the football, which he is

569
00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:55,040
Speaker 2: very very capable of doing. Like that's what you want

570
00:25:55,080 --> 00:25:58,280
Speaker 2: from your backup quarterback. Operate the offense, keep it on time,

571
00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:02,520
Speaker 2: keep Cooper Rush out of you know, manageable downs and distances.

572
00:26:02,840 --> 00:26:06,440
Speaker 2: He needs to make quick, like sound decisions. Cooper Rush

573
00:26:06,520 --> 00:26:08,159
Speaker 2: is not going to be a guy who extends plays

574
00:26:08,160 --> 00:26:11,119
Speaker 2: like Lamar Jackson. It is going to look very different.

575
00:26:11,720 --> 00:26:14,679
Speaker 2: And but you need to give him quick options. I

576
00:26:14,680 --> 00:26:16,600
Speaker 2: think the Ravens wide receivers are going to have to

577
00:26:16,640 --> 00:26:20,840
Speaker 2: win outside quickly, give him those windows to throw. Cooper

578
00:26:20,920 --> 00:26:22,679
Speaker 2: Rush is gonna be tasked with doing that, Like you

579
00:26:22,720 --> 00:26:24,600
Speaker 2: got it's a drop back. Get the ball out of

580
00:26:24,600 --> 00:26:27,280
Speaker 2: your hands, distribute the ball to these playmakers. The Ravens

581
00:26:27,280 --> 00:26:30,280
Speaker 2: have plenty of offensive playmakers that are still healthy and

582
00:26:30,359 --> 00:26:33,920
Speaker 2: able to gash teams, say Flowers or Shot Bateman, Andre Hopkins.

583
00:26:34,200 --> 00:26:36,959
Speaker 2: You have Derrick Henry, you have the Mark Andrews. Isaiah

584
00:26:37,040 --> 00:26:38,640
Speaker 2: likely he's back on the field and I expect him

585
00:26:38,640 --> 00:26:41,080
Speaker 2: to be more involved as he gets back up to speed.

586
00:26:41,680 --> 00:26:46,280
Speaker 2: And so there's plenty of weapons around Cooper Rush, just

587
00:26:46,320 --> 00:26:48,880
Speaker 2: like there was a lot of weapons around Lamar Jackson,

588
00:26:49,240 --> 00:26:51,040
Speaker 2: and so he needs to get the ball in their hands.

589
00:26:51,520 --> 00:26:53,560
Speaker 3: One thing I'll say about Rush, and I don't think

590
00:26:53,560 --> 00:26:55,439
Speaker 3: he looked great coming into the game. It was not

591
00:26:55,480 --> 00:26:57,880
Speaker 3: like a great showing from him on Sunday.

592
00:26:57,960 --> 00:27:00,640
Speaker 2: I think it's different when you have always all week

593
00:27:00,640 --> 00:27:02,520
Speaker 2: to plan the offense around Cooper Russia.

594
00:27:03,560 --> 00:27:05,800
Speaker 3: Where you're stepping in for Lamar middle of a game

595
00:27:06,080 --> 00:27:09,600
Speaker 3: down big defense is already really banged up, like it's

596
00:27:09,680 --> 00:27:12,560
Speaker 3: kind of an impossible situation. It's like a pitcher getting

597
00:27:13,160 --> 00:27:15,080
Speaker 3: calling into the game with the bases loaded, like get

598
00:27:15,119 --> 00:27:18,320
Speaker 3: us out of this jam here. Tough situation and so

599
00:27:18,640 --> 00:27:22,080
Speaker 3: I think that if he knows going into this game,

600
00:27:22,119 --> 00:27:23,359
Speaker 3: he's going to be the guy that can build the

601
00:27:23,359 --> 00:27:25,280
Speaker 3: offense around him. They can have a clear game plan.

602
00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:28,640
Speaker 3: I think all of that is going to help him.

603
00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:31,359
Speaker 3: And I agree with you, like some of the miraculous

604
00:27:31,359 --> 00:27:33,639
Speaker 3: plays that Lamar makes, there's one guy on the planet

605
00:27:33,680 --> 00:27:35,639
Speaker 3: that can make this place and it's Lamar, and so

606
00:27:35,680 --> 00:27:39,040
Speaker 3: you're not going to see those plays. But this offense

607
00:27:39,280 --> 00:27:42,320
Speaker 3: can still operate at an efficient level lean on the

608
00:27:42,320 --> 00:27:45,159
Speaker 3: ground game, and I think that I think that's going

609
00:27:45,240 --> 00:27:48,040
Speaker 3: to be a huge piece of the recipe in this one.

610
00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:51,639
Speaker 3: And and look, it's not just going to be like

611
00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:54,320
Speaker 3: I don't want to act like it's just Derek Henry

612
00:27:54,320 --> 00:27:56,200
Speaker 3: that's going to be featured in this game. Like there's

613
00:27:56,200 --> 00:27:57,800
Speaker 3: a lot of weapons, as you mentioned, I think that

614
00:27:58,119 --> 00:27:59,920
Speaker 3: the rate the passing game can still be a really

615
00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:03,680
Speaker 3: iportant piece of it. And they're going to find ways

616
00:28:03,720 --> 00:28:05,040
Speaker 3: to get the ball in the hands of Zay and

617
00:28:05,080 --> 00:28:07,280
Speaker 3: Mark Andrews and Rashat Bateman and the guys in this

618
00:28:07,359 --> 00:28:10,359
Speaker 3: passing game. I think it just looks differently than it

619
00:28:10,400 --> 00:28:12,960
Speaker 3: does with Lamar Jackson because I guess I said.

620
00:28:12,760 --> 00:28:15,440
Speaker 4: There's one guy that can do what he does so.

621
00:28:16,080 --> 00:28:18,720
Speaker 1: And and like needs to play an efficient game.

622
00:28:18,840 --> 00:28:21,040
Speaker 3: Yeah, exactly efficient, don't turn the ball over, get rid

623
00:28:21,040 --> 00:28:23,719
Speaker 3: of the ball quickly, don't take bad sacks, just operate

624
00:28:23,760 --> 00:28:26,640
Speaker 3: the offense well exactly, Like that's what that's what you.

625
00:28:26,640 --> 00:28:29,679
Speaker 4: Want to see from him. And and then the like

626
00:28:29,760 --> 00:28:31,160
Speaker 4: this is like it's.

627
00:28:31,080 --> 00:28:33,240
Speaker 3: A complimentary football kind of game, Like you need to

628
00:28:33,240 --> 00:28:36,720
Speaker 3: play complimentary football, not don't put the defense in bad situations.

629
00:28:36,920 --> 00:28:41,240
Speaker 3: Defense needs The Texas offense has been far from explosive

630
00:28:41,720 --> 00:28:43,960
Speaker 3: this year, Like the defense needs to play well, which is,

631
00:28:44,120 --> 00:28:46,040
Speaker 3: as we already talked about, going to be challenging given

632
00:28:46,080 --> 00:28:48,520
Speaker 3: all the injuries that they're dealing with. But if you

633
00:28:48,600 --> 00:28:53,560
Speaker 3: can play complimentary football and distribute the football and be efficient,

634
00:28:53,640 --> 00:28:55,120
Speaker 3: then I think that that can go a long way

635
00:28:55,120 --> 00:28:56,520
Speaker 3: and helping you have success in this game.

636
00:28:56,720 --> 00:28:58,160
Speaker 1: Yep, totally agree with all that.

637
00:28:58,280 --> 00:29:00,440
Speaker 2: I think that, like I said at the beginning, this

638
00:29:00,480 --> 00:29:02,560
Speaker 2: is why you brought in Cooper Rush. Yeah, it's for

639
00:29:02,640 --> 00:29:06,600
Speaker 2: games like this. He needs to play kind of like

640
00:29:06,640 --> 00:29:09,200
Speaker 2: he did in the second preseason game, you know back

641
00:29:09,240 --> 00:29:13,280
Speaker 2: in Dallas, where he last played for the Cowboys, went

642
00:29:13,320 --> 00:29:15,880
Speaker 2: twenty of thirty, one hundred and ninety eight yards a touchdown.

643
00:29:16,640 --> 00:29:19,120
Speaker 2: You want to eliminate the two interceptions, but if I recall,

644
00:29:19,280 --> 00:29:24,280
Speaker 2: those weren't necessarily really on him. But you need to

645
00:29:24,320 --> 00:29:26,320
Speaker 2: minimize the stakes and play of fishing football.

646
00:29:26,400 --> 00:29:27,120
Speaker 1: That's the recipe.

647
00:29:27,240 --> 00:29:30,520
Speaker 3: Yeah, So as you extend this thing out beyond the

648
00:29:30,560 --> 00:29:33,120
Speaker 3: game against the Texans, you look at this season, as

649
00:29:33,160 --> 00:29:35,280
Speaker 3: we've talked about, there's a lot of a lot of

650
00:29:35,320 --> 00:29:37,600
Speaker 3: doom and gloom when you start the season one and three,

651
00:29:37,920 --> 00:29:41,040
Speaker 3: But when you look at the division, like look around

652
00:29:41,120 --> 00:29:43,240
Speaker 3: the AFC North, this thing is still very much up

653
00:29:43,320 --> 00:29:45,640
Speaker 3: for grabs. The Steelers are leading the way at three

654
00:29:45,680 --> 00:29:47,960
Speaker 3: and one. The Browns are also one in three. The

655
00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:50,360
Speaker 3: Bengals are two and two but have lost two lopside

656
00:29:50,400 --> 00:29:52,920
Speaker 3: A games since Joe Burrow went down with an injury

657
00:29:52,920 --> 00:29:55,000
Speaker 3: that could very well end up costing him the rest

658
00:29:55,040 --> 00:29:56,320
Speaker 3: of the season, the turf toe injury.

659
00:29:56,480 --> 00:29:56,680
Speaker 1: Yep.

660
00:29:56,840 --> 00:30:00,760
Speaker 3: So it looks like it's going to be between the

661
00:30:00,840 --> 00:30:03,280
Speaker 3: Ravens and the Steelers. Obviously, these two teams have not

662
00:30:03,360 --> 00:30:07,040
Speaker 3: played yet, which is going to probably decide this thing.

663
00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:11,760
Speaker 3: But I look at it and think that like this

664
00:30:11,840 --> 00:30:15,440
Speaker 3: division is by no means a done deal, and the

665
00:30:15,520 --> 00:30:19,440
Speaker 3: Ravens you're probably looking at like, I don't know, how

666
00:30:19,720 --> 00:30:21,440
Speaker 3: many wins do you need to win the division? Like

667
00:30:21,480 --> 00:30:24,240
Speaker 3: that's kind of a question. You need ten, you need eleven.

668
00:30:24,600 --> 00:30:25,959
Speaker 3: How many wins is it going to take to win

669
00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:26,720
Speaker 3: the AFC North.

670
00:30:27,440 --> 00:30:28,520
Speaker 1: That's a great question.

671
00:30:28,640 --> 00:30:32,880
Speaker 2: I mean, the Steelers, their schedule gets significantly more difficult

672
00:30:32,920 --> 00:30:36,880
Speaker 2: from here on out. They have the Browns, they still

673
00:30:36,880 --> 00:30:39,360
Speaker 2: have the Packers, the Colts are playing good football, the

674
00:30:39,440 --> 00:30:44,600
Speaker 2: Chargers on their schedule, the Bears, the Bills, the Lions.

675
00:30:45,240 --> 00:30:48,120
Speaker 2: You know, they have some tough some of these teams

676
00:30:48,120 --> 00:30:49,920
Speaker 2: that the Ravens already played, the Bills and the Lions

677
00:30:49,960 --> 00:30:50,680
Speaker 2: as an example.

678
00:30:50,800 --> 00:30:52,920
Speaker 4: Now right, they're going to get a crack at the Steelers.

679
00:30:53,120 --> 00:30:53,840
Speaker 1: Yeah, exactly.

680
00:30:53,880 --> 00:30:56,520
Speaker 2: I mean this is reminiscent of last last year, honestly,

681
00:30:56,560 --> 00:30:59,040
Speaker 2: where the Steelers race the front of the AFC North,

682
00:30:59,280 --> 00:31:02,320
Speaker 2: then they hit the They had a really tough second

683
00:31:02,360 --> 00:31:06,080
Speaker 2: half of their schedule and it kind of came crashing

684
00:31:06,120 --> 00:31:08,040
Speaker 2: down for the Steelers down the stretch. Last year, they

685
00:31:08,040 --> 00:31:10,040
Speaker 2: still made the playoffs, but they were a team that

686
00:31:10,160 --> 00:31:12,920
Speaker 2: was kind of reeling, and the Ravens slivered the knockout blow.

687
00:31:14,160 --> 00:31:16,160
Speaker 1: I hope that happens again. Yeah, no, I think.

688
00:31:16,080 --> 00:31:18,880
Speaker 2: That that's kind of how their schedule has been set

689
00:31:18,960 --> 00:31:21,720
Speaker 2: up this year. You look at the Steelers three wins.

690
00:31:22,240 --> 00:31:24,080
Speaker 2: They beat the Jets in Week one in the game

691
00:31:24,240 --> 00:31:27,520
Speaker 2: I watched that whole game. The Jets really controlled the

692
00:31:27,560 --> 00:31:30,840
Speaker 2: majority of that game. The winless Jets, by the way,

693
00:31:31,000 --> 00:31:36,240
Speaker 2: who they should have won that game. They got two

694
00:31:36,280 --> 00:31:40,560
Speaker 2: touchdown loss to the Seahawks. The Steelers had they the

695
00:31:40,720 --> 00:31:43,600
Speaker 2: defense got five turnovers and they eked one out twenty

696
00:31:43,600 --> 00:31:45,480
Speaker 2: one to fourteen over the Patriots on the road. It's

697
00:31:45,480 --> 00:31:47,320
Speaker 2: not a bad win. Actually, the Patriots are playing some

698
00:31:47,360 --> 00:31:51,880
Speaker 2: pretty decent ball. And then again it was anybody's game,

699
00:31:52,000 --> 00:31:55,520
Speaker 2: Viking Steelers down the stretch there. They hung on to

700
00:31:55,560 --> 00:31:57,240
Speaker 2: win twenty four to twenty one in Dublin.

701
00:31:57,600 --> 00:31:59,080
Speaker 4: But like Viking without the shot.

702
00:31:59,480 --> 00:32:02,200
Speaker 2: Here's the just everything about the Steelers so far this

703
00:32:02,280 --> 00:32:07,520
Speaker 2: year is is Steelers right. Like they're not playing flawless

704
00:32:07,560 --> 00:32:12,880
Speaker 2: ball offensively, you know, they're not like playing great. I

705
00:32:12,920 --> 00:32:15,560
Speaker 2: think Aaron Rodgers has given them a different element certainly

706
00:32:15,560 --> 00:32:18,920
Speaker 2: than they had last year. And they Dk Metcalf just

707
00:32:18,920 --> 00:32:21,920
Speaker 2: scored an eighty yard touchdown like they have some again,

708
00:32:22,160 --> 00:32:24,000
Speaker 2: just like George Pickens was before them, they have big

709
00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:27,280
Speaker 2: play potential on the outside. They have a quarterback who

710
00:32:27,280 --> 00:32:29,520
Speaker 2: can go deep, like Aaron Rodgers is probably playing at

711
00:32:29,520 --> 00:32:31,960
Speaker 2: a more efficient level than what they were getting at

712
00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:33,800
Speaker 2: the quarterback position last year.

713
00:32:34,160 --> 00:32:36,480
Speaker 1: But you know, they're the Steelers.

714
00:32:36,520 --> 00:32:38,720
Speaker 2: Like their defense was giving up a bunch of yards

715
00:32:38,760 --> 00:32:40,880
Speaker 2: the first three weeks, but they're getting a bunch of

716
00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:44,760
Speaker 2: takeaways like they are. The Steelers are winning games that

717
00:32:44,800 --> 00:32:48,280
Speaker 2: they probably should lose, and and the Ravens are losing

718
00:32:48,440 --> 00:32:52,840
Speaker 2: some games, at least the Buffalo game and to some

719
00:32:52,920 --> 00:32:55,720
Speaker 2: degree the Detroit game that they could have won. And

720
00:32:55,880 --> 00:33:00,320
Speaker 2: like this is what the Steelers do. And and you know,

721
00:33:00,360 --> 00:33:03,040
Speaker 2: I wish that they're the Ravens defense. Like that's the

722
00:33:03,080 --> 00:33:05,720
Speaker 2: difference between the Ravens defense and the Steelers. To some degree,

723
00:33:05,760 --> 00:33:08,840
Speaker 2: it's just been the takeaways. Steelers defense is given up yards,

724
00:33:09,240 --> 00:33:11,600
Speaker 2: but they make these splash plays, they get these takeaways,

725
00:33:11,640 --> 00:33:14,400
Speaker 2: they get sacks, they play make plays in critical situations,

726
00:33:14,400 --> 00:33:17,040
Speaker 2: and the Ravens aren't making those plays in critical situations,

727
00:33:17,200 --> 00:33:18,280
Speaker 2: especially defensively.

728
00:33:18,640 --> 00:33:20,120
Speaker 3: You know, how many times do we said all that,

729
00:33:20,160 --> 00:33:22,760
Speaker 3: I mean that we it's a ristive repeat exactly description.

730
00:33:23,480 --> 00:33:25,240
Speaker 1: You've seen this time and time again.

731
00:33:25,320 --> 00:33:27,840
Speaker 3: They're an offense that's not gonna put up forty points

732
00:33:27,920 --> 00:33:30,719
Speaker 3: very often, but they're a very good defense or an

733
00:33:30,720 --> 00:33:31,800
Speaker 3: opportunistic defense.

734
00:33:31,840 --> 00:33:33,120
Speaker 4: And they're that's a key word.

735
00:33:33,160 --> 00:33:35,640
Speaker 2: I think, like it's not necessarily yardage, like teams are

736
00:33:35,720 --> 00:33:38,360
Speaker 2: kind of chunking them on the yardage, but like they're

737
00:33:38,400 --> 00:33:41,479
Speaker 2: getting splash plays, especially late in games when they need them.

738
00:33:41,600 --> 00:33:43,600
Speaker 1: Yeah, and that makes a huge difference.

739
00:33:43,640 --> 00:33:45,920
Speaker 2: Like you're a way better defense if you get five

740
00:33:45,960 --> 00:33:47,000
Speaker 2: takeaways if you come on.

741
00:33:47,120 --> 00:33:49,280
Speaker 3: They're also just they're a well coached team that like

742
00:33:49,480 --> 00:33:51,200
Speaker 3: seems to rise to the occasion in a lot of

743
00:33:51,240 --> 00:33:55,080
Speaker 3: like tough, tough games and and they're gonna play hard

744
00:33:55,280 --> 00:33:57,880
Speaker 3: like and so like that's that's who the Steelers are.

745
00:33:57,920 --> 00:33:59,960
Speaker 3: And you know that, like whether Ravens play them this year,

746
00:34:00,080 --> 00:34:02,120
Speaker 3: they're probably gonna be two dog fights and that's the

747
00:34:02,160 --> 00:34:04,640
Speaker 3: most likely scenario when these two teams match up, and

748
00:34:04,680 --> 00:34:06,520
Speaker 3: it's going to be a matter and those two games

749
00:34:06,520 --> 00:34:10,000
Speaker 3: are probably going to decide the division. But before like

750
00:34:10,360 --> 00:34:12,440
Speaker 3: so I think the division is very much up for grabs.

751
00:34:12,680 --> 00:34:15,600
Speaker 3: But as we keep saying, like before we're even talking

752
00:34:15,600 --> 00:34:18,719
Speaker 3: about like that point win in the division of the

753
00:34:18,719 --> 00:34:21,120
Speaker 3: playoff race, the Ravens. Just like they got a bunch

754
00:34:21,120 --> 00:34:23,719
Speaker 3: of games before they even play the Steelers, and they

755
00:34:23,760 --> 00:34:25,680
Speaker 3: need to they need to start picking up some wins

756
00:34:25,719 --> 00:34:27,759
Speaker 3: if they're going to have those games against Steelers late

757
00:34:27,760 --> 00:34:29,839
Speaker 3: in the season. Really mean something like, you gotta win

758
00:34:29,880 --> 00:34:34,080
Speaker 3: games now in order for these games in December to

759
00:34:34,160 --> 00:34:35,600
Speaker 3: be for the division title.

760
00:34:35,680 --> 00:34:38,239
Speaker 2: The Ravens don't play the Steelers until December, right, So like,

761
00:34:38,239 --> 00:34:39,920
Speaker 2: if you want to number seven games the.

762
00:34:39,760 --> 00:34:43,120
Speaker 3: Matter to the highest level, which I think that they will, like,

763
00:34:43,200 --> 00:34:45,200
Speaker 3: you need to win the games between now and then.

764
00:34:45,560 --> 00:34:46,520
Speaker 1: The Ravens need to.

765
00:34:48,040 --> 00:34:50,240
Speaker 2: They need to win here in these next two games

766
00:34:50,680 --> 00:34:52,800
Speaker 2: before they go into buy They need to get healthy.

767
00:34:53,040 --> 00:34:55,080
Speaker 1: They need to come out of the by smoking.

768
00:34:55,320 --> 00:34:58,360
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean they need to come out hot because

769
00:34:58,400 --> 00:35:00,560
Speaker 2: you have you have to go on a run. Frankly,

770
00:35:01,040 --> 00:35:05,920
Speaker 2: you come out against Bears, Dolphins, Vikings, Browns, Jets, Bengals,

771
00:35:06,120 --> 00:35:08,799
Speaker 2: and then you get into the Steelers December schedule. Like

772
00:35:09,200 --> 00:35:12,520
Speaker 2: you've got to come out in those six games after

773
00:35:12,560 --> 00:35:16,120
Speaker 2: the buye smoking hot before you face the Steelers.

774
00:35:16,000 --> 00:35:18,600
Speaker 1: Right, That's what it is. Yeah, And so like part

775
00:35:18,600 --> 00:35:20,280
Speaker 1: of that is you have to get healthier.

776
00:35:20,320 --> 00:35:22,000
Speaker 2: That's a big part of the equation, as we've said,

777
00:35:22,600 --> 00:35:24,319
Speaker 2: and the other part is you got to you have

778
00:35:24,360 --> 00:35:26,920
Speaker 2: to get better. You just have to iron out some

779
00:35:26,960 --> 00:35:28,120
Speaker 2: of these problems and get better.

780
00:35:28,440 --> 00:35:28,680
Speaker 4: Yeah.

781
00:35:28,719 --> 00:35:30,680
Speaker 3: So we do get some emails here from fans, and

782
00:35:30,719 --> 00:35:32,360
Speaker 3: this is one of the questions that we're speaking to.

783
00:35:32,920 --> 00:35:35,040
Speaker 3: This comes to us from Deirdre Rouge, who said, like

784
00:35:35,080 --> 00:35:38,359
Speaker 3: many Ravens fans, today was a tough morning after our

785
00:35:38,480 --> 00:35:41,040
Speaker 3: loss took one for the team. I wore all black today,

786
00:35:42,719 --> 00:35:46,320
Speaker 3: wrote that she goes to college in Cincinnati Bengals territory.

787
00:35:46,719 --> 00:35:48,080
Speaker 3: I feel the need to make it known that I'm

788
00:35:48,080 --> 00:35:51,080
Speaker 3: a rave supporter through and through, but right now is

789
00:35:51,120 --> 00:35:53,759
Speaker 3: a time for loss. All the articles I'm reading about

790
00:35:53,840 --> 00:35:56,359
Speaker 3: injuries and the team's trajectory and the panic button all

791
00:35:56,360 --> 00:35:59,200
Speaker 3: that stuff are difficult to read. Can you please provide

792
00:35:59,239 --> 00:36:01,320
Speaker 3: the loyal listeners of examples of teams that have started

793
00:36:01,320 --> 00:36:03,920
Speaker 3: one to three and went on to make the playoffs?

794
00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:07,319
Speaker 3: And speaking for all Flock fans, we are desperately in

795
00:36:07,400 --> 00:36:08,600
Speaker 3: need of some hope.

796
00:36:08,719 --> 00:36:10,680
Speaker 4: So what do you got? Give me the history lesson here?

797
00:36:11,200 --> 00:36:13,480
Speaker 2: Well, the last time the Ravens started one to three

798
00:36:13,560 --> 00:36:15,240
Speaker 2: was twenty fifteen and they did not make the playoffs.

799
00:36:15,280 --> 00:36:20,600
Speaker 1: That's the bad use. But it's certainly not unprecedented. That's

800
00:36:20,600 --> 00:36:21,320
Speaker 1: a double negative.

801
00:36:21,360 --> 00:36:25,879
Speaker 2: It's certainly there's precedent for the Ravens having struggles and

802
00:36:25,960 --> 00:36:28,560
Speaker 2: coming out the other side and having a very successful season.

803
00:36:28,760 --> 00:36:31,960
Speaker 2: I mean, you point to just both Super Bowl years,

804
00:36:32,280 --> 00:36:35,720
Speaker 2: the years that the Ravens won it. Back in two thousand,

805
00:36:36,520 --> 00:36:40,920
Speaker 2: they went a month without scoring a touchdown. Right now,

806
00:36:41,440 --> 00:36:44,839
Speaker 2: they had arguably the best defense in NFL history that year.

807
00:36:44,960 --> 00:36:47,280
Speaker 2: So you know, I don't think that that's the situation

808
00:36:47,320 --> 00:36:50,640
Speaker 2: necessarily we're looking at. But like you talk about adversity, yeah,

809
00:36:50,760 --> 00:36:54,480
Speaker 2: I mean, flip it. The Ravens offense, once Lamar Jackson

810
00:36:54,560 --> 00:36:58,360
Speaker 2: is back on the field, it's gonna put up points.

811
00:36:58,480 --> 00:37:01,279
Speaker 2: Like so, like it's kind of the inverse. If the

812
00:37:01,360 --> 00:37:03,960
Speaker 2: Ravens defense can start playing to an adequate level like

813
00:37:04,040 --> 00:37:06,840
Speaker 2: the Ravens offense did in two thousand, this offense is

814
00:37:06,880 --> 00:37:11,120
Speaker 2: good enough to carry this team really far with Lamar Jackson.

815
00:37:12,400 --> 00:37:15,719
Speaker 2: So in two thousand faced a lot of a lot

816
00:37:15,760 --> 00:37:18,920
Speaker 2: of issues. In twenty twelve, the Ravens fired the offensive

817
00:37:18,920 --> 00:37:21,879
Speaker 2: coordinator midway through the season. It was getting so rough

818
00:37:22,120 --> 00:37:24,160
Speaker 2: and they did not have a lights out defense that

819
00:37:24,239 --> 00:37:27,000
Speaker 2: year either, I mean it rose the occasion on the

820
00:37:27,000 --> 00:37:29,080
Speaker 2: goal line in the Super Bowl, so it was certainly

821
00:37:29,080 --> 00:37:32,000
Speaker 2: good enough. But Joe Flacco got hot at the right time.

822
00:37:32,080 --> 00:37:38,200
Speaker 2: Like that team went through some major dips as well, and.

823
00:37:38,400 --> 00:37:40,480
Speaker 3: That team lost four out of its last five games

824
00:37:40,520 --> 00:37:44,040
Speaker 3: going into the playoffs, and so like you feel like

825
00:37:44,280 --> 00:37:47,120
Speaker 3: you limp into the playoffs that season and then they

826
00:37:47,160 --> 00:37:48,680
Speaker 3: all of a sudden got hot at the right time.

827
00:37:49,640 --> 00:37:54,080
Speaker 2: So there's certainly precedent here where the Ravens can go

828
00:37:54,120 --> 00:37:58,000
Speaker 2: through a rough patch. I mean this rough patch right now.

829
00:37:58,400 --> 00:38:00,759
Speaker 2: I know the injuries. It's two games in a row

830
00:38:00,800 --> 00:38:02,719
Speaker 2: that we've lost. Let's not like act like we've lost

831
00:38:02,760 --> 00:38:05,360
Speaker 2: four out of the last five. Yeah, right, two games

832
00:38:05,360 --> 00:38:05,839
Speaker 2: in a row.

833
00:38:06,239 --> 00:38:07,480
Speaker 1: And I get it.

834
00:38:07,480 --> 00:38:10,160
Speaker 2: It's disheartening losses, and especially when you pile up the

835
00:38:10,200 --> 00:38:14,800
Speaker 2: injuries as they as they have as has happened, it's dark.

836
00:38:15,120 --> 00:38:18,640
Speaker 2: But the Ravens have plenty of time to pull out

837
00:38:18,640 --> 00:38:21,680
Speaker 2: of this. I still think they have a very talented roster.

838
00:38:22,360 --> 00:38:25,279
Speaker 2: I mean even look, look, the Ravens.

839
00:38:25,080 --> 00:38:27,600
Speaker 3: Last year started the season oh and two. They still

840
00:38:27,640 --> 00:38:30,239
Speaker 3: want a division. In twenty nineteen, they started the season

841
00:38:30,280 --> 00:38:33,799
Speaker 3: two and two, then rattled off twelve straight wins that year.

842
00:38:33,880 --> 00:38:37,279
Speaker 3: Like there have been examples of this team starting slow

843
00:38:37,280 --> 00:38:39,600
Speaker 3: out of the gate and then getting on the right track.

844
00:38:39,920 --> 00:38:43,239
Speaker 3: That is not at all outside the realm of possibility.

845
00:38:43,320 --> 00:38:45,520
Speaker 1: And they just went through the toughest part of their schedule,

846
00:38:45,520 --> 00:38:46,120
Speaker 1: by the way.

847
00:38:46,160 --> 00:38:48,359
Speaker 4: Yeah they did this. We all said it. We all

848
00:38:48,360 --> 00:38:49,319
Speaker 4: said it when the schedule came out.

849
00:38:49,320 --> 00:38:49,879
Speaker 1: Who that's tough.

850
00:38:49,880 --> 00:38:52,319
Speaker 4: The way to start things that is, that is difficult.

851
00:38:51,840 --> 00:38:53,839
Speaker 2: If you came out of that at two and two,

852
00:38:53,880 --> 00:38:56,719
Speaker 2: you'd be like, not great, but okay, understandable. Coming out

853
00:38:56,719 --> 00:38:59,120
Speaker 2: of that stretch of the schedule. You're one game off

854
00:38:59,120 --> 00:39:01,279
Speaker 2: that pace. So now you know what you have to do.

855
00:39:01,320 --> 00:39:03,000
Speaker 2: You have to win one game that maybe you weren't

856
00:39:03,040 --> 00:39:05,040
Speaker 2: supposed to win, right, Okay, maybe maybe you got to

857
00:39:05,040 --> 00:39:08,520
Speaker 2: go to Green Bay and beat them right in late December.

858
00:39:08,040 --> 00:39:10,600
Speaker 1: In the froze, and right you have.

859
00:39:10,719 --> 00:39:13,080
Speaker 2: Maybe you got to sweep the Steelers. You can't, maybe

860
00:39:13,080 --> 00:39:14,799
Speaker 2: you don't. You can't split with them this year. You

861
00:39:14,840 --> 00:39:17,120
Speaker 2: got to sweep them, right, So, like, that's.

862
00:39:17,040 --> 00:39:19,200
Speaker 1: That's what it takes. Is that possible? It can't, It's

863
00:39:19,239 --> 00:39:20,200
Speaker 1: possible totally.

864
00:39:20,440 --> 00:39:23,719
Speaker 3: There's been thirty five teams since nineteen ninety that have

865
00:39:23,760 --> 00:39:25,319
Speaker 3: started one to three and still gone on to make

866
00:39:25,320 --> 00:39:28,680
Speaker 3: the playoffs. So it's not like it's a ton over

867
00:39:28,719 --> 00:39:32,799
Speaker 3: that stretch of time, but like it is certainly within

868
00:39:32,840 --> 00:39:36,160
Speaker 3: the rama possibility, and I think the Ravens have the

869
00:39:36,200 --> 00:39:38,120
Speaker 3: pieces and what it takes in order to do that.

870
00:39:38,239 --> 00:39:40,320
Speaker 2: A bunch of those teams probably were not as talented

871
00:39:40,360 --> 00:39:42,520
Speaker 2: as this Ravens team is, even given the injuries.

872
00:39:42,560 --> 00:39:44,880
Speaker 3: Like everything that we said coming into the season, I

873
00:39:44,920 --> 00:39:48,800
Speaker 3: still think holds true, and like I know, it doesn't

874
00:39:48,840 --> 00:39:51,280
Speaker 3: necessarily feel like that when you come off two straight

875
00:39:51,320 --> 00:39:54,080
Speaker 3: losses in the manner which they happened. But this team

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00:39:54,120 --> 00:39:55,879
Speaker 3: still has a ton of talent and they can still

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00:39:55,880 --> 00:39:56,560
Speaker 3: turn this round.

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00:39:56,680 --> 00:39:56,919
Speaker 1: Yep.

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00:39:57,239 --> 00:39:59,600
Speaker 3: So that is what I know Ravens fans is gonna

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00:39:59,600 --> 00:40:00,440
Speaker 3: be rooting for for this game.

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Speaker 1: Sunday speech.

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00:40:01,360 --> 00:40:04,200
Speaker 2: There we go much better than I did even when

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00:40:04,200 --> 00:40:05,440
Speaker 2: we started recording this podcast.

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00:40:05,520 --> 00:40:06,879
Speaker 3: Like I said, feel better after to watch the film,

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00:40:06,880 --> 00:40:07,960
Speaker 3: feel better after the podcast.

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Speaker 1: Right.

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Speaker 3: So as always, you can email us at the lounge

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00:40:10,120 --> 00:40:12,799
Speaker 3: at Ravens dot NFL dot net. Thank you so much

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00:40:13,040 --> 00:40:15,000
Speaker 3: for listening and we will talk with you again soon