MNF Raiders preview: Ravens without Peters and multiple RBs

Ahead of their fight against the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football, the Baltimore Ravens were bitten by the injury bug and were bitten hard.

Go back on August 28, starting running back JK Dobbins tore his ACL in the team’s last preseason game. Then four days later his colleague rusher Justice Hill tore up an Achilles, and yesterday running back Gus Edwards and cornerback Marcus Peters fell with what is feared to be a ripped ACL, by NFL Network Ian Rapoport.

So that means Baltimore is heading to Las Vegas on a starting turn and a running back, replacing said running back and replacing replacing said running back.

Of course, the health of these players is the main concern here, as injuries are always terrible to hear no matter which team the player is playing for. But from the Raiders’ point of view, the natural and fair questions to ask are: who is left for the Ravens and how do those losses affect their game plan?

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We’re going to start by diving into probably the biggest and biggest loss in the bunch, and that’s Peters. Baltimore is known for having one of the best side players in the league and that’s a big reason why.

Now the Ravens still have Marlon Humphrey as their “CB1,” who is one of the best players in the NFL in this role, but they lack depth at the cornerback.

Tavon Young will likely replace Peters. Young has shown promise in the past, ending the 2016 season with two steals, six assists, a 95.1 passer rating when targeted and a PFF cover rating of 75.2. However, those numbers weren’t quite as pretty in 2018, Young’s final full season, as he compiled one pick, four SEBs, a 100.4 passer rating and a 62.6 rating.

What about 2017, 2019 and 2020? Well, he tore an ACL and missed the whole of 2017, suffered a neck injury in 2019 that sidelined him for the season, and tore another ACL just 39 shots in the 2020 campaign. So the six-year veteran hasn’t really played for about two years.

Through OurLads.com, Young would be the Ravens’ starting corner even if Peters were healthy, so whether they move first to the outside or not, Baltimore will have to go down in their depth chart for another corner.

Serial number: X162345 TK1

Jimmy Smith is the most recognizable option as he’s been around since 2011. However, at 33, he’s no longer the player he used to be and is coming out of an injury, and on Tuesday Kevin Oestreicher from Thread of the crows suggested Smith might not be ready to play on Monday. Certainly, Peters’ fall yesterday could speed up Smith’s schedule.

The other thing to consider is when I spoke to Baltimore Beatdown’s Spencer Schultz to preview Monday night’s game, Schultz mentioned that Smith could be the Ravens’ best option to take on Darren Waller. So that could throw a wrench in defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale’s game plan if the veteran corner is to play wide.

If Martindale wants to keep Young inside and rest Smith or match him up with Waller, his next option would be to turn to Anthony Averett.

The four-year-old pro has primarily been a backup throughout his career, but he started in Weeks 15-17 of the regular season and in the Wild Card game last season. He played well down the home stretch, allowing just 95 yards and a 98.9 passer coverage rating while racking up four breakouts.

It’s also worth noting that Averett was much better in area coverage than man – a coverage rating of 69.3 to 49.5 – and that also matches Humphrey’s strength. So Martindale’s play appeal might not have to change too much with the Alabama product in the game rather than Peters. But, I would expect to see a lot less of the Ravens’ blitz, given the tight deadline for the game plan and adjusting to being shorthanded in high school.

While it won’t impact the game, I feel compelled to mention that Baltimore traded rookie cornerback Shaun Wade to the Patriots two weeks ago for a fifth and seventh round pick. It’s a move I bet they regret now.

To recover

When Dobbins fell a few weeks ago, there was no doubt it was a loss for Baltimore. He’s a promising player who can affect passing play as well as rushing attacking, but it was far from the end of the world for them.

Photo by Patrick Smith / Getty Images

Edwards is able to take on a full workload and was probably going to be a big factor in their attack anyway. However, with him gone and third wire Hill also on the set, head coach John Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman can now start to panic.

Baltimore now has two running backs on the active roster, Ty’Son Williams and Trenton Cannon. If you are wondering, who? Don’t worry, me too.

Williams is an undrafted free agent in 2020 who has yet to see regular season action – something tells me that will change soon – but put on an impressive preseason last month. He had 24 carries for 130 yards – 5.4 yards per attempt – one touchdown and an impressive 3.42 yards after contact per attempt. He also caught all eight targets thrown in his way and tacked 37 yards as a receiver.

As for Cannon, he’s been primarily a special team member throughout his career, having only touched the ball 68 times for 306 yards in three years. So I wouldn’t expect him to have a lot of playing time on Monday, whatever the circumstances, and especially since the Ravens have a few notable full-backs on the practice squad …

Baltimore signed Le’Veon Bell to the practice squad on Tuesday, and after Edwards fell, the organization added Devonta Freeman to the mixture too.

Before the wounds of yesterday, ESPN Jamison Hensley tweeted that Harbaugh thinks there’s a chance Bell will be activated for Monday night, so I’m going to take a risk and say he will now, and Adam schefter said the plan for Freeman is to be promoted as well.

With both players’ bounties behind them, the Ravens really don’t have much of a choice but to at least dress them both. I would expect Bell to get more action since he’s in the building a bit longer – two days – and brings more to the table as a receiver. Plus, Freeman has a similar profile to Williams, so I don’t think the veteran brings anything much different from what the team already have, other than experience.

However, I would expect Baltimore to deploy some sort of rotation with Bell, Freeman and Williams, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the latter ended up leading the group in touch.

Also, the obvious here is to expect Roman to dial in a few more passes, which could help the Las Vegas defense, especially linebackers and safeties. Instead of having to worry about playing the run first and getting beaten from the top with the playing action, the Silver and Black defenders can play from the back and just try to contain Lamar Jackson.

Of course, this last part is easier said than done.