Ravens' Slow Start Is By No Means A Death Sentence
By Samuel Njoku
The Ravens enter Week 3 in serious need of a win. They'll return home to M&T Bank Stadium in hopes of getting their campaign back on the right track. In order to accomplish this feat, they'll need to take down their division foes in the Cincinnati Bengals.
Overreaction to Ravens 0-2 start
By now everyone has heard of the dreaded 0-2 curse in the NFL. It's widely assumed that if you lose your first two games, your chances of entering the postseason are slim to none. In fact, according to ESPN, only 23 teams have made the postseason following such a start since 1990. The reality of the situation is not as gloomy as one would assume. For starters, the Colts started the year 0-2 and made it to the AFC Championship before falling to the eventual Super Bowl Champions.
Further more, most of the teams that start 0-2 are not very good football teams. The Ravens aren't in that category. They have a high-caliber quarterback and a team around them that has proven they can get the job done. Baltimore needs a win under their belt soon, but the slow start isn't a death sentence by any means.
Ravens Trade For CB Will Davis from Dolphins
The Ravens did a poor job of building off of their strong defensive performance against the Denver Broncos when they gave up a staggering 37 points to the Oakland Raiders last Sunday. Baltimore's front office didn't like what they saw from the secondary and took necessary action by acquiring Will Davis from Miami in exchange for a 7th round pick. Davis is a third year NFL veteran who was selected by Miami in the third round of the 2013 draft and has registered 20 tackles and 3 passes defensed during that time period.
The move comes at a time when the Ravens are a bit banged up in the secondary with Rashaan Melvin recovering from a thigh injury and Lardarius Webb leaving last Sunday's game briefly in the second quarter with an injury of his own. Baltimore now has plenty of options to turn to as they look to turn the corner on what has been a disappointing first couple of games.
C.J. Mosley next man up to lead defense?
It's probably not a coincidence that the Ravens defense struggled mightily a week after Terrell Suggs tore his Achilles tendon and effectively ended his season. But his loss on the field from a leadership standpoint can't be overstated. Often times that leadership is sought from the most talented players on the field. C.J. Mosley fits the bill, as he is widely considered to be one of the better inside linebackers in the NFL. When asked about his role in that standpoint, Mosley made it clear what type of leader he plans to be.
"I've always been a leader by example," stated Mosley. "As long as you keep doing the right thing, the young guys on the defense, they all look up to you and kind of see what I need to do be doing or what they need to be doing or follow those footsteps so they can be on the field making plays and helping the defense out."
With players following in Mosley's footsteps, the defense will be just fine moving forward.
Samuel Njoku was born and raised in Baltimore, MD and is a graduate of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Samuel has covered the Ravens for Examiner.com since 2010. Prior to 2010, Samuel was an avid blogger and radio personality in Salisbury, MD. Samuel Njoku is a freelance writer covering all things NFL. His work can be found on Examiner.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @Ravens_Examiner.
