It's midseason, and it's at this point when the good teams start separating themselves from the bad ones. The Ravens are in no-man's land. They aren't good. They aren't bad. They're average, and no one can tell where they're heading.
It's still too early to write the Ravens (4-4) off as a playoff team with eight games remaining. It's an uphill challenge, but the NFL is unpredictable.
Unfortunately, what we've seen with the Ravens is something we're going to see the rest of the season. If they somehow make it into the postseason, it will likely be a one-and-done venture.
It's no longer a debate about the talent of defensive coordinator Greg Mattison. The Ravens can't cover because they lack several good players in the secondary, and even when they blitz they can't get pressure on the quarterback.
Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has had a good season, but he is not at the point in his young career at which he can carry an offense, nor does he have the receivers to win shootouts.
In a way, the Ravens have become predictable. They'll lose against any team that has a good quarterback and offense, and they'll stay with most teams that don't.
With that said, it's still hard to figure out whether they will make the playoffs, so at least the season is still interesting, despite Cincinnati's smack-down of the Ravens on Sunday.
Reed injury?
During the offseason, the Ravens and Pro Bowl safety Ed Reed have to make some decisions. It's apparent that Reed is bothered by a neck, shoulder or arm injury. He missed at least four tackles Sunday against the Bengals.
There might be some type of surgery needed to correct the problem, but the Ravens can't keep playing with a one-armed free safety. You feel sorry for Reed because he has always played so hard for so long.
Up to his old tricks
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis always makes it look easy to shut down the Ravens' offense.
First, he eliminates wide receiver Derrick Mason as a weapon by turning the coverage toward him. Then, he eliminates those comeback and slant-in routes that the Ravens like to run.
The Bengals have a great tandem in starting cornerbacks Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall, and they held the Ravens' three top receivers to five catches.
You didn't even know Kelley Washington was in the game until the second half.
Look at the tape
