NFL Playoff Picture 2019 Why the red-hot

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These past two weeks have confirmed what many already knew. The are the best team in the AFC. This isn't your typical flash in the pan we see from certain teams every year. The Ravens are ready to make a run this season, and are built to be even better in the future. has slowly established himself as the MVP frontrunner. He's had some incredible performances this season, like against the in Week 10, when he joined and Joe Montana as the only players in the Super Bowl era to record at least three pa sing touchdowns, at least one rushing touchdown and a perfect pa ser rating in a single game with at least 15 completions, . His five-touchdown game against the took him to another level, however, and six days later, the Ravens faced off against the in a potential Super Bowl preview. This had potential to be a trap game for the high-flying Ravens, especially with it being on a short week in a driving rainstorm, but the Ravens gutted out a 20-17 win to move to 10-2.So, the Ravens beat the 10-2 49ers, they beat the 10 Los Angeles Clippers Hoodie -2 by double digits out west, they blew out the defending NFC Champions on a national stage and beat the defending Super Bowl champion in Week 9. The Ravens currently because of that win. I know that I'm when it comes to my colleague Tyler Sullivan, but I believe that this Ravens team presents more of a threat to make the Super Bowl than the Patriots.Let's start with the engine that makes the Ravens go: Lamar Jackson. After he was given the reigns to the offense following injury last year, it quickly became clear that he had a future as a starting quarterback in the . Jackson won his first three starts and remained the starting quarterback once Flacco was healthy enough to return. The Ravens finished 10-6, and earned their first AFC North title since 2012. There was a moment where Jackson came back to earth, however. The rookie struggled mightily against the in the playoffs last season. The Chargers defense took away the run game, and Jackson struggled to keep the offense afloat with just his arm. The Ravens were shut out in the first half, and Jackson was actually booed by his home fans. The Ravens did mount a comeback in the final quarter, but eventually lost, 23-17. Baltimore recorded just 229 yards of total offense and turned the ball over three times. It was a very anticlimactic end to the year for a quarterback who won six of his first seven regular-season starts, and it was clear that he would have work on his accuracy in the offseason. He not only did that, but head coach John Harbaugh tailored the entire offense Johnathan Motley Jersey around him.This season through 12 games, Jackson has completed 66.5% of his pa ses for 2,532 yards, 25 touchdowns and five interceptions. That's fewer interceptions thrown than , , and . When I spoke to Ravens tight end earlier this year, he said that . It's clear that he has improved as a pa ser, which has taken this team to another level. Jackson has also rushed for 977 yards and seven touchdowns, and appears to have fixed his fumbling problem. Last year, he fumbled 12 times and lost four, and this year, he has fumbled just six times and lost only one.Jackson's ability to run is Baltimore's greatest strength on offense. RPOs are more dangerous, read options are more dangerous and play-action plays are more dangerous. There seems to be this underlying question about Jackson's durability, but I'd argue that he has already proven that his body can take the rigors many others could not. Jackson knows when to dip out of bounds and knows when to seek contact -- it's somehow worked for him. He just looks different than someone like , who by the way backs him up and is in his ear about what he should try to do and what situations to avoid. Just watching the Ravens offense, it's hard to argue that they do not look like one of the best in the league, and the stats back it up. The Ravens know how to keep drives alive, converting on 69 of 141 third downs. That's a 48.9% conversion rate, which is second in the NFL behind the (49%). They also like to go for it on fourth down, and have attempted 20 fourth-down conversions, which is the third highest in the league. Of Serge Ibaka Jersey those 20, they have converted a league-high 15. The Ravens have also only turned the ball over 11 times, which is tied for fourth best in the league with the Patriots and the .The Ravens have been making their money on the ground, and average a league-high 207.8 rushing yards per game. Who said that the NFL is becoming more and more of a pa sing league? It's arguably easier to defend the pa s than it is Jackson and all of the running backs that the Ravens roll in and out of the lineup.Remember how everyone lauded the Patriots' run game last year? With the backs they have on roster this year, it should be one of the better rushing attacks in the league, but it's not. New England averages 96.3 rushing yards per game, which ranks No. 21 in the league. Last year, they averaged 127.3 yards per game, which was No. 5 overall. Without that impre sive rushing attack, it puts more pre sure Jordan Ford Jersey on Brady to win games with his arm. He's still a very good quarterback and one of the best to ever do it, but he's sure not throwing it all over the yard like he used to, nor does he have the supporting cast of years past. Since the Ravens have scored more points than any other team this year, Jackson hasn't been put in many situations where he has had to win games with his arm. Baltimore's rushing attack is so fierce that they can get down the field in a hurry any way Harbaugh chooses. The Ravens wanted to target a No. 1 back in free agency, and they ended up signing , who spent his first eight seasons with the . He has rushed for 837 yards and nine touchdowns this season, and also has caught three more touchdowns. While he's put up four 100-yard games and is averaging five yards per carry, he's not the only effective back the Ravens have. has rushed for 460 yards and two touchdowns this season, and is also averaging over five yards per carry. Last year, he became the first Baltimore rookie to rush for more than 100 yards in consecutive games since Jamal Lewis did it back in 2000. Additionally, the Ravens selected out of Oklahoma State in the fourth round of last year's draft. He was the nation's leading freshman rusher back in 2016, as he rushed for 1,142 yards. He left college early for the NFL, and Harbaugh jumped at the opportunity to add him to his stockpile of backs. He's still searching for his first NFL touchdown, but has rushed for 144 yards on 38 carries, and Harbaugh has been giving him a few touches in close games.The running backs aren't the only talent Jackson has to work with on offense; he also has Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Jersey some big-play pa s catchers. Last year, the Ravens' lead receiver was , who played in all 16 games and recorded 715 yards and five touchdowns. Mark Andrews is just 22 yards away from pa sing that mark, and already has two more touchdowns. He's evolved into one of the best tight ends
 
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