Cardinals at Ravens – This and That on Baltimore

This is the third meeting in the last eight seasons between Arizona and Baltimore 

In 2015, Carson Palmer threw two touchdown passes and Chandler Catanzaro kicked a couple of field goals as the Cardinals beat the Ravens 26-18 

In 2011, Kevin Kolb threw a touchdown pass to Early Doucet, Beanie Wells had a scoring run and Jay Feely kicked three field goals, but the Ravens won on the final play of the game. 30-27. 

The Cardinals have dropped four of the six games played against Baltimore. 

How Good Is Baltimore? 

It’s a fair question to ask. The Ravens played the worst team in the NFL, Miami, in week one. They rolled  the Dolphins with ease 59-10. Baltimore led at the half 42-10. So the Ravens weren’t challenged in any way last Sunday. 

Is the Ravens Offense That Strong? 

Again, it remains to be seen. Quarterback Lamar Jackson, accounted for 330 yards of offense, including 326 through the air(connecting on his first ten attempts on the day). Former New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram, in his first season with the Ravens, rolled up 107 yards on just 14 carries(7.6 average) and scored two times. Former Desert Mountain high school tight end Mark Andrews had eight catches for 108 yards and a score. The final stat line against Miami had the Ravens with 643 yards of offense. 

What About the Ravens Defense? 

Hard to say. Miami only ran the ball 12 times for 21 yards. Was that because the game was so out of hand, so early, that the Dolphins had to just throw the ball on every down? Baltimore allowed just 200 yards of total offense on the afternoon. Cardinal fans know all too well about Earl Thomas. The former Seattle safety(8 years) was the biggest offseason pickup on defense for the Ravens. He had an interception on the first series in last weeks blowout. The Ravens had 12 quarterback hits and 3 sacks in week one. Will they be able to get to Kyler Murray? 

One Other Story Line 

The big one for Cardinals fans to watch is the return of linebacker Terrell Suggs to Baltimore. Suggs was a 16 year fixture for the Ravens. Here’s what the team put up on their website about Suggs last Spring after he signed with Arizona. 

https://www.baltimoreravens.com/video/terrell-suggs-one-of-a-kind

Imagine Larry Fitzgerald leaving the Cardinals for another team and then coming back to Arizona for a game. That’s what Sunday will be for Suggs.