What makes the Baltimore Ravens so dangerous ahead of the NFL playoffs?

It’s been the Lamar Jackson show so far in 2019 but there is far more to the Baltimore Ravens than meets the eye as the NFL playoffs close in.

The second-year quarterback has been slinging dimes; he’s been dipping, diving and dodging flailing bodies in the open field; he’s been silencing critics in the most bullish of manners. But more on him later.

Baltimore became the first team in the AFC to confirm their playoff spot on Sunday as they beat the Buffalo Bills (9-4) in one of Jackson’s quieter games but one that amplified everything to fear about this Ravens outfit. The threat delves deeper than No8’s bag of tricks.

Defense wins championships?

It’s fourth-and-eight for the Bills on the Ravens’ 16-yard line with 1:08 remaining in the fourth quarter and the score 24-17. Josh Allen takes the shot-gun snap before firing in the direction of wide receiver John Brown in the middle of the endzone, only for a touch-tight Marcus Peters to follow through on excellent initial coverage by stretching his hand to the ball for a game-winning pass breakup.

How does he celebrate? By leaping into the crowd with his fans and chugging a beer Stone Cold Steve Austin style.

Peters was traded by the Los Angeles Rams little under two months ago but has wasted no time in establishing himself as a leader on this rising Baltimore defense.

In seven games he has 33 total tackles, eight pass defenses and recorded three interceptions for 178 yards as well as turning two of those into touchdowns. Within that period he has produced a 67-yard pick six off MVP candidate Russell Wilson, dominated the New England Patriots offense, kept Houston Texans star receiver DeAndre Hopkins relatively quiet and come back to haunt former employers LA.

The Ravens were ranked 25th in the NFL against the pass having allowed 269.5 yards per game upon his arrival. They now rank ninth and are currently allowing just 219 yards per game.

Peters hasn’t been the only catalyst for the elite strides taken on defense, with the Ravens’ front seven having also taken a necessary step up with post-season football on the horizon.

The loss of seven-time Pro Bowl linebacker Terrell Suggs as well as Za’Darius Smith triggered concerns over how the Ravens would hold up on defense in 2019. A subsequent reshuffle was met by mixed results early on.

Across the first eight games of the season, the Ravens allowed over 200 passing yards on six occasions and over 300 passing yards three times. In that same time they also conceded at least 20 points in four games.

In contrast, they have allowed fewer than 200 passing yards in each of their last five games, including a low of 110 against the Texans. Such has been their improvement on defense that their last five opponents have also failed to put at least 20 points on the board.

Across from Peters fellow cornerback Marlon Humphrey has also experienced an upturn in production with 18 tackles across his last three games and two pass defenses against the Bills.

Outside linebacker Matthew Judon has meanwhile hit form at the perfect time with 4.5 sacks, nine quarterback hits and three forced fumbles in his last four games. Two of those sacks came in the 41-7 demolition of the Texans in which Deshaun Watson was sacked seven times.

Judon currently leads the Ravens with 8.5 sacks and three forced fumbles, while rookie edge rusher Jaylon Ferguson and experienced nose tackle Brandon Williams have also been winning battles upfront.

The Ravens defense is becoming one fitting of a Super Bowl contender.

Jackson’s worthy supporting acts

Jackson himself has been insistent on recognising the efforts of the receivers catching his passes, the running backs sharing the workload and the offensive lineman giving him time to operate in the pocket.

Ingram has asserted himself as an inspired free agency pickup, not only with his contributions on the ground but also the leadership and added motivation he has naturally instilled.

The 29-year-old is second only to Jackson in rushing yards with 887 from 181 carries for a team-high nine touchdowns, as well as assisting in the pass game with 23 catches for 201 yards and three scores.

Jackson has also been able to spread the ball among multiple targets as the season has gone by, starting with Andrews who leads the team with 54 catches for 707 yards and seven touchdowns.

The win over the Bills saw Hayden Hurst come up with a 61-yard touchdown, while Willie Snead and Nick Boyle also got into the endzone as Andrews left the game due to injury.

Marquise Brown has been another valuable playmaker as Jackson’s disposal, contributing 39 catches for 518 yards and six touchdowns so far in his rookie year.

Jackson has also been right to thank an offensive line that has only given up four sacks in the last six games, allowed him time that has seen him throw just one interception in the last eight and carve the openings for him to rush for a team-high 1,017 yards and seven touchdowns.

Right tackle Orlando Brown and left guard Bradley Bozeman have both played key roles across all 902 offensive snaps this season, while Ronnie Stanley has played his way into Pro Bowl contention alongside noteworthy contributions from Marshal Yanda and Matt Skura.

The main man

Despite being limited to just 40 yards on the ground against the Bills, Jackson did become the second quarterback to reach 1000 rushing yards in a season.

In developing into one of the most explosive dual-threat quarterbacks in the league the 22-year-old has proven his reliability with the ball in hand, completing 230 of his 347 passes for 2,677 yards and a league-high 28 touchdowns so far. Improved ball security has also seen Jackson chisel 17 fumbles in 2018 into just seven so far in 2019.

He has transformed this Ravens offense into one capable of dissecting the best-coached defenses in the NFL and this entire team into legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

Awaiting him on Thursday is a less-coverted test of the Ravens’ ground attack against a New York Jets defense allowing the second-fewest rushing yards per game in the league at 78.8.

That’s providing Jackson is passed fit to play having been limited in practice on Monday and Tuesday following a quad injury.

As the Ravens gear up for post-season football, Jackson is far from the only decisive factor that opposition sides must find a way to foil.

You can watch the Ravens host the Jets on Sky Sports Action from 12.30am on Friday morning.

(c) Sky Sports 2019: What makes the Baltimore Ravens so dangerous ahead of the NFL playoffs?