Complementary Football Starting to Propel Ravens

Second-round rookie outside linebacker Mike Green had his consecutive games with a sack streak snapped, by he still had his best and most complete game as a pro, tying Jones for the most quarterback hits, knifing into the backfield for a tackle for loss and tying for the second-most pressures on the team with four.

Despite only being on the team for less than a week, veteran outside linebacker Dre'Mont Jones made a seamless transition and was also consistently disruptive in this game. He opened it as the starter opposite of Pro Bowler Kyle Van Noy, tied Green for the second-most pressures and posted a pressure rate of 12.1% per Next Gen Stats.

"You have a bunch of hunters on his defense," Jones said. "I got a taste of it at practice, and then I got the real thing here on Sunday. It was crazy. Like I said, there are a lot of good players on this defense. My job is to go out there and try to add value as best as I can and help elevate those guys, because they are already [very] talented."

Keaton Mitchell Needs to be More Involved Earlier

The Ravens offense has struggled to start fast without the aid of their defense or special teams since returning from the bye, even in the two games Jackson has started. One obvious way they could jumpstart the unit sooner is by getting their electrifying third-year running back with game-breaking speed and underrated contact balance more involved sooner, rather than waiting until the second or even third quarter to get the ball in his hands aside from special teams.

Against the Vikings, the former undrafted gem didn't get his first carry until the second-to-last drive of the first half for the second week in a row after the offense had been forced to punt three-plus times. Mitchell ripped off gains of nine and 22 yards on back-to-back carries, but then only got two more carries the rest of the game.

While getting him more involved in the offense was a priority for the Ravens coming out of the bye, the next adjustment should be getting him the ball sooner rather than later and more often because he's a threat to go the distance or pick up a first down with a chunk play anytime he touches the ball. In five games, he has posted an average of 6.2 yards per carry, which is only .5 off of his career average of 6.7.

"[We] want to see more Keaton," head coach John Harbaugh said. "It's hard to take plays off Derrick Henry's plate. That's a challenge. I think anybody can understand that, but mixing it up is also a good thing, too, and I think all the guys understand the value of that, too. So, we are going to try to find that. It's going to be game to game, probably, but we will try to find that world where everybody's most effective."

Kyle Hamilton is a Prime DPOY Candidate

There's no denying that the two-time All-Pro is the most indispensable piece on the Ravens defense and the most dynamic defender in the league, with the multitude of ways in which he can be deployed. Now it's time to start seriously considering him as one of the frontrunners for the most prestigious individual accolade a defensive player can receive.

From literally the Vikings' first play from scrimmage, Hamilton was an absolute menace by batting down McCarthy's first pass attempt. On that play, he was lined up on the edge, as has been the case early and often since they traded for Alohi Gilman, and he knocked back two-time Pro Bowl right tackle Brian O'Neill into the backfield, then proceeded to elevate and swat the ball down to the turf.

That was just one of the examples of incredible athleticism and instincts that Hamilton displayed in this game. He had another where he came off the opposite edge and made running back George Mason whiff in pass protection as if he were a matador dodging a bull, and recorded his second pass deflection after McCarthy hastily tried to get rid of the ball with the quick pressure in his face.

There's no other player in the NFL who can impact the game at such an elite, multifaceted level like Hamilton can. He likely won't have an abundance of flashy statistical figures by the end of the season. However, anyone who turns on the tape of the Ravens defense and watches No. 14 in purple in any given game with their current safety rotation allowing him to play closer to the action can clearly see that he's playing the best of any defender in the league right now.

"Versatility is not just talent; it's also understanding the game and also studying," Harbaugh said. "He's got to know a lot. There's a lot he has to know, process and understand about the game plan, and I just think he kind of knows the whole defense. He probably could line up in any position."

Ravens Are Still Class of the Division

Despite still being below .500 as far as their record goes, there's no denying who the most complete and dangerous team in the AFC North is heading into the second half of the season. The Steelers offense is coming off an absolutely anemic performance, and their underwhelming defense is completely reliant on turnovers or the hope of going up against injured or woefully poor pass protection units to look competent.

The Cleveland Browns are tied for the fewest wins in the league, even though they have one of the best defenses in the league and promising young pieces on offense, because of their rookie starter and reluctance to give their other first-year signal caller a shot. While the Cincinnati Bengals opened the 21-day practice window for franchise quarterback Joe Burrow, by the time he's cleared and ready to play, they could already be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention and with their horrendous defense, they would still have a slim-to-none chance of salvaging the season with him back in the lineup.

Meanwhile in Baltimore, the Ravens are rounding into the type of team nobody will want to see make it to January because of the ways they're proving they can win and are still ascending. Between their favorable schedule and steely-eyed focus on the task at hand week in and week out, and not letting themselves look ahead past any opponent, they have all the makings of a team poised to repeat as AFC North champions for the second year in a row to complete a three-peat.