Here's a look at the first half of the season for the Baltimore Ravens (4-4) and a preview of what to expect in the second half:
Grade: C+. The Ravens are tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for first place in the AFC North on the strength of their defense and kicker Justin Tucker. Baltimore's D ranks second in the NFL in fewest yards allowed, and the Ravens have made drastic improvements in takeaways. The Ravens’ 14 forced turnovers already match last season's total. QB Joe Flacco and the suddenly pass-happy offense are holding back the Ravens. Baltimore has scored 13 touchdowns (only Houston has scored fewer), and the Ravens are on pace for the fewest points scored (19.2 per game) in the nine-year John Harbaugh era.
Midseason MVP: Kicker Justin Tucker. His impact goes beyond being a perfect 20-for-20 on field goals. Tucker has accounted for nearly half of the Ravens’ scoring this season (45 percent, to be exact). What makes his numbers even more impressive is the fact that his attempts are rarely chip shots. With the offense struggling to move the ball, Tucker’s average field goal try this season has been 41.7 yards. He has certainly earned his new contract from this past offseason, which made him the NFL’s highest-paid kicker in guaranteed money ($10.8 million).
Best moment: Wide receiver Mike Wallace’s 95-yard touchdown. Wallace continued his resurgence with the key play in a game the Ravens desperately needed in order to keep their hopes alive for a division title. In the first quarter, Wallace caught a short slant and outran the Steelers' defense 86 yards to the end zone. This was a historic moment in many ways. It marked the longest play from scrimmage in Ravens regular-season history, and it was the longest touchdown catch against the Steelers in 50 years. The fact that it came against Wallace’s former team made it more special.
Worst moment: It would be easy to say the low point was Odell Beckham Jr. running circles around the Ravens for 222 yards receiving. But the most frustrating moment was Baltimore getting shut out in the final 44 minutes, 56 seconds by Washington and its 27th-ranked defense at the time. Flacco described the offense as embarrassing, and offensive coordinator Marc Trestman was fired the next day. It continued a bad trend of the offense not being able to finish games. Baltimore’s four losses have been by a combined 19 points.
Player to watch: QB Joe Flacco. He’s the NFL’s 29th-rated passer, and he’s one of four quarterbacks with more interceptions (seven) than touchdowns (six). That’s well below average, much less elite. Some of his struggles are the result of injuries to his top two offensive linemen (Marshal Yanda and Ronnie Stanley) and best wide receiver (Steve Smith Sr.). He has also fallen back into some poor habits with his decision-making and throwing off his back foot. With everyone healthy, it’s up to Flacco to lead Baltimore to the playoffs. Only two of the final eight games are against pass defenses that rank in the top 10 (Miami and Philadelphia).
Second-half outlook: The AFC North is so mediocre this season that the Ravens might need to get to only nine wins to capture their first division title since 2012. Whether the Ravens can do that depends heavily on how they fare over the next four games. Baltimore plays three at home (Cleveland, Cincinnati and Miami) and travels to Dallas. The combined record of those teams is 14-18-1. The Ravens can't afford to slip too many times considering their final four games are brutal. Baltimore plays at New England, home against Philadelphia, at Pittsburgh and at Cincinnati. The odds of the Ravens finishing with a winning record aren’t great.