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          NFL Nation

          Mike Wallace: Ravens not satisfied until offense reaches Patriots' standard

          • Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff WriterOct 10, 2017, 11:01 AM
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              Jamison Hensley is a reporter covering the Baltimore Ravens for ESPN. Jamison joined ESPN in 2011, covering the AFC North before focusing exclusively on the Ravens beginning in 2013. Jamison won the National Sports Media Association Maryland Sportswriter of the Year award in 2018, and he authored a book titled: Flying High: Stories of the Baltimore Ravens. He was the Ravens beat writer for the Baltimore Sun from 2000-2011.
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          OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- The Baltimore Ravens delivered their most complete offensive performance of the season in beating the Oakland Raiders, 30-17, on Sunday.

          The Ravens welcomed the return of Joe Flacco's deep passes downfield. They ran the ball for 143 yards, even though running back Terrance West left the game with an injured calf on the opening drive. And Baltimore didn't have a turnover for the first time this year.

          Do the players feel like they've answered the questions about an offense that has struggled for most of the season?

          "No. Not enough. Not to ourselves," receiver Mike Wallace said. "We know who we are. We’re just going to go out and continue to play our game."

          Wallace believes there are more questions for Flacco and the offense to address.

          "How can you score 40? How can you score 50?" Wallace said. "The Patriots did it. That’s the kind of team you want to try to be like on the offense. You want to be a high-scoring team. If your team comes out and you’re not scoring 30, 40 points a game, you have some work to do. You have a lot more to do."

          Over the past 15 years, Tom Brady and the Patriots have become the standard for all offenses. New England has averaged a league-best 28.5 points since 2003.

          The Ravens currently rank No. 24 in the NFL in scoring this season, averaging 18 points per game. Since winning its last Super Bowl, Baltimore has scored 30 or more points 10 times, which is the fifth-fewest in the NFL over that time. There has only been one game since 2013 that the Ravens have reached 40 points.

          Sunday was a solid first step forward for an offense that had been held to 16 points the previous two games.

          "It’s hard to have confidence if you’re not doing anything to generate confidence," coach John Harbaugh said. "It’s one thing to believe -- and you have to believe, a lot of times, on the unseen. That’s what faith is. But in terms of confidence in athletic ability, there’s something in going out there and doing it."

          At least for the short-term, the Ravens will have to go out and play without West and right guard Matt Skura (sprained knee). Even though Harbaugh did not provide a timetable on the injuries, it's likely both will be out for this Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears. It's expected that Buck Allen will absorb most of West's carries (especially in the red zone) and rookie fifth-round pick Jermaine Eluemunor will fill in for Skura.

          These injuries make the challenge of being consistent even more difficult. The last time the Ravens produced 30 or more points in consecutive games was November 2014.

          "I don’t care about questions. I’ll sit up here two hours and answer questions," Wallace said. "It doesn’t matter to me. It’s about performance. Whether we have questions about it or we are making plays, people are always going to have something to say. So we might as well go out and just have a good game."