Five Reasons For Baltimore Ravens Fans to Be Optimistic

At long last, the bye week has reached Baltimore. After a grueling stretch to begin the season, the Ravens have survived, and slithered their way to a 5-2 record and second place in the AFC North.

The schedule-makers made life hard on Baltimore, opening the season with a Monday night game in New York against the Jets to open the New Meadowlands Stadium, followed by a game at Cincinnati and a home game versus the Browns.

Things only got more difficult for the Ravens, who then had to play at bitter rival Pittsburgh, home versus the Denver Broncos (and NFL's leading QB in Kyle Orton), then on the road at New England, the always formidable foes

By the time the Ravens got to their home game vs. the Bills, they were tired, bruised, and worn out, which almost lead to a Bill's upset. But the Ravens made it through the tough stretch 5-2, which is a testament to a team that's still trying to find its identity.

Here are five reasons to be optimistic heading into the bye week:  

1. Ed Reed -

When Reed announced he was going to be placed on PUP to begin the season, many fans and analysts projected the Raven's pass defense to be ripped apart. Yet, without Reed, the secondary has held its own for the most part. They kept Kyle Orton and Tom Brady in check, while completely shutting down Mark Sanchez.

Ed Reed finally made his debut last Sunday versus the Bills, and played magnificently. The pass defense in general was horrible against the Bills, but that cannot be attributed to Reed, whose first tackle was a forced fumble, and later had two interceptions.

I would attribute the Ravens' defensive failures more to being tired and overlooking the Bills than a fundamental problem. Expect the Ravens pass defense to pick it up after the bye week, and do a consistently good job of shutting down opposing quarterbacks and creating turnovers. Quarterbacks will try to avoid throwing near Reed, which causes poor throws and interceptions for other players. It's the Ed Reed effect. 

2. Ray Lewis -

Who comes to the rescue day in day out for Baltimore? That would be Mr. Lewis. Sure, he may have lost a step, and he may not be as good as he was in his prime, but he is still one of the best linebackers in the game today.

He came to the rescue again on Sunday, stripping the ball and recovering the fumble in overtime which lead to the game winning field goal for the Ravens. He also made the game-clinching interception against the Jets. He is arguably the best locker-room leader in NFL history, and people rally around him. Ray Lewis can turn games around. 

3. Haloti Ngata - 

Ngata has easily become one most dominant defensive players in the NFL, and is well on his way to a possible Defensive Player of the Year Award. The Ravens have struggled to get a consistent pass rush, but Ngata has been a monster. He has three sacks so far, but forces double teams and still throws offensive linemen out of the way. 

4. Flacco can lead a comeback

Flacco has had a very inconsistent and hard-to-read start, with some very impressive and very poor performances. But one thing he has showed Ravens fans this year is that he is capable of bringing this team back from behind.

The first obvious example was the game versus Pittsburgh. Down with around a minute left, Flacco completed four straight passes, which included a 30-some yard game-winning throw to TJ Houshmandzadeh with around 30 seconds left. Pittsburgh's defense is one of the best in the game, and Flacco was able to defeat the loud Pitt crowd and one of the toughest defenses.

Flacco has also lead comebacks against the Browns and Bills, though the Ravens should have never been behind in those games. He may not be great, but he can win the ballgame when the coaches let him. 

5. Schedule

The first stretch of the season was the most difficult stretch for the Ravens, and to come out 5-2 is pretty impressive. There have not been many injuries, and getting Reed, Ayanbedejo, Stallworth, and eventually Gooden back will bolster this team.