What We Saw: Week 12

The What We Saw team recaps a crazy Week 12 of NFL action

Ben Brown
What We Saw A Year Ago
Series Navigation
Introduction
Packers @ Lions
Commanders @ Cowboys
49ers @ Seahawks
Dolphins @ Jets
Saints @ Falcons
Steelers @ Bengals
Panthers @ Titans
Buccaneers @ Colts
Patriots @ Giants
Jaguars @ Texans
Browns @ Broncos
Rams @ Cardinals
Chiefs @ Raiders
Bills @ Eagles
Ravens @ Chargers

Ravens @ Chargers

Final Score: Ravens 20, Chargers 10

Senior Writer: Benjamin Haller (@benjaminhaller1 on Twitter)

 

Another miserable prime time game featuring these two teams was just about made watchable thanks to the efforts of rookie Zay Flowers, who capped an electric night with two touchdowns and a couple of innovative celebrations. Three first half turnovers blighted the efforts of Justin Herbert as the Chargers continue to be their own worst enemy in a pressure spot for Head Coach Brandon Staley. None of those turnovers were on Herbert as his skill position players fumbled twice and one was a last second Hail Mary prior to half time. Still, the inefficiency and error-prone nature of the Chargers offense cost them at least two scores in the first half. The Ravens were lucky because Lamar Jackson and his offense was lackluster but at least managed to hold on to the football.

The second half wasn’t much better as both teams struggled to maintain drives and make plays with defenses playing to an extremely high standard. An uncharacteristic missed field goal from Justin Tucker opened the door for the Chargers to take the lead inside the two minute warning but they failed to convert on fourth down and rookie Flowers punished them with a speedy 37-yard run to seal an important if unconvincing Ravens victory.

 

Two Up

  • Zay Flowers – a breakout performance from the rookie receiver who looks like he could be a Deebo Samuel-type player who can make plays wherever he is utlized
  • Keaton Mitchell – he is unlikely to takeover as the lead back as this offense works because of the run game’s dynamism but he certainly proved he is the playmaker out of the group

Two Down

  • Justin Herbert – After a couple of promising weeks, Herbert let down fantasy managers in a big spot with a couple of turnovers and some shocking fumbles from his receivers – he is becoming known for this kind of performance
  • Austin Ekeler – the much-loved fantasy back put up his second straight single-digit fantasy score and another bad fumble ruined his team’s chance – his production as a receiver has also taken a hit this season

 

Baltimore Ravens

 

Quarterback

 

Lamar Jackson: 18/32, 177 Yards, TD, 2 Sacks | 11 Carries, 39 Yards, Fumble (Recovered)

 

Jackson came alive in the passing game in a 12-play, 78-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter in which he connected with five different players to put the Ravens ahead in a scrappy contest. Jackson found rookie Zay Flowers in the end zone to complete a clinical drive.

 

However, after that he seemed to hold onto the ball for a bit too long and struggled to move the sticks on passing downs, going 2-for-11 in the following few drives. He then looked subdued for most of the fourth quarter and was clearly restricted to handing the ball off after some inaccuracy issues. He threw high to Isaiah Likely and Nelson Agholor on successive drives when the throws were quite simple.

Jackson is approaching game-manager status this season and he has now failed to muster multiple scores in eight of his 12 games. That does not a great fantasy quarterback make.

 

Notes

  • Made a couple of unreal scrambles in the first half to negate sacks and pick up yardage when it looked almost impossible to escape – one of those was a third down that was ruled short but replays showed he made the line to gain. The Ravens went hurry up and failed to convert in Chargers territory.
  • Made poor reads twice on a key drive in the second half that should have resulted in big plays, one maybe a touchdown. The Ravens ended up punting.

 

Running Back

 

Keaton Mitchell: 9 Carries, 64 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 25 Yards

 

The undrafted rookie looked sharp on five first half carries as the Ravens allowed him to ride the hot hand, with Edwards seeing just two touches in comparison. He then burst out for an impressive 29-yard run midway through the third quarter in an eye-catching play which displayed his terrific balance and ability to change direction without losing his elite speed. He didn’t see any touches near the goal line and it is expected that Edwards will handle this work. But still, the potential was alarming.

 

Justice Hill: 5 Carries, 31 Yards | 1 Target

 

Somewhat surprisingly, Justice Hill saw three straight carries in the red zone on the Ravens first scoring touchdown drive despite not featuring until that moment in the game. The unpredictability of this run game knows no bounds. He only saw two touches for the rest of the contest but still outproduced Edwards on the ground.

 

Gus Edwards: 8 Carries, 26 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 11 Yards

 

On a quieter night for the Ravens run game, Gus Edwards again started in the backfield but saw Keaton Mitchell and Justice Hill rotate in for carries in key situations. He was stuffed on fourth down from a direct snap just prior to the half but the Chargers ended up turning the ball back over on the next drive. There was no touchdown-saving production for fantasy managers and this will have hurt numerous managers this week. You can’t be surprised, only disppointed as this is the Ravens offense..

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Isaiah Likely: 6 Targets, 4 Receptions, 40 Yards

 

Oh, it hurts! The young tight end playing in place of the injured Mark Andrews led the Ravens in receiving yards despite catching just four balls and being a complementary part of the offense. Likely saw a number of looks from Jackson in the first half and an 18-yard gain featuring a killer jump cut past a Chargers defender was highlight-worthy. He wasn’t on the same paghe as Jackson once in the second half. His ceiling is extremely low.

 

Odell Beckham Jr.: 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 34 Yards

 

The veteran Odell Beckham Jr. came into the contest with a questionable tag but showed no signs of limitation in the fiorst half, making a couple of key contributions including a nice catch on a 14-yard gain to move the sticks on the Ravens first touchdown drive. It was one of only a few chances for OBJ to make a play, two targets were nowhere near catchable. This outing bucks a trend of three games with healthy double-digit fantasy scores.

 

Zay Flowers: 8 Targets, 5 Receptions, 25 Yards, TD | 1 Carry, 37 Yards, TD

 

As has been for the rookie this season, Flowers made the most of his low volume with some high impact plays including a first half touchdown and a game-clinching 37-yard run for a touchdown. It wasn’t the volume that stood out rather the nature of the plays. They were big plays that lit up this contest. Flowers was buzzing on the sidelines all game and showed emotiuon and passion throughout. He is bought in and the Ravens need to keep harnessing that energy to make good things like this performance a regular feature.

 

Nelson Agholor: 2 Targets, 1 Receptions, 21 Yards

Rashod Bateman: 5 Targets, 2 Receptions, 21 Yards

 

The former first round pick made a excellent high grab on third down at the start of the second quarter that highlighted his excellent vertical leap and exemplary hands. It was the kind of play you expected Rashod Bateman to make week-in, week-out for the Ravens. They just haven’t given him that opportunity in truth and tonight was similar. He was hardly looked at for the rest of the contest.

https://twitter.com/bobbybaltimoree/status/1728957515449483710

 

Devin Duvernay: 1 Carry, 0 Yards

 

Los Angeles Chargers

 

Quarterback

 

Justin Herbert: 29/44, 217 Yards, TD, INT, 3 Sacks | 4 Carries, 47 Yards, Fumble (Lost)

 

A thoroughly disappointing night for Herbert, who saw his key position players fumble the ball away twice before he himself coughed up the ball in the red zone midway through the fourth quarter. Herbert was strip-sacked and any hopes of a comeback for the home team was scuppered. He was evaluated for a concussion after the play but returned for the following series and showed no signs of limitation.

 

The offense was simply stifled by an aggressive Ravens defense but then also looked out-of-sync when given the opportunity to make a play. Kellen Moore could not find a away to use Ekeler and Allen to the devastating effect they are capable of. Late in the game the vibe from Herbert on the sideline wasn’t great. The camera panned to him a number of times and he was sat with a displeased look, staring into space and not communicating with anyone. He had a defeated demeanour and it actually felt like he was channelling Pedro Cerrano from Major League on a rush with the game slipping away, losing faith in his offense…”Fuck you Jobu! I do it myself”

 

Notes

  • Too many short drives and his offensive line was an issue once again
  • Has to take the blame for not reading the defense alignment quick enough on two fourth down plays in the final two drives – Herbert has to do better with pre-snap reads and understand what the defense are bringing

Missed opportunities

  • The officials missed a blatant hit on Herbert out of bounds on the opening drive which would have put the Chargers inside the Ravens 10-yard line on first and goal

 

Running Back

 

Austin Ekeler: 10 Carries, 32 Yards | 6 Targets, 5 Receptions, 32 Yards, Fumble (Lost)

 

Guilty of a fumble directly after Keenan Allen fumbled the ball away on the previous leading to the Ravens taking a seven-point lead, luckily for Ekeler it did not hurt his team as the Ravens could not convert on fourth down in Chargers territory. Still, the back fumbled last week to takeaway the chance of a win and did nothing to help his team in this game with a lacklustre 3.2 yards-per-carry. His biggest contribution came on a trick play that converted on third-and-long to keep a drive alive in the third quarter – sadly it was part of a ridiculously laborious 19-play, 61-yard drive that took up 8:44 only for Herbert to lose the ball in a strip-sack and come away with nothing. Just so Chargers! Ekeler certainly hasn’t been the same player as last season and you wonder if the high ankle sprain is still an issue. His usage is also criminal and that’s on Moore and Staley.

 

Joshua Kelley: 3 Carries, 8 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 6 Yards

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Keenan Allen: 16 Targets, 14 Receptions, 106 Yards, Fumble (Lost)

 

Volume is king for the veteran Allen, who did what he does best as a chain-mover underneath for Herbert throughout this contest. He made a couple of excellent contested catches against a tough defense but never threatened to hit pay dirt. Allen is now tied with Tyreek Hill for the league lead in receptions with 97 through 12 weeks. He has three straight weeks of over 100 yards receiving and he will continue to be the popular look for Herbert with Mike Williams and Josh Palmer out of the lineup. He was the failed target on both fourth down plays at the end of the game.

 

Gerald Everett: 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 43 Yards, TD

 

The journeyman tight end fought off a chest injury to be active for this game and hauled in his first touchdown since Week 7 (and his third of the season) to give the Chargers some hope in the fourth quarter. Everett caught all his four targets including a big 31-yard connected on the Chargers’ opening drive. It was a healthy output for a tight end that was only 21% rostered going into the night. He cannot be relied upon, however.

 

Alex Erickson: 3 Targets, 1 Reception, 17 Yards

Quentin Johnston: 3 Targets, 1 Reception, 7 Yards

 

A disastrous night for the first round rookie who looked totally out of his depth against a physical Ravens defense. Two bad drops in big situations did not help the commentary around Johnston’s contribution during his first year as a professional. He took a big hit in the third quarter too and was examined in the medical tent for an extensive length of time. He did not return to action. He remains off the fantasy radar despite Williams and Palmer still being absent. Not a good situation.

 

Jalen Guyton: 5 Targets, 1 Reception, 4 Yards

 

Herbert tried to involve the recently returned Jalen Guyton early in the game but he failed to haul in a couple of very tough passes in heavy coverage, He was also the target in the red zone prior to Everett’s score but Herbert flat out missed him. He can be a depp threat but there wasn’t much of that going on with the Ravens taking away the big play all night.

 

Derius Davis: 1 Target, 1 Receptions, 2 Yards | 2 Carries, -1 Yards

Stone Smart: 1 Target

Series Navigation
Introduction
Packers @ Lions
Commanders @ Cowboys
49ers @ Seahawks
Dolphins @ Jets
Saints @ Falcons
Steelers @ Bengals
Panthers @ Titans
Buccaneers @ Colts
Patriots @ Giants
Jaguars @ Texans
Browns @ Broncos
Rams @ Cardinals
Chiefs @ Raiders
Bills @ Eagles
Ravens @ Chargers

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