Baltimore Ravens: Steve Smith Sr. injury will cripple offense

By Nick Ziegler | Oct 9, 2015

The Baltimore Ravens have not had a good start to their 2015 season, as they lost three straight games before final getting a victory.

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On Thursday Night Football in Week 4, the Ravens were able to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road. The win did not come easy for the Ravens, as even though the Steelers were without Ben Roethlisberger, the Ravens could have lost the game if not for some help from Josh Scobee. It was a dreadful week for kickers in Week 4 and that started with Scobee’s awful performance against the Ravens.

One of the issues for the Ravens this season has been their inconsistent offense. The Ravens have both struggled to run the ball and pass the ball in games this season, as it took until Week 4 to finally get Justin Forsett going. Joe Flacco has had two games of over 300 yards passing but has also had two games of under 200 passing yards.

The problem for the Ravens’ passing attack can be attributed to a lack of weapons for Flacco. The offseason loss of Torrey Smith has proved to be a costly one, as the Ravens could desperately use their deep threat.

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Smith’s replacement was thought to be drafted in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft, as the Ravens selected Breshad Perriman. The unfortunate thing for the Ravens and Perriman is that he hasn’t been on the field yet this season with a sprained PCL.

The win against the Steelers did come at a high cost to the Ravens, as their No.1 wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. suffered a back injury.

Smith has been the Ravens’ top target at wide receiver this season and arguably their only target at wide receiver this season. In 2015, Smith has totaled 29 receptions, 373 receiving yards, and two receiving touchdowns. Smith has already been ruled out for the Ravens’ Week 5 game against the Cleveland Browns and this is a huge problem for an offense that is already lacking weapons.

As if there was any thought that Steve Smith would play, Ravens OC Marc Trestman confirms that Smith is out Sunday.
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) October 8, 2015

After Smith, there is a huge drop off for the Ravens at wide receiver, as their No.2 wide receiver this season has been Kamar Aiken. In 2015, Aiken has totaled 11 receptions, 165 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown.

Without Smith, the Ravens simply don’t have anyone that is going to be stepping up to replace what he brings to the offense. The Ravens’ best chances on offense is going to be relying heavily on Forsett. A positive for the Ravens is that Forsett is going to be well-rested with a few extra days off, as he could be getting the ball north of 30 times against the Browns.

The Ravens’ chances against the Browns took a sizeable hit with the news that Smith is going to be out. Week 5 is another crucial game for the Ravens, as they need to string together some wins after the 0-3 start. Baltimore still has an above average quarterback in Flacco and a talented runner in Forsett, but the Ravens will still need someone to step up at wide receiver.

Next: Where does Flacco rank among starting QBs?

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