Using staples from their past a relentless ground | Forum

Baltimore Ravens have put together a hot streak that has them in the middle of the AFC playoff race.The Ravens won a Super Bowl in 2000 when they averaged 137.4 yards rushing per game and deployed a Ray Lewis-led defense that allowed only 165 points over the entire regular season. That same formula is being used by the current squad White Nasir Adderley Jersey , which has gone 4-1 since fleet-footed rookie Lamar Jackson took over at quarterback for strong-armed Joe Flacco.Baltimore (8-6) heads into a Saturday night showdown against the Los Angeles Chargers looking to move one step closer toward ending a three-year playoff drought. The Ravens' resurgence coincides with the team's improved running attack under Jackson, who has rambled for 427 yards over the last five games.With Jackson as a starter, Baltimore is averaging 230.4 yards rushing per game, including 242 Sunday in a 20-12 victory over Tampa Bay."To me, it's good football," coach John Harbaugh said Monday.The Ravens' second-ranked defense held the Buccaneers to only 241 yards, in part because the Ravens ran 74 offensive plays compared to only 47 for Tampa Bay."We're playing great team football right now to a T," safety Eric Weddle said. "We're playing well off each other - running the ball, controlling the clock Nasir Adderley Los Angeles Chargers Jerseys , third-down conversions."Jackson isn't a one-man show. Gus Edwards ran 19 times for 104 yards against the Bucs and Kenneth Dixon added 48 yards on 11 carries. Baltimore has rushed for at least 190 yards in five straight games, the first team to pull off that feat since the 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers."The players deserve credit and the coaches deserve credit," Harbaugh said. "It's tough to stop that style of play when it's executed well with physicality. Our guys are doing it. I'm proud of them for that. That's the way we're playing football right now, but don't discount the pass play."Unlike most teams in this pass-happy NFL, the Ravens put the ball in the air just to keep the defense on its toes. Jackson threw 23 times on Sunday and ran 18 times."The plan was to keep hammering away," Harbaugh said.It's a sure thing that the Ravens will be looking to do more of the same against the Chargers. The best way to stop the Philip Rivers-led offense is to keep it off the field, and that's one huge byproduct of Baltimore's grinding run game.Against Tampa Bay, the Ravens held the ball for more than 22 minutes in the second half and rattled off 39 plays to just 17 for the Bucs. Baltimore had three drives of more than seven minutes, including the game-ender in which the Ravens moved from their own 38 to inside the Bucs 10 before taking a knee on three straight snaps."It means a lot to finish the game on offense Los Angeles Chargers Jerseys Stitched , not putting your defense back on the field," Harbaugh said.The Ravens currently stand as the No. 6 seed in the AFC. They have gone over all the playoff scenarios, and understand that the path to the postseason becomes less obtrusive with a win on Saturday night against the Chargers (11-3), who are tied with Kansas City for the top seed."They're playing outstanding football," Weddle said. "We've got everything in our hands, as do they, so it's going to be an amazing game, one that will define where our season goes from there." COSTA MESA, Calif. (AP) — Mike Williams is healthy and confident for the first time in two seasons Youth Nasir Adderley Jersey , which is paying huge dividends for the Los Angeles Chargers.Williams leads the team in receiving touchdowns with nine going into Saturday’s game against Baltimore. He is coming off his biggest game in the NFL with seven receptions for 76 yards and three touchdowns (including one rushing) in Thursday’s 29-28 come-from-behind victory at Kansas City.“My main goal since the beginning of the season has been to be available for every game and make plays for my team. My confidence is building off of that,” Williams said.Williams became Philip Rivers‘ go-to receiver against the Chiefs after Keenan Allen suffered a hip injury during the first half. That may be the case again against the Ravens as Allen’s status remains questionable.Williams showed at Clemson that he could be a big-play receiver. He caught 11 touchdowns in 2016 when the Tigers won their first national championship in 35 years.He was the seventh overall pick by the Chargers in 2017 but struggled due to back and knee injuries. Williams appeared in 10 games but had just 11 catches for 95 yards.Williams has been healthy throughout this season, however. He got off to a fast start with three touchdowns in the first three games and 15 receptions for 249 yards in the first five. He had only five receptions in the next five games, but two were for touchdowns.The past four games have represented Williams’ best stretch. He has 17 catches for 198 yards and four touchdowns. He became the first Chargers receiver since Tim Dwight in 2002 to have a rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game and he caught the game-winning, two-point conversion as Los Angles broke a nine-game losing streak to Kansas City.“Obviously, he’s had a heck of a year for us. He hasn’t had the 60, 70 catches this season, but he’s had a ton of big ones,” Rivers said. “It’s been great to kind of see him come on.”Rivers isn’t wrong when he says Williams has had plenty of big catches. According to Sportradar Nasir Adderley Jersey 2019 , 31 of Williams’ 37 receptions have gone for first downs. The 83.8 percentage is second in the league to Tampa Bay’s Chris Godwin, who is at 84 percent (42 of 50 catches).Coach Anthony Lynn said Williams’ biggest improvement has been route running. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Williams used his size to his advantage in college but needed to do more to be consistently successful in the NFL.Williams is the team’s leading receiver on post routes (nine receptions) and corner routes (six catches). Three of his touchdowns in the red zone have been on corner routes, where he has been able to use his size to his advantage.Rivers agreed but also was quick to say that Williams did come in with a solid understanding of football, but that his growth is similar to all young players transitioning from college to the NFL.“He’s going to continue to improve in that regard, recognizing how they’re playing him in certain coverages, how to run certain routes and continue to progress,” Rivers said. “But when you have that kind of size, that kind of speed Cheap Nasir Adderley Jersey , and that type of range and ball skills, you can work on the other stuff, no question.”Williams and the Chargers will face a stiff test against a Ravens defense that is ranked as the top unit in the NFL and is third against the pass. Los Angeles has clinched its first postseason berth in five years while Baltimore has a one-game lead for the final spot in the AFC.The Chargers are tied with Kansas City for the AFC West lead but need to win out and have the Chiefs drop one of their remaining games to wrap up the division and home field throughout the playoffs.“I’ve played in a lot of big games in college and tough atmospheres. I feel like I am prepared for what is coming up,” Williams said.