Mike Preston: Ravens remain the NFL's biggest mystery

MINNEAPOLIS — The regular season is now halfway complete, and the Baltimore Ravens remain the NFL’s biggest mystery.

They won their third straight game Sunday, beating the Minnesota Vikings, 27-19, at U.S. Bank Stadium, but it’s hard to figure this team out. A team picture might be placed right near the word “enigma” in the dictionary.

They stumbled, kicked three field goals in the first half because they couldn’t run the ball inside the red zone, trailed 10-9 at the break and then blew away the Vikings with 18 second-half points.

“Yes, there’s a lot that we could work on and be better at, but I definitely liked that we put up points,” wide receiver Rashod Bateman said. “There were a couple of drives I wish we had back, but I think we’re starting to find our groove. We just have to keep finding a way to clear out the gray area and make it more black and white all around for the guys. That just comes with practice and repetitions, so it’s definitely on the way.”

The game appeared closer than the score indicates, but the Ravens weren’t seriously threatened except for some late-game heroics by the Minnesota receivers. The Ravens kept second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy off target for most of the game and even compiled 12 quarterback hurries.

Nope, that’s not a misprint.

Combined with running back Derrick Henry, who took over the game in the second half, the Ravens shut down the Vikings’ talented group of receivers, especially Justin Jefferson, who looked like he was about to quit at various times during the game.

So, that brings me back to the starting point. What’s up with the Ravens? How can a team go 1-5 to start the season and then win three straight to climb to a 4-5 record?

The injuries to at least nine starters early in the season were a major contributing factor, but the Ravens were completely healthy Sunday and they struggled against a team that entered 4-4.

There was a belief that the Vikings had gotten better, especially after they upset the Lions in Detroit last week. They appeared to improve significantly on defense, but the Ravens had to use two interceptions and one fumble recovery on a kickoff return to pull out the victory.

Here is a suggestion for the Ravens: just keep pounding away with Henry. He rushed 20 times for 75 yards and took over the game in the second half, when he had 11 carries for 42 yards. The Ravens don’t like to talk about it, but they have misused Henry in the past two trips to the postseason.

New motto: Run, Henry, run.

“We’ve been through a lot this year,” center Tyler Linderbaum said. “It’s a lot of adversity [and] a lot of people doubting us. We’re still not where we need to be. We have a big hole we’re trying to dig ourselves out of, but we have a lot of belief in this locker room, belief in the coaching staff [and] belief in the players that we can turn this ship around.”

Midway through the fourth quarter, the Ravens took possession at their own 33 and then ran Henry on six of the next eight plays before quarterback Lamar Jackson completed the 11-play, 67-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mark Andrews for a 27-13 lead with just under 11 minutes left.

It’s all set up for the running game, but the Ravens just have to get back on track, which they have done in the past three games. Maybe in the postseason, if the Ravens get there, they’ll have to depend on Jackson to toss the ball around more, but not at this point.

The Ravens built this offensive line for Henry to run, which is why they have enormous guards in the 6-foot-6, 320-pound Andrew Vorhees and the 6-7, 380-pound Daniel Faalele. To be honest, they can’t pass protect. So, if the Ravens stay with the run, at least they should keep the score close.

This team still has many questions about its defense, especially the secondary. The cornerbacks were lost for most of the first half and spent time shrugging and looking at each other in complete disarray. Minnesota finished with 365 yards of total offense, even though McCarthy spent most of the game missing receivers.

Rookie safety Malaki Starks and cornerback Marlon Humphrey each had interceptions, but they were basically gifts as Jefferson stopped running on the routes and then had the audacity not to chase down either Humphrey or Starks after the pass was picked off.

Merry Christmas, Ravens.

The Ravens have improved, especially on the back end, and the recent addition of outside linebacker Dre’Mont Jones has helped. He didn’t have a tackle Sunday, but he finished with two quarterback hurries as the Ravens moved McCarthy in the pocket 12 times.

For this group, that’s impressive.

The Ravens will keep working, and hopefully they will improve. They are at least intriguing because they are on a roll, and they still have to play division-leading Pittsburgh and Cincinnati twice, as well as the New York Jets and the Cleveland Browns.

But as Sunday’s game unfolded, there was the Ravens offense that could muster only three field goals in the first half and the one that scored on three of six possessions in the second half. They physically dominated both lines of scrimmage in those two final quarters and just wore down the Vikings.

Now, will the real Ravens stand up?

Minnesota might still have been in disbelief from its victory over Detroit. How else does the hometown team draw eight false start penalties? It’s even worse that Humphrey’s interception came on third-and-1 at the 50-yard line against a quarterback who can’t throw accurately.

And a lot of Ravens fans thought coach John Harbaugh was bad.

But after Sunday’s win, it’s still hard to figure out the Ravens. They have a multi-weaponed offense and a defense that can play with most teams when it wants to. They can look bad for a half, and then unstoppable for the second.

Go figure.

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