The Baltimore Ravens beat the San Diego Chargers 29-26 on Sunday. With 2:07 left in the third quarter they lost wide receiver Steve Smith to a torn Achilles. Before the injury, he passed Cris Carter for 10th place on the all-time list for career receiving yards. He will be out the remainder of the year. What will this mean for the Baltimore Ravens the rest of the season?
Steve Smith played the past two years with the Baltimore Ravens. Last season he had 1,065 yards receiving and 6 touchdowns. At the start of the year Smith said that this would be his last year playing in the NFL. Smith was well on his way to another 1,000 yard season having 670 yards in 6 games. He also caught 3 touchdowns.
According to NFL.com, Head Coach John Harbaugh said, “He’s pretty shook up about it. Shook up’s not a right word. He’s just really — he’s hurting.” This is a big loss for the Baltimore Ravens. Smith is a reliable pass catcher. After each reception, he excels at getting more yards. Smith is the leading receiver on this team.
The Baltimore Ravens wide receivers core will have to replace Steve Smith. Kamar Aiken is the second leading receiver on the Ravens with 333 yards and two touchdowns. He will need to take a larger role in the offense and try to get open so that Joe Flacco can still have a deep threat. Tight end Crokett Gillmore might see more footballs going his way because Flacco could throw the ball short to him.
The running backs and fullbacks might be more involved in the passing game. This includes Justin Forsett and Kyle Juszcyk. When passes come their way, they should be in the middle of the field allowing them to break tackles and gain yards.
The Ravens will miss Steve Smith because he such a big part of the passing game. Baltimore can’t rely on one receiver anymore. The receivers as a whole must find a way to be open for Flacco to throw the ball. It will be a tough task.
How will the Ravens replace Steve smith?
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