Soul-Searching for Former UGA Star Roquan Smith and the Ravens
As most UGA football fans are acutely aware, Roquan Smith doesn’t hold back when he has an opinion. The linebacker – the first UGA alumni to win the Butkus Award – has been in typically vociferous mood since his Baltimore Ravens team started the season 0-2. “Trust me, it sucks for us more than anyone else. I just know we're gonna put our head down and keep going and, you know, correct our mistakes. There's no way we should be 0-2, but hey, it is what it is." Smith said after defeat at the hands of the Raiders.
Smith had a point, but he is also aware that the Ravens have only themselves to blame. The opening-game defeat to the Chiefs was certainly no shock, but blowing a healthy lead to the Las Vegas Raiders was not in the team’s blueprint for the 2024 season. Looking at sports stories and previews for Week 3, there is a sense that the game against the Dallas Cowboys is absolutely pivotal for the Ravens to turn things around.
Some teams have recovered from 0-2 starts
Only a couple of teams have recovered from 0-2 starts to go on to win the Super Bowl, most notably the 2001 Patriots and 2007 Giants. The Ravens started the season as third favorites behind only the Chiefs and 49ers. Their odds have risen considerably after two weeks. It’s not terminal and many teams have made the Playoffs after a shaky start, but history is stacked against them.
Smith is a leader on the field for the Ravens and in the locker room. His quality stands out in a defense that has stood out in the NFL, although that hasn’t been the case so far this season. The bigger problem for Smith and his team is that the games on the horizon – Cowboys, Bills, and Bengals – aren’t easy. All three of those teams were ranked in the top ten in the betting odds for the Super Bowl preseason. Yes, some, like the Bengals (also 0-2), have their own problems, but all three represent formidable opponents for the Ravens.
Smith must lead by example
Smith is one of three former UGA players on the Ravens’ active roster, but unlike Ben Cleveland and Nick Moore, he is seen as an integral part of turning things around. The team had the meanest defense in the NFL across the 2023 season, and much of that was down to the guile and leadership of the man who wears the number 0 on his back. But only four teams have conceded more points than the Ravens so far this season, so Smith will be acutely aware that he has a responsibility to fix that.
As we said, all is not lost. If the Ravens can get through this tough stretch, weaker teams await across the fall. But there is a sense of soul-searching in Baltimore right now, wondering how a well-fancied team has now gotten its back against the wall. Smith has the character to relish the challenge of putting things right, though. And nobody should rule out this former Bulldog getting back into the Playoffs, and perhaps even more.