Do the Ravens have a Michael Crabtree problem

Do the Ravens have a Michael Crabtree problem? The Ravens offense is off to a humming start this season http://www.baltimoreravensteamauthentic.com/justin-tucker-jersey , specifically in the passing game. Joe Flacco is on pace for a career-high in both yards and touchdowns. So too is wide receiver John Brown, who has proven to be an elite deep threat. Baltimore currently ranks 10th in the NFL in total yards and 8th in passing yards. The Ravens are scoring 30.8 points per game, the 5th highest total In the league. While this success is great, it has helped mask a concerning issue. Michael Crabtree, the team’s presumed number one receiver, has failed to meet expectations thus far in the season. Crabtree is currently tied for the league-lead in dropped passes with five on the season.In the season opener against Buffalo, Crabtree had two drops in the first quarter alone. His slow start was largely forgotten, however, after he caught an impressive touchdown pass and finished with three catches for 38 yards.Crabtree dropped another pass against the Bengals in Week 2. His performance against Denver was by far his best game of the season, as he caught seven passes for 61 yards. Instead of building upon it, however http://www.baltimoreravensteamauthentic.com/nick-boyle-jersey , he took a step backwards. During last week’s matchup against the Steelers, Crabtree finished with just three catches for 29 yards, including two more ugly drops. As has been the case with almost all of his drops this season, Crabtree was open and the ball hit him right in the hands. Given his physical attributes and reputation as a possession receiver, one would think this is merely a fluke start. Unfortunately, this trend is nothing new. Dropped passes have been an issue for Crabtree over the past several seasons. In 2016, Crabtree led the NFL in drops with 13. No receiver in the league has more drops than Crabtree over the past four seasons, which is frustrating given his ability to make contested catches and score touchdowns. The Ravens need the Michael Crabtree we saw in Week 1, who made this difficult grab in the back of the endzone look easy. Despite leading the team in targets this season, Crabtree has been overshadowed by John Brown’s stellar performance. Willie Snead IV, another newcomer at the position http://www.baltimoreravensteamauthentic.com/maxx-williams-jersey , also has more receiving yards on the same number of receptions. Crabtree, who caught 25 touchdowns in his three seasons with the Raiders, has just one this season. At the quarter mark, he’s averaging just 46.0 yards per game and is on pace to drop 20 passes this season. When the Ravens signed Crabtree to a three-year, $21 million dollar contract this offseason, he was expected to slot in as Flacco’s go-to target. Many, including myself, believed Crabtree could have a similar impact in Baltimore to that of Anquan Boldin. Through four games, this has not been the case. His inability to consistently catch the football is becoming a glaring issue and could be costly late in the season. As long as the offense continues to succeed, Crabtree’s production won’t make many headlines. However, the Ravens need more out of their marquee offseason acquisition. While defensive tackle Willie Henry (abdomen) and corner Anthony Averett (hamstring) have been ruled out since Friday http://www.baltimoreravensteamauthentic.com/terrell-suggs-jersey , there was hope that Hayden Hurst, the 25th overall pick in the 2018 draft, would make his regular season debut tonight. However he is still recovering from foot surgery. Look for third round pick, and fellow rookie tight end, Mark Andrews to continue to produce in his absence. Ravens InactivesHenry has also not played in 2018, after undergoing surgery to repair an umbilical hernia in August. Averett, a 2018 fourth round pick out of Alabama, is off to a frustrating start to his rookie season, missing his second consecutive game. As noted yesterday by The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec, Averett’s injury leaves Baltimore without depth at the corner position. Noticeably absent from Baltimore’s inactives list is linebacker C.J. Mosley, who missed last week’s game against Denver due to a bone bruise in his knee that he suffered against the Bengals in Week 2. The Ravens defensive leader will return to the lineup tonight. For the Steelers http://www.baltimoreravensteamauthentic.com/joe-flacco-jersey , corner Mike Hilton (elbow) and safety Morgan Burnett (groin) are both inactive. As anticipated, offensive linemen David DeCastro and Marcus Gilbert have returned for Pittsburgh. Steelers InactivesNo. 2 QB Mason RudolphNo. 11 WR Justin HunterNo. 27 S Marcus AllenNo. 28 CB Mike Hilton No. 42 S Morgan BurnettNo. 72 OT Zach BannerNo. 96 DE L.T. WaltonThrough three games, Hilton has 11 combined tackles, one interception and three passes defensed. Burnett also missed the Steelers Week 3 game against the Buccaneers. He was replaced by Virginia Tech rookie Terrell Edmunds, who intercepted Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Nat Berhe, who recorded his first two tackles on the season.