So a team can be successful without All Pro's all over the offense?
Run the ball, pass protect and not an All Pro in site.
Maybe Lamar really is the MVP.
When you can run the ball well and can stop others from running the ball, you have a really good recipe for playoff success.
The Ravens offense will always be a challenge as long as Lamar can run the ball like a RB, but he's one run away from having a season-ending injury. But the Ravens are smart to ride him as long as they can.
The Ravens defense is predicated on NO RUNNING on 1st down. They commit 10 in the box on most 1st downs. Before the snap on 1st down, you often see ALL 11 defensive players within the TV frame. That's a full commitment to stopping the run on early downs. And they're good at deception on passing downs, so it's hard to get a read on their defense. That's called winning the chess match.
Quinn has very little of this skill set. With a small safety playing MLB, on many first downs, the Cowboys still have their safeties playing 12+ yards off the ball. And they don't even cheat up at the snap...only making a move to the LOS once the ball is handed off. There's not even a crowd at the LOS on most 1st downs, as if they front 7 is stout by themselves.
Mike McDonald, Ravens DC, we should seriously try to lure him to the Cowboys. You need that kind of a mindset to have a solid defense. Can't rely on punch-outs, picks, and sacks to be successful.