It would have been easy for the Baltimore Ravens to walk out of Lucas Oil Stadium feeling confident. This came after hanging 41 points on the Indianapolis Colts. It would have been easy to feel like they had figured everything out. The offense was a machine despite the attempts to short-circuit its own efforts with penalties.
'Efficiency' is the word that comes to mind, for the most part. Lamar Jackson looked comfortable in the new system. Derrick Henry ran for three touchdowns. Zay Flowers exploded for 150 receiving yards before leaving with an injury. Baltimore piled up more than 500 yards of offense.
There was plenty to celebrate. Mark Andrews, however, isn't interested in celebrating too much. That might be one of the more important developments
to come out of the Ravens' opening-week explosion. While everyone else gets busy talking about what Baltimore's offense could become, Andrews is already reminding his teammates that none of it matters if they allow one impressive afternoon to change how they approach the next game.
Mark Andrews knows the Ravens haven't proven anything yet
After a performance like Sunday's, the temptation is to start projecting. How good can this offense be? How dangerous can Jackson become in Declan Doyle's system? What happens when the Ravens get everyone healthy? Can Baltimore actually be one of the league's most explosive offenses?
Those are fair questions. They're also questions the Ravens don't need to answer in Week 1.Andrews spoke with the media, and his message was much simpler: Do your job, learn from what went wrong, and keep moving forward.
He emphasized the importance of not getting "too high, not getting too low" and staying focused on the process of improving. That sounds like standard veteran leadership until you consider the circumstances. Baltimore just scored 41 points. If there were ever a time for a team to get carried away with its own success, this would be it. Instead, Andrews is already pointing to what the Ravens need to clean up.
That matters because the next opponent is the New Orleans Saints. They won't be impressed by what Baltimore did against the Colts. The Saints will come into M&T Bank Stadium with a completely different game plan, and the Ravens will have to execute it without assuming Sunday's offensive success will carry over.
The Ravens' next challenge is handling expectations
Andrews' warning is significant. The Ravens aren't entering Week 2 as an unknown team hoping to prove it belongs. They're entering it with expectations. That's a different challenge. Opponents now have film of Doyle's offense operating in a real game. They know what Jackson and Henry looked like when the system was clicking.
They saw Flowers create explosive plays before his injury, and they'll spend the week trying to find ways to prevent Baltimore from doing it again. The Ravens have to respond by improving rather than simply repeating what worked. That matches what several of Baltimore's leaders said after the opener.
Kyle Hamilton gave the defense a 'C-plus grade' despite a 41-23 victory. Derrick Henry said the offense still wasn't perfect. Lamar Jackson reminded everyone that it was only Week 1.
Andrews' message fits right alongside all of that. The Ravens don't need to prove that Sunday's performance was real. They need to prove they can build on it. That's why the Saints game may tell us more about Baltimore's offense than the Colts game did.
A 41-point explosion can announce a team's potential, but handling the expectations that come afterward is where a season starts to take shape. And Andrews seems determined to make sure the Ravens don't confuse one great Sunday with the finished product.
This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Mark Andrews sends an early warning after Ravens' Week 1 explosion
