The Ravens have to worry about a Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver not named A.J. Green or Tyler Boyd.
Alex Erickson is the only player in the NFL who has returned three kickoffs for 40 yards or more this season, and he ranks fourth in the league in kickoff average at 26.8 yards. Containing Erickson is the first priority for the Ravens special teams unit.
āItās a team effort,ā special teams coordinator/associate head coach Jerry Rosburg said. āYou can see by his numbers that heās a very effective player, a highly effective receiver and special teams contributor in a lot of different ways. Itās one of those things where everybody has to contribute. Heās very good at finding creases. So the first task is not to create any creases. The second thing is, weāve got to tackle him. He slips tackles very well, he gets vertical. Heās a fine player.ā
Erickson returned two kicks for an average of 22.5 yards and did not get past the Bengalsā 24-yard line. Rookie linebacker Chris Board, who leads the team in total tackles with seven and solo stops with five, said Erickson reminds him of the Pittsburgh Steelersā Ryan Switzer, which means the coverage unit must cut down on potential return lanes.
āDefinitely just making sure that weāre assignment-sound as far as spreading the field because heās a very effective runner,ā Board said. āHe gets north and south, finds creases, and he hits them. So thatās what heās been really good at, and itās paid off for him.ā
Top grade for Andrews
Mark Andrewsā production this season has drawn the attention of analytics website Pro Football Focus, which graded him as the top rookie tight end with a 71.2 rating.
Andrews, 23, ranks fourth on the offense in receiving yards (244) and fifth in catches (21) and is tied for second in touchdown receptions (two). The organizationās third-round draft selection back in April said he did not know what criteria went into Pro Football Focusā grading, but said his sole objective is helping the team win games.
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āItās good to be contributing,ā he said. āItās hard as a tight end and being a rookie to do that. Thereās a lot to do and a lot to know. So just being able to be comfortable, I think thatās showing.ā