Ravens TE Isiah Likely provides some optimism in the midst of a mini-storm

We knew when the season started that the Baltimore Ravens would be without the services of their young tight end, Isaiah Likely. Most didn't worry. Everyone knew that he'd be back as part of the lineup at some point.

Week 1 brought one of those games that we knew could go either way. Then again, that can be said about every game The Flock has played so far, except for the home opener in Week 2. We knew this team was supposed to beat the lowly Cleveland Browns, but this schedule has some heavyweights on it. What about those other contests?

Well, here we are, and time has flown. We have learned the results of the first five games on the 17-game schedule. Four losses in five rigorous tests... This certainly isn't what we all expected.

We didn't necessarily think this team would be undefeated by now, but we certainly didn't expect them to be teetering on the verge of a lost season either.

On top of everything else that has gone wrong, injuries have complicated the task of stacking wins, but as expected, Isaiah Likely made his return to the lineup in Week 4. In two games, both blowout losses, he has played 49 snaps and hauled in one target for 12 yards. He spoke with the media after Baltimore's loss to the Houston Texans.

"Man, [we're] trying to be 1-0 next week. Obviously, [we need to] learn from the mistakes that we had this week. [It's important for us to] understand what we have to clean up [and] what we have to get better at. [We need to] have a real heart-to-heart with everybody, and even with yourself in the mirror, and just [start] getting ready for the [Los Angeles] Rams."

That seems a positive take on a rough start that few saw coming, especially the Ravens themselves. Baltimore's schedule won't get any easier moving forward, but Likely mentions limiting mistakes, such as his false start, as a way to steady the ship. He also says everyone has bought in on climbing out of the 1-4 hole they dug for themselves.

"That just comes back to [being] leaders, and like I said, everybody looking at themselves in the mirror. Everybody [in the locker room] is a grown man. At the end of the day, when they get on the field between those white lines, the brother next to you trusts you. I trust you to do your job and to get a win when we're on the field."

Perfect storms hit at the most inopportune times, but this is a team united with a nice mix of veteran leadership and youthful energy. If anyone can defy the odds, it's thisBaltimore Ravens team.

It won't be easy because the next test requires them to host a Los Angeles Rams team that's better than the squad that just dismantled them. They'll need a better effort, but if the confidence they claim to have in defensive coordinator Zach Orr and quarterback Cooper Rush is absolute, anything can happen. Fingers are crossed all over Baltimore and the Ravens fan base for the second win of what has been a disappointing and confusing start to what was supposed to be a promising season.

This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Ravens’ Isiah Likely offers optimism amid a brewing mini-storm