Five things we learned from first half of season

Flacco’s woes hard to get read on; B. Williams’ value clear

With the Ravens enjoying their bye week, here’s a look at the key takeaways from their first nine games. 1) It’s difficult to separate Joe Flacco’s performance from the quality of his receiving corps and Marty Mornhinweg’s game plan.

It’s easy to say Flacco has been awful. His basic numbers — worst yards per attempt and third-worst passer rating in the NFL — support that position.

The Ravens have paid him like a franchise quarterback since 2013, and the 97.9 FM, 1090 AM only season he’s resembled one was 2014. He’s less mobile than he was before his 2015 knee injury and, as a result, more easily overwhelmed by pressure. At least once a game, he fails to read the defense and forces a pass into a heavily covered area.

All of that said, Flacco has been better than the surface indicators suggest. His arm is as strong as ever, and he’s thrown