A glimpse of what is possible
Ravens’ 1st half vs. Jags among their best this season
Only an uncertain future could temper the joy of the Ravens’ most comprehensive win in months Sunday. A blowout victory, they knew, wouldn’t count for much if they couldn’t keep winning.
And a postseason appearance
wouldn’t last long if they couldn’t keep improving.
“We can’t peak too soon,” quarterback Lamar Jackson said after a 40-14 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars that kept them in the mix for a wild-card berth.
But if there’s a half of Ravens football that should frighten any potential playoff opponent, it’s the Ravens’ first half Sunday, probably their best half of the season.
They entered halftime leading 26-0 and averaging 6.8 yards per play on offense (224 total) and 2.1 yards per play allowed (61 total) on defense. According to Pro-Football-Reference, no team since the 2002 Kansas City Chiefs has ended a game averaging 6.8 yards per play or more and 2.2 yards per play allowed or less in a game. Only
14 teams have ever done it since 1940.
Yes, the Ravens were playing a team that will probably have the top overall pick in next year’s draft, and a defense that’s perhaps the NFL’s worst. Yes, there was a second-half regression for both the Ravens offense (6.4 yards per play overall) and defense (4.6 yards per play allowed). But they mostly put on a clinic.
Here’s what made the Ravens’ first and second quarters so dominant and promising — and here’s where they could still improve:
First-down success
The only significant blemish on the Ravens’ first half — Jackson’s interception on a late-to-arrive, somewhat-underthrown deep shot to wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown on the team’s opening drive — came on first down.
Otherwise, the Ravens mostly got what they wanted early. On the 17 other firstdown scenarios for the offense, they averaged 7.8 yards per play.
Most interesting was offensive coordinator Greg Roman’s willingness to break from his tendencies. Entering Week 15, the Ravens had passed on 34.4% of their firstdown plays. That often got the team into trouble early in the season, with defenses keying on run plays and keeping the Ravens off schedule.
In the first half Sunday, though, Jackson dropped back 10 times, while the Ravens had eight carries. Onnine pass attempts, including the interception — one drop-back turned into a scramble — the offense averaged 9.8 yards per play.
Play-action boost
Want to build a better passing game? Use the threat of the run to set it up. Just ask Baker Mayfield or Ryan Tannehill.
Against Jacksonville, the Ravens didn’t hesitate to use play-action fakes over and over. Here’s how their first seven passes unfolded:
Run fake to running back Gus Edwards, 11-yard completion to fullback Patrick Ricard.
Run fake to Edwards, 10-yard completion to Brown.
Run fake to running back J.K. Dobbins, interception on pass to Brown.
Run fake to Edwards, 18-yard completion to tight end Mark Andrews.
Run fake to Dobbins in run-pass option, 28-yard completion to Brown.
Run fake to Edwards, 4-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Miles Boykin.
Run fake to wide receiver Willie Snead IV, 27-yard completion to Andrews.
The play-action is not a silver bullet for struggling offenses. The Ravens’ two longest gains Sunday — Brown’s 44-yard catch and the 36-yard pass-interference penalty Andrews drew — didn’t come off play-action. And the Cleveland Browns sacked Jackson three times in Week 14 when the Ravens did fake a run action, first on a flea flicker and then twice more on traditional pass plays.
But with their ground game finally in gear, the Ravens should have the leverage to punish defenses intent on stopping the run.
Evolving offense
Noone would confuse the Ravens offense with Kansas City’s. The Chiefs lead the NFL in efficiency, according to Football Outsiders,
and even a defense as consistently talented as the Ravens’ has whiffed in its past three matchups with Patrick Mahomes.
But if Roman and Chiefs coach Andy Reid share any coaching traits, it’s an ability to keep parts of their playbook fresh — Roman on the ground, and Reid through the air.
In recent weeks, the Ravens have tortured opposing defenses with their “bash” counter concept, in which a running back becomes the outside option in a read-option play and Jackson the inside threat. On Sunday, the Ravens added another wrinkle that took advantage of Dobbins’ breakaway speed.
On third-and-3 on the Ravens’ opening drive, Dobbins lined up wide, a tactic that can help quarterbacks determine before the snap whether the defense is in man-to-man or zone coverage. When Jackson motioned him over, Dobbins jogged as if he were returning to the backfield.
Then he accelerated, a quick burst that would take him across Jackson’s face. The ball was snapped, and when the Jaguars’ unblocked edge defender crashed on Jackson, Dobbins took the handoff and cruised to the edge, turning upfield for an easy 11-yard gain. Early in the second quarter, the Ravens used the same kind of motion for Dobbins near the goal line, and the rookie all but walked in, untouched, for a 2-yard score.
Not every wrinkle was ironed out, however.
Onthe Ravens’ second drive, Dobbins was stacked up behind Andrews in the slot on a first-and-10 play. Jackson seemed to have two options: throw a bubble screen out right, to Dobbins, or follow his blockers, moving left. He chose neither, holding onto the ball after looking at Dobbins before scrambling up the middle for 2 yards.
Stout run defense
The Jaguars’ running game, led by rookie running back James Robinson, wasn’t supposed to be a dud Sunday. Jacksonville has been solid on the ground all year, and the Ravens entered kickoff with Pro Bowl selection Calais Campbell unavailable and another starting defensive end, Derek Wolfe, banged up.
But in the first half, the Jaguars had just 28 rushing yards and 2 yards per carry. They finished with 62 yards total, their second
fewest this season, and just 2.8 per carry.
It was a team effort spurred by what coach John Harbaugh called “dominant” performances up front. The play before outside linebacker Matthew Judon’s safety, defensive tackle Brandon Williams almost got a hand on Robinson 3 yards deep in the end zone. He later got a tackle for loss. Defensive tackle Justin Ellis added a stop for no gain. Outside linebacker Jaylon Ferguson set the edge well on a 3-yard carry. Inside linebacker Patrick Queen shot the gaps he needed to and even shrugged off a lineman along the line of scrimmage to help stop a run after 2 yards.
Over the Ravens’ first 13 games, they’d struggled at times defending the run on early downs, allowing 4.4 yards per carry on first down and 5.3 yards on second down. But with Jacksonville having nowhere to go, the Ravens’ pass rush could get after Minshew. Hewas sacked four times in the first half and threw another pass away to avoid a fifth.
Clean living
The Ravens, one of the most penalized teams in the NFL, might finally be turning a corner.
In a Week 13 win against the Dallas Cowboys, the Ravens were flagged just four times for 23 yards. On Sunday, they weren’t called for any first-half penalties and finished with four for 40 yards. Over 14 games, they’ve committed 106 penalties for 847 yards, both fifth most in the NFL.
The Ravens weren’t flagged until the third quarter against Jacksonville, and their offense wasn’t penalized until after Jackson had turned over the reins to rookie Tyler Huntley.
The Ravens didn’t avoid presnap penalties entirely — tight end Eric Tomlinson had a false start in the fourth quarter — but there were signs of progress nonetheless.
Just one flag directly affected the score Sunday, and Harbaugh called Ferguson’s roughing-the-passer penalty, which nullified a pick-six for inside linebacker L.J. Fort, a “youthful mistake.”
“In a close game, that’s a game-changer, right there,” Harbaugh said Monday. “I think [Ferguson] felt like he was legal on it. Then I just explained to him why it wasn’t. And he’ll go back and look at that and learn from it.”