Season-long variance
Sometimes the Ravens have blocked well enough to spring a long run, only to watch the ball go elsewhere.
In the fourth quarter Sunday, Drake took a handoff in the pistol formation and tried his luck inside, where he was swallowed up for a 1-yard loss. As Dolphins players encircled Drake, fullback Patrick Ricard, his main escort on the play, raised his hands as if surprised to see Drake hadn’t followed him outside, where other blockers were pulling into open space.
The Ravens’ rushing struggles caught up to them late in Sunday’s loss, when a failed fourth-and-1 conversion midway through the fourth quarter helped give the Dolphins good field position. Five plays later, Miami was celebrating another touchdown, this one having trimmed the Ravens’ lead to 35-28.
If Jackson’s passing continues to unsettle defenses, he could open up more space
for the Ravens’ running game. Harbaugh said both the Jets and Dolphins committed numbers to stopping the team’s rushing offense. Other coordinators might not be as willing to take their chances with Jackson.
If they do, the Ravens’ preference for heavier formations could lay the groundwork for more explosive plays. By lining up with multiple tight ends and fullbacks, the Ravens invite defenses to match up with linebackers, rather than defensive backs. And what those defensive fronts might gain in size, they’ll likely lose in speed.
“These guys [on defense] put a lot of bodies close to the line of scrimmage,” Harbaugh said. “It helps us get a couple really big runs, especially the touchdown run [against Miami]. So once you get through that second line of defense — maybe it’s two-level, but it’s not three-level — a guy like Lamar or any back can go the whole way. So that’s part of it. But we’ve got to do a better job in critical situations.”