Let’s face it. The Ravens offense simply overpowered the Commanders defense, bringing home a fourth straight win. Jayden Daniels is an outstanding prospect. He reads defenses like a ten year veteran and brings rare pinpoint accuracy. But I had the feeling the Commanders could have put twelve men on the defensive side of the ball and it would not have mattered. Do the Ravens have an unstoppable offensive machine?
On the other side of the ball, did the Ravens secondary show any improvement against Daniels? Can the Ravens run the table in the post-season with the group they have? Let’s take a look at these and a few other points.
Unstoppable Offensive Machine? – The Pitch Left
This has become the old Vince Lombardi sweep right. No one has stopped the Ravens Derrick Henry pitch left. It has become the big-play staple of the run game. At least three or four times per game the Ravens bring some variation of a big package where Lamar pitches to Henry running left. Generally, Ronnie Stanley is either tasked with sealing the edge or providing a lead block on the move, with either Mark Andrews or Charlies Kolar doing whatever Stanley doesn’t. Patrick Ricard is the final and definitive key to this play, providing devastating lead blocks on the move against whoever – corner, safety or linebacker – dares challenge him. Over and over again this play has led to ten, 15 and 20 yards or more gains.
The Ravens will run that pitch left until somebody finds a way to stop it. Now, let’s wait until Todd Monken uses a fake pitch left, particularly against defenses that are overly aggressive.
All of the Elements are Coming Together for the Offense
The Commanders played a lot of man coverage against the Ravens. I’ve always said that it’s impossible for corners to cover Zay Flowers on crossing routes. His feet are too quick and he’s too explosive once he makes a sharp break. The Ravens ran Flowers across the field numerous times in the first half, and the Commanders were helpless. Dedicate yourself to stopping the run, and Flowers becomes a major force.
I’ve been preaching since last season that Rashod Bateman is open almost all of the time. Todd Monken has figured that out too. Bateman can beat you anywhere on the field, running beautiful routes that leave him open very quickly. Like Monken, Lamar is figuring it out. Yes, Bateman was much more involved against the Commanders and is becoming a serious weapon. And he was open even more often that his catches last week revealed, as Lamar missed him on several wide open opportunities. Plus, Bateman is now mastering finding zone gaps and sitting in the open spots. The Bateman-Flowers duo is underappreciated by pundits. But it’s real, and it’s hard to stop.
The Tight Ends
Mark Andrews ran really well against Washington. Like Bateman and Flowers, he was consistently open. Andrews also blocked very effectively – I thought it was his best effort so far. If the Ravens so chose, Andrews could easily be a ten catch per game receiver. But there aren’t enough footballs to go around. Who ever thought we’d say that in a Ravens offense?
Isaiah Likely remains a very serious threat. Yes, he’s not getting the ball nearly as often as he did earlier in the season. But that’s no surprise, given how devastating the run game has become. And Charlie Kolar is blocking reasonably well, with the ability to sneak out and catch a ball when called upon. But Likely is a complete mismatch against virtually everyone. Four receiver sets with Flowers-Bateman-Andrews and Likely are a real problem for defenses.
Pass Protection
This has really been the most pleasant development on the offense. Ronnie Stanley has become a reasonably stout pass blocker once again. Though he struggles the most with quickness, Stanley’s ability to drop a strong anchor has allowed him to keep Lamar very clean. I didn’t see this coming, and it’s a huge – and essential – plus to the offense flourishing. How will he fare against Alex Highsmith? We’ll see.
Pat Mekari has done a very workman-like job at left guard and is also keeping Lamar clean. Tyler Linderbaum has his occasional struggle against power, but Daniel Faalele has improved since the first two games. Roger Rosengarten has fared reasonably well, though he was beaten on several plays against the Commanders. But let’s face it, his move into the starting lineup has been a blessing, as he’s been adequate providing protection on the right side.
Lamar has had more time to throw the ball this year, and it shows.
Lamar Jackson
As noted last week, the game is slowing down for Lamar this season. One could look back and argue that Greg Roman retarded Lamar’s development in understanding and recognizing defensive structures. Maybe that’s true. But as they say, yesterday is gone. The 2024 Lamar Jackson is understanding what he sees much better. He’s making more adjustments pre-snap. And he’s making more correct reads faster. And yes, the weapons around him – easily the best he’s had in his career – make all of this much easier.
Does the 2024 Lamar Jackson now have the mental mastery that’s necessary to win a Super Bowl? Well, the odds of that have improved. Let’s make that judgment after he confronts the Steelers defense, against whom he’s never played well. We will also know after the Steelers whether this offense, which seems so loaded, is one of the all-time greats.
Defensive Confusion Continues
I was very disappointed in last week’s defensive tape. There were a few terrible, and inexplicable, gaffes yet again. Fortunately, as great as Jayden Daniels played, he didn’t spot everything, and the Ravens pass rush saved the secondary from further misfortunes.
Once again, the heart of the problem starts with Roquan Smith. And it started early in the game. For those who can find the video, at the 11:47 mark of the first quarter the Commanders lined up with four receivers, two on the right (both tight ends) and two on the left of their formation. The Ravens lined up Marlon Humphrey in press coverage on the outside wide receiver on that left side. Brandon Stephens lined up 10 yards back over the slot receiver on that side.
Trenton Simpson lined up outside the edge linebacker, as the Commanders running back was on the right side, clearly indicating he was going to blitz. Roquan lined up in the B-gap inside of that same edge rusher.
Now mind you the running back, as noted, was on the other side. At the snap the slot receiver headed down the field towards Stephens, Marlon rode the outside receiver across the middle, and Simpson blitzed. What did Roquan do? He came up and impeded Humphrey’s crossing receiver, and then continued up the field on the Commanders left side where the Commanders had no one.
Meanwhile, the running back on the other side – and you may remember this play – runs a wheel route down the right side of the field. Both Nate Wiggins and Kyle Humphrey covered their respective tight ends, who each crossed the field from right to left. This left Kyle Van Noy, tasked with dropping back into coverage (as I’ve noted before, I absolutely hate dropping these edge rushers into coverage; they’re not very good at it) and chasing over to the running back, who was already way gone.
This horrendous play (and there were several others) highlighted how poorly Roquan has played, and how Zach Orr continues to call defenses that create mismatches against the Ravens.
Another infuriating example of miscues by the secondary came on Washington’s second possession in the second half. On this play Brandon Stephens was beaten badly on the snap. But he then released his receiver through his zone while Eddie Jackson, who manned the area behind Stephens, remained very deep. In this two-safety high look, for some reason the other deep safety, Marcus Williams, turned to run to the very area manned by Jackson. And when I say turned, I mean he completely swiveled his hips in that direction and ran. At the same time, Kyle Hamilton released his man underneath and was left with no one in his area. This left Roquan Smith alone in a zone with two receivers, but Roquan was primarily tasked with covering the running back out of the backfield. Only Marlon Humphrey seemed to understand his responsibilities on this play.
Now fans won’t remember this play because, critically, Yannick Ngakoue created pressure, forcing Daniels to miss a wide open receiver. But there were mistakes everywhere. And once again, too often. I could site other examples.
What To Do With the Secondary? A Trade?
So many of the errors regularly occurring in the secondary are mental. Individual players not understanding their responsibilities on a given play. Other than Nate Wiggins, these are veteran players who – too often during the game – don’t get their responsibilities correct. Few of these mistakes are physical.
Wiggins has largely struggled this season. He had an up and down game against the Commanders. There were a few instances where he highlighted his natural ability, blanketing a receiver or two down the field. He also made a few excellent reads. But at the same time, his lack of consistent understanding was also evident. Few rookie cornerbacks play like Sauce Gardner in year one. Wiggins has talent, and it’s a process for him. But don’t expect consistent lock-down play quite yet.
Now if the Ravens make a trade before the deadline, the one area of focus for me is free safety. Marcus Williams looks slow and uncertain. You can’t hide it. Teams will continue to attack him when they can. Would I make a move for Budda Baker of the Cardinals if he became available? Yes. The Ravens might have as many as 11 draft picks next year. I’d be willing to do something here. This could be the piece to the defensive puzzle that they need.
Would I make a pitch for Za’Darius Smith? I haven’t seen Smith play this year and don’t know what he has left in the tank. Salary cap issues aside, you could make a case here. Ngakoue looks pretty good to me as a situational pass rusher. He’s still very quick and looks strong. And the rotation of Kyle Van Noy makes obvious sense. None of the edge linebackers are receiving heavy play counts.
I concede I don’t understand why Odafe Oweh doesn’t play more often. This one is puzzling, as Oweh is clearly their best edge defender. And I also don’t appreciate the reason that Tavius Robinson gets as much action as he does. David Ojabo really hasn’t contributed as much as you’d like in the limited rotation action he receives. So yes, if Smith’s tank is still fairly full there’s a case to make for him. But free safety is a bigger need.
This Week’s Errata
A few other thoughts.
Daniel Faalele
I touched on it a bit above, but Faalele has improved more than I thought he could. He’s adequate in the run game and is holding up well in pass protection. I thought he had his best game to date against the Commanders. Faalele is not a weak link at this point. Let’s hope he can keep that going.
Unstoppable Offensive Machine Award – Patrick Ricard
Pencil him in as a Pro Bowler right now. In fact, he should be All Pro this year. Ricard is absolutely pulverizing defenders. It’s devastating when he’s a lead blocker for the King. What a find Ricard has been all along. Now, I’m waiting for his first catch . . .
The Steelers
They just keep winning. Russell Wilson will be their quarterback, at least until they lose three more games. Their defense just makes plays, and Wilson has the wisdom to help them reach whatever potential is within their offense. No, I’m not saying Wilson is back. I doubt that. But it could work for him in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers offensive line will likely dictate their ultimate destiny this year. Granted, they haven’t played against any of the league’s better teams, and they get the putrid Giants next week in what should be an easy home win. Their remaining games outside of the division are against Washington (road), Philadelphia (road), and Kansas City (home). The Ravens still have to play the Bucs (road), the Texans (road), Denver (home), the Chargers (road), the Eagles (home) and the Giants (road).
Pittsburgh has two games left against Cincinnati. They arguably have a tougher road to hoe. I’m not counting out the Bengals and their woeful defense, but the Steelers are the team to worry about.
By the way, if I were writing a Steelers blog (they wouldn’t let me), I’d likely be giving it to Patrick Queen. He’s been a big waste of money so far, just as we expected.
Travis Jones
The Ravens run defense is terrific because of Jones. He’s just dominating inside, every week. Pay this man.
Marlon Humphrey
Humphrey continues to play his best ball in three years. He’s not making the mental mistakes, by and large. He’s well positioned. And he’s tackling well. Now, what happened to the punch-out he mastered a few years back? The defense needs to generate more turnovers and a punch-out here and there would help. For those who think Humphrey is too grabby, just watch Sauce Gardner or Joey Porter, Jr., or a legion of others. It’s rampant across the league, and Humphrey is no worse than these guys.
Tampa Bay
They will want to attack the Ravens down the field, but their offense has been predicated on short tosses and YAC. The Ravens should give more press looks at the line and force the Bucs out of their preferred passing approach. And how will Roquan play this week . . .
