The Baltimore Ravens are coming off a big 24-0 win against their division rival, the Cincinnati Bengals. This win keeps the team’s playoff hopes alive.
However, even with the big victory, many still have doubts about the team’s capabilities, as the offense has looked out of sync during this recent stretch.
Despite the win, a big reason the Ravens haven’t been to their usual explosive selves has been the play of time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Lamar’s Post-Injury Struggles
After missing a few games with a hamstring injury, Lamar’s return has been far from spectacular. The explosiveness and incredible plays that we are used to watching just haven’t been there.
As he struggles to find his usual rhythm, he lacks that explosive boost that has been his hallmark throughout his career. This drastic change in play has left the Ravens’ offense desperate for answers.
Since returning, he has not looked himself, running for more than 40 yards only once, and that was in Week 14 against the Steelers, a game the Ravens trailed almost all of. He’s also been dealing with a myriad of smaller injuries since returning to action.
Besides his difficulties running, he has also been struggling to complete his reads on offense. In his last seven starts, Lamar has only completed 60.5% of his passes, way below his career passing percentage of 64.8.
The numbers have painted a clear picture since his return. In seven games after his injury, Lamar has thrown only eight passing touchdowns to five interceptions. Combine these stats with his struggles to run and pass the ball, and this shows just how far the Ravens’ offense falls short unless he is his usual superhuman self.
It also reveals why he is a big reason why this offense has struggled to find its footing.
While Lamar Jackson’s recent numbers raise people’s concerns, he can’t take all the blame for the team’s offensive struggles. Another major part is the Ravens’ play at the offensive line.
Inconsistency Up Front
Offensive line play has been one of the most significant catalysts of the team’s disappointing season. While Pro Football Network ranks them 18th in offensive line performance, that grade is actually misleading. The play of Pro Bowl players broadly raises the team’s score, including left tackle Ronnie Stanley, ranked the 27th-best tackle, and Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum.
Outside of the play from these two players, the offensive line has been struggling mightily, allowing the eighth-most sacks in the league, with Lamar being sacked 33 of the 40 sacks Ravens QBs have taken. Most of the blame for the team’s offensive line issues falls on two players: right guard Daniel Faalele and left guard Andrew Vorhees, who have both been equally bad, allowing a combined seven sacks on 49 pressures.
The play on the O-line has gotten so bad that past all-time great Ravens, like Shannon Sharpe, have called them out.
Besides Lamar taking unnecessary hits due to the O-line’s poor play, it has also made it incredibly hard for Baltimore to score in the red zone, with the team ranking 31st in red zone percentage, resulting in touchdowns at 44%. This has been the most surprising, with an all-time great pairing in Hall of Fame running back Derrick Henry and two-time MVP Lamar Jackson.
Yet despite these flaws, there’s still one main reason why the Ravens’ offense has been struggling: coaching.
Coaching Struggles
The final nail in the coffin for the Ravens’ recent offensive struggles has been the coaching; Head Coach John Harbaugh has been frequently making poor coaching decisions.
What has defined John Harbaugh’s career is his ability to stand by his players even when they’re struggling. But as a coach, you have to find a balance between standing by and giving too much leeway. In this case, it’s been the latter every week.
Coach Harbaugh has sat behind the same offensive line and refused to make adjustments, such as benching incumbent starter Daniel Faalele, whom fans have called for to be benched all season.
Harbaugh’s stubbornness to move on from players who haven’t shown any improvement all season has proven to be more of a liability than a solution, even when he has players waiting for the chance to prove themselves, like rookie tackle Emery Jones Jr., who has been waiting for the opportunity to ball out after missing 12 games due to injury.
That stubborn loyalty, combined with his refusal to adapt, has left the Ravens’ offense stuck in neutral. For a team that started off the year with championship aspirations, the margin for error is now razor‑thin just to make the playoffs.
Final Thoughts
While last Sunday’s dominating win over the Bengals has shown that the Ravens still have the potential of a sleeping giant, unless Lamar gets his play back together and both the offensive line and coaching staff improve, this team’s season will end in utter disappointment.
While the talent is there, it’s up to the Ravens to put the pieces together on offense and save their season.
Leave a comment