Make no mistake: Dan Quinn knows the Baltimore Ravens offense well.
Sunday at 1 p.m., the Commanders (4-1) will be in Baltimore to take on the Ravens (3-2). The Commanders might be getting most of the national NFL love for their offense, having scored 155 points. But the Ravens are second, only eight points back, having scored 147.
“Yeah, it’s for sure like a legit threat…So, it’s not a two-man show,” said Quinn. Most fans will think of it as only Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, but Quinn wanted the media to know up front that the Ravens offense is that good because it is more than just Jackson and Henry.
“So, you have to be really disciplined in the calls and have your eyes on the people to go. And even when you do that, it’s still hard. So, games like this comes down to tackling and ball-hawking and playing your style really well.”
Quinn is correct, as receiver Zay Flowers has 24 receptions, averaging 11.2 yards a reception. Tight end Isaiah Likely is next with 16 receptions, averaging 11.3 a reception. Tight end Mark Andrews is next, averaging 12.0 yards per reception.
Quinn knows that the Ravens run or throw the ball differently, so he can’t plan on his team aligning to stop one or the other, or the Commanders could pay dearly.
“Because if you just focus on one person, all in the run game, they’ll rip you throwing it too. So, you have to be really disciplined in your approach. But that’s kind of part of the fun of being in the NFL, man. Every week, how to go win the game may change, it may change some in the game. And I think the best of the best teams are able to adjust and do that.”
But Quinn was honest enough Wednesday to go ahead and imply it doesn’t matter how they are aligned or blitzing if they don’t tackle well, as Jackson and Henry are two of the more difficult runners to get to the ground.
“Well, we knew we had some things that we wanted to get exactly right and tackling was right up at the top of the list for me. The best teams that you see defensively, you hear them before you see them. And I think the communication has certainly ramped up. So that, the tackling, the speed, the energy, the hitting, all of that you put into a whole thing and that’s what causes the really cool defenses.”
The Ravens offense Sunday will certainly be a test to see how the Commanders defense is progressing.