The Baltimore Ravens started the 2020 season on a strong note, knocking off the Cleveland Browns at M&T Bank Stadium 38-6. Last season’s MVP was almost perfect on the afternoon, completing 20 of 25 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns. As we will see, with what they can do on play-action designs folded into the rest of their offense, Lamar Jackson is going to stay difficult to defend over the coming weeks.
Jackson’s athleticism makes him a threat to run on every single play, especially within the structure of the Baltimore offense. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman plays to that, often getting the quarterback moving outside of the pocket to put stress on the defensive edges. Take this completion to Myles Boykin from the second quarter. The Ravens face a 1st and 10 deep in their own territory, holding a four point lead. They break the huddle using 12 offensive personnel, putting two tight ends in the game:
The first aspect of this play to take note of is what happens presnap. As we are seeing, more teams are using movement before the play to stress the defense and give the quarterback information. Here, tight end Mark Andrews comes across the formation from left-to-right. Watch what happens with the Cleveland defense in response:
The second-level defenders simply slide in response, and no one trails Andrews across the formation. This tells Jackson that the Browns are in zone coverage. So when he executes this boot-action play and rolls to the right, he knows that Boykin will find a soft spot on his crossing route against the zone coverage in the secondary:
That is exactly what happens. Andrews and Marquise Brown run vertical routes from the right, drawing the coverage downfield. Boykin finds space on his crossing route, and Jackson zips in a sidearm throw for the big gain.
Speaking of big gains, Jackson hit Brown on a deep route earlier in the contest that again showed just how dangerous the Ravens can be off of play-action. After a change in possession the offense faces a 1st and 10 near midfield, and break the huddle using 22 personnel, another bigger offensive package. Jackson aligns in the pistol with fullback Patrick Ricard in a slot to the left:
Take a look at the Cleveland defense. They have four down linemen, and then five more defenders either in or on the cusp of the box. This is an ideal situation to throw deep, which is exactly what Baltimore does. Ricard comes in motion towards the football, setting up a run look with him potentially leading the way, but this is another play-action design. Jackson executes a fake on an inside running play, but looks for Brown running a vertical route out of the slot:
The run action freezes the defense, at least on the second level, and Brown gets separation on his vertical route. Jackson hits him in stride, and the Ravens are in business.
From the end zone replay angle, you can see how the run fake freezes the second-level defenders. But also note how the route concept – and the angle Brown takes – sets up this play. The receiver outside of Brown runs a short route, which holds that outside cornerback in place. Then off the line Brown angles inside first, threatening the free safety with a potential two-way go. That safety has to respect that Brown could be working across the field in an attempt to cross his face, so when Brown breaks to the outside the FS is left to play catchup.
Tough to do against a speedy receiver like Brown:
Finally, where this play-action game can be most dangerous is on short-yardage situations, and down near the end zone. Watching Baltimore’s first touchdown of the season, a short completion from Jackson to Andrews, you can see this in action. As with the previous example, the Ravens break the huddle with 22 personnel, so the Browns expect run. Watch the second-level defenders flow downhill in response to the run fake, freeing up Andrews on his crossing route:
Not often you see a tight end that open in the end zone, but it happens due to the threat of the running game and how Roman uses the big personnel package to get the Browns thinking handoff.
Jackson was stellar on Sunday, and seemed to pick right up where he left off last regular season when he secured an MVP. His footwork in the pocket continues to improve, as does his pocket presence. But when he gets the benefit of designs like this, and implements the play-action cheat code, his offense is almost impossible to defend.