Tag: Ravens offense

Instant analysis of Ravens shocking 33-31 loss to the Browns in Week 10

We’re looking at an Instant analysis of the Baltimore Ravens shocking 33-31 loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 10

Baltimore looked like the best team in the league through one half, and then melted down, as the Ravens were outscored 24-14 in the second by Cleveland, as the Browns pulled off the 33-31 upset as time expired.

The Browns (6-3) moved within a game of the Ravens (7-3), who’ll look to rebound ahead of a massive AFC North matchup against the Bengals (5-4) on Thursday night.

With fans perplexed and disappointed after the late fourth-quarter meltdown, here’s an instant analysis of the shocking loss.

Takeaways and highlights from first half as Ravens hold a 17-9 lead over Browns

We’re looking at takeaways and highlights from first half at M&T Bank Stadium as the Ravens hold a 17-9 lead over Browns

The Browns out-gained the Ravens 174-168 in the first half.

They also had 41 offensive plays to the Ravens 25 and 98 rushing yards to Baltimore’s 62, yet still trailed 17-9 at halftime.

Both defensive units were stout in the first half, but the Ravens were able to turn big plays from rookie running back Keaton Mitchell into scores.

With the third quarter set to begin, we’re looking at takeaways from the first half.

Keaton Mitchell of the Ravens is the NFL’s new big-play running back

Baltimore Ravens undrafted rookie Keaton Mitchell has become the NFL’s most explosive running back. Who would have thought it?

The Baltimore Ravens were able to steal East Carolina’s Keaton Mitchell as an undrafted free agent after the 2023 NFL draft was over. Despite the fact that Mitchell accounted for 31 runs of 15 or more yards for 838 yards in his final season with the Pirates, and wasn’t just based on straight-line speed — he also forced 75 missed tackles, which was pretty good for a 5-foot-8, 179-pound back.

Those size concerns left Mitchell undrafted, and this was clearly a case where NFL teams should have looked beyond the obvious. Because in Baltimore’s do-it-all offense, Mitchell has all of a sudden become the league’s most prominent purveyor of big plays on the ground.

Mitchell had his first rushing attempts of the season in Baltimore’s 37-3 beatdown of the Seattle Seahawks last Sunday, and he came though in a big way, with 138 yards, a touchdown, and an astonishing 15.3 yards per carry average. Two of those runs were for 15+ yards, and he broke eight tackles along the way, so Mitchell played to type all the way.

He blew Seattle’s defense up for a 40-yard run…

…and a 60-yard scamper.

Against the Cleveland Browns’ usually estimable defense, Mitchell was right back at it, singeing the Browns with this 32-yard gain on a screen pass…

…and this 39-yard touchdown run.

So now, it’s just a bunch of 30-plus-yard plays, which is nice work if you can get it.

“I just approach every week the same,” Mitchell said in the week leading up to the Browns game. “Work hard, come out here, watch film and really just prepare. Every team is a good team. This is the NFL. This isn’t college anymore, so [I] come out here [and] bust my tail every day.” 

So far, it’s working like a charm in the Charm City.

Ravens vs. Browns: Marlon Humphrey, Keaton Mitchell are both active for Week 10 matchup

Baltimore released their list of inactives for Week 10 and both Marlon Humphrey and Keaton Mitchell are active for the matchup against the Browns

The Ravens released their list of inactives for Sunday’s matchup against the Browns, and right tackle Morgan Moses will not play due to a shoulder injury.

Patrick Mekari will get the start at right tackle, while cornerback Marlon Humphrey and running back Keaton Mitchell are active and will play.

For Cleveland, cornerback Greg Newsome will play.

3 keys for Ravens offense vs. Browns defense in Week 10

We’re looking at 3 keys for the Baltimore Ravens offense against the Cleveland Browns defense in Week 10

The Ravens and Browns are headed for a heavyweight showdown featuring two of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL and the two best defensive units on the planet.

Cleveland edge rusher Myles Garrett has talked the talk this week, and a significant reason stems from a dominant defense that’s been outstanding outside of a few letdown performances.

The Browns rank first in yards allowed (234.8), the fewest given up in the league through nine weeks in 15 years. They’ll look to smother a Ravens offense that rushed for over 130 yards in the first meeting, with Lamar Jackson having one of his most efficient outings of the season.

With kickoff fast approaching, here are three keys for the Baltimore offense.

3 keys for Ravens defense vs. Browns offense in Week 10

We’re looking at three keys for the Baltimore Ravens defense against the Cleveland Browns offense in Week 10

The Ravens (7-2) and Browns (5-3) are a little over an hour away from a key AFC North matchup at M&T Bank Stadium in a game that could create separation at the top of the division.

Baltimore leads the league in points allowed (13.8), the lowest number this far into a season since its 2000 Super Bowl-winning defense.

We’re looking at three keys for the Ravens’ defense, with kickoff fast approaching.

Ravens 53-man roster in Week 10 vs. Browns

We’re looking at the Baltimore Ravens 53-man roster for their Week 10 matchup against the Cleveland Browns at M&T Bank Stadium

The Ravens (7-2) and Browns (5-3) will square off Sunday in a key AFC North matchup at M&T Bank Stadium in a game that could create separation at the top of the division.

Baltimore leads the league in points allowed (13.8), the lowest number this far into a season since its 2000 Super Bowl-winning defense.

Cleveland edge rusher Myles Garrett has talked the talk this week, and a significant reason stems from a dominant defense that’s been outstanding outside of a few letdown performances.

The Ravens also have a stout defense and allowed their fewest yards in five years when they held the Seattle Seahawks to 151 yards in a 37-3 victory.

With pregame warmups set to begin, here’s an updated 53-man roster for Sunday’s game.

Video: How the Bengals tripped up the Ravens’ in-progress offense

A video breakdown looking at some of the missed opportunities from the Baltimore offense last Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.

There has been some concern in the past few weeks about the state of the Baltimore Ravens offense. The defending AFC North Champions are 4-1, and their defense is playing at a high level, but the inconsistency on the offensive side of the football is worrisome for some.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson, for his part, is not too concerned at the moment:

But at this point in the season, the Ravens are just 20th in total offense with 1,698 yards gained. Jackson has thrown for just 894 yards, a far cry from the numbers he posted a season ago when he secured his first league MVP. Last week in a win over the Cincinnati Bengals, the Ravens offense accounted for 20 points, but Jackson completed 19 of 37 passes for only 180 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. The Ravens running game, dominant a season ago, managed 161 yards on 24 carries, but 42 of those came from one carry from wide receiver Devin Duvernay and another 37 came on one carry from running back J.K. Dobbins. Strip those away, and you have 22 carries for 82 yards. Solid but not the dominance from 2019.

Head coach John Harbaugh gave credit to the Cincinnati Bengals defense during his Monday press conference, and he did so rather expansively.

“They did do something completely different. They ran a true college four-three type of a look. They were playing quarters with the safeties low. They played that in the past, but they hadn’t played it yet this year. So, it was a new defense that we thought we might get, but we didn’t get a chance to rep it out very much, just because they hadn’t done it yet this year. And that is indicative, to your point, and that happens to us quite a bit. So, that’s something we’ve got to learn to deal with and handle as an offense, because we run a unique scheme. As far as the passing numbers, I went back and looked at that. I’ve got them here. I really don’t have a problem with the numbers – 37 passes and [24] runs. That’s something, but that’s not the whole story. There were 11 passes in two-minute at the end of the half, so 11 of those passes came in two-minute.

“We had two two-minute drives at the end of the half, and those are pretty much all passes, so those are going to be passes. So, those 11 passes are what they are; they’re situational. On first and second down throughout the course of the game, we had 20 runs and 13 passes. So, that’s a high number in the NFL. It’s even high for us. Isn’t it about 60%, if you do the math? I’m not sure. You guys are probably better at math than me. I don’t mind 20-13 as far as a run-pass ratio on first and second down. Third down – we had 11 passes, and we had four runs, even. So, that’s something … It’s really based on whether you’re in third-and-short, third-and-medium [or] third-and-long. So, a lot of this stuff is situational. Then at the end of the game, we had five plays in the fourth quarter, including the victory play at the end. So, it’s almost like they ran our four-minute for us at the end of the game, the way they were moving the ball down the field kind of methodically trying to get that score. So, they kind of chewed the clock up for us. I would have loved to have punted, forced a punt, got them off the field and gotten the ball back and had a chance to run the ball some more at the end of the fourth quarter. So, I think the basic, raw numbers are more indicative of the situations that we were in, than they were any design or anything play-calling-wise.

“I think what we all want to do is just continue to improve execution and how we attack defenses that we’re going against. So, like I said last week, we’re still very much a work in progress. We have a lot to improve on. Run, pass, run-pass options, quarterback-driven, play-action pass; all those things are things that we have to chase all areas and continue to improve. And I think the game planning, and in the end, the run-pass numbers, will take care of themselves.”

In this video breakdown we’ll look closer at the Ravens passing game against Cincinnati, highlighting both some missed opportunities from Baltimore, as well as some of those different things the Bengals did to confuse the Ravens and throw off their timing in the passing game:

If you are a Ravens fan, your silver lining is this: Sometimes missed opportunities are a stepping-stone to bigger things, provided you learn the applicable lessons. In the weeks ahead we’ll see if the Baltimore offense learns those lessons.

Lamar Jackson and play-action wizardry

Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens got off to a great start with a win over Cleveland. Play-action designs were a big part of their win.

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.