For the second consecutive game, the Baltimore Ravens offense was a relative disappointment. Could it be that NFL teams have finally figured out how to stop quarterback Lamar Jackson and this juggernaut of an offense?
The key is apparently to have a top-three defense and terrible weather that affects everything the offense does. Simple as that really — just need one of the league’s best defenses and Mother Nature playing free safety, I guess.
There will undoubtedly be knee-jerk reactions to Baltimore’s lackluster showing against the San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills in back-to-back games. After six consecutive games of putting up at least 340 total yards and five straight games of at least 30 points, the Ravens were held to a combined 540 yards and 44 points over weeks 13 and 14. But what those that simply looked at the box score won’t realize is that terrible conditions wreaked havoc and clearly affected Baltimore’s play.
That’s not to take anything away from either the 49ers or Bills, who played fast and physical defense from opening whistle until the final one. But a torrential downpour in 40-degree temperatures against San Francisco made the ball slick and quick-action plays a nightmare. Against Buffalo, 30 mph wind gusts were moving the ball around in its path from the center to Jackson’s hands, not to mention how it altered the path of the football once it was actually thrown. Yet the Ravens still got the job done well enough to pull out a win.
Against the 49ers, Baltimore led a 12-play drive of nearly six-and-a-half minutes to score the game-winning field goal as time expired. They mounted two other 13-play drives that took a total of nearly 14-and-a-half minutes off the clock and ended in scores in the first half.
Against the Bills, the Ravens had a quick score to start the second half and a long drive that ate up valuable time in the fourth quarter. Jackson would have a dramatic turnaround as the wind died down slightly, going 11-of-15 for 115 yards and two touchdowns in the second half.
While the Ravens’ offensive production against Buffalo was certainly not what we’ve come to expect from this unit after so many weeks of dominant play, there was no clear or different recipe from either San Francisco or Buffalo that slowed the Ravens. Both teams largely did the same things every other team has tried to do this season. The difference is the Bills and 49ers had better players at key positions and bad weather helping to make the Ravens a more one-dimensional team.
There’s no reason to sound an alarm on the Ravens offense at this point. They’ve proven time and again they’re the most deadly team in the league, and in beating two of the best defenses in adverse weather conditions, they actually proved themselves even more than in the previous five dominant wins.
Baltimore still features the league’s best quarterback and plenty of their physical, hard-nosed scheme to grind opponents down. That appears to be good enough against even the best with some help.
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