The Ravens insisted that they prepared for the Miami Dolphins’ blitz-happy ways, that they knew what was coming. Yet, series after series, Dolphins safeties Jevon Holland and Brandon Jones blitzed Lamar Jackson mercilessly and the Ravens never had an answer for it in Thursday’s 22-10 loss.
That was the most discouraging thing of all. How can you anticipate exactly what the Dolphins were going to do and seemingly have no plan, or at least not one close to good enough, to counter it? How can you conclude that a bunch of short passes in the flat and wide receiver screens were going to be enough to consistently move the ball in the face of a relentless blitz?
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“We didn’t have a good enough plan for it as a group, and we didn’t execute well with the plan we had,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said.
The NFL is a copycat league and for three-plus hours Thursday night, future Ravens’ opponents got a tutorial on attacking one of the weaknesses of the Baltimore offense. There was a time when defenses were reluctant to blitz Jackson because he’d escape it and have all sorts of room to get upfield. This year, however, teams are blitzing Jackson without fear and getting the desired results.
According to TruMedia, Jackson’s 85.2 passer rating against the blitz ranks 22nd amongst eligible quarterbacks. Overall, he’s completing 64.5 percent of his passes against pressure and he nearly has as many interceptions (three) as touchdowns (four). His 107 passing attempts against the blitz are more than any quarterback in the league and proof of how defenses are attacking the 2019 league MVP.
Nobody, however, has been as aggressive as the Dolphins were Thursday night. Holland blitzed 21 times and Jones blitzed 17, more than any other defensive back since NFL Next Gen Stats started keeping data in 2016. Josh Cohen of NFL on CBS said that Miami showed a Cover-0 look, which is when there is no deep safety and the cornerbacks are playing man-to-man, on 40 of the Ravens’ 73 offensive plays.
Yet, the Ravens never backed them out of it as tight end Mark Andrews lamented after the game. They never connected on any deep shots. There were only a few completions on slants and crossing routes, which have given the Dolphins defense problems all year. Even when Jackson did get the ball out, his receivers weren’t breaking tackles or running free.
“I was dropping back, just couldn’t do anything about that,” Jackson said. “They had the guy off the edge coming in hot. I tried to get the ball out to the receivers to make a play. You know, sometimes it was tipped passes, the ball was getting batted down. They just played a great game.”
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Reminded that there will be teams that copy the Dolphins game plan, like perhaps the Chicago Bears next Sunday, Jackson said, “We’ll be good.”
They had better be. The lack of an adequate response to the Dolphins’ plan Thursday was alarming and you can bet that the rest of the NFL took notice.
Time to make changes along O-line?
The Ravens have been starting Ben Powers at left guard and Tyre Phillips at right tackle, primarily because they didn’t have other serviceable options. Powers, who has started the past eight games after Phillips went down with a knee injury in Week 1, has played unevenly. Phillips, who returned from his injury only to be inserted as the right tackle after Patrick Mekari sprained his ankle, has had his struggles.
Could they be part of an offensive-line shakeup when the Ravens get back to work and start preparation for the Bears? At the very least, the Ravens may have options.
It’s not out of the question that Mekari could be ready to return after missing two games and he’d likely go back to right tackle. If he’s not ready, Harbaugh and offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris could opt to use recent veteran signee Cedric Ogbuehi, who should know the Ravens offense well enough by now, at right tackle.
Those moves could allow Phillips to go back to the left guard spot, where D’Alessandris said he’d prefer him at, and either supplant Powers or rotate with him. Then, there’s rookie third-round guard Ben Cleveland. He’s been designated to return from IR after dealing with a knee injury. If his pregame workout in Miami is any indication, Cleveland is close to a return and he’ll re-enter the mix at left guard.
After a performance like the offensive line put forth Thursday, it wouldn’t be surprising if some changes were considered.
How about at RB?
On the Ravens’ first two drives, Devonta Freeman had six carries for 30 yards and the veteran seemed to be on his way to a solid outing. Yet, he finished with 10 carries for 35 yards. Le’Veon Bell rushed three times for one yard. Ty’Son Williams didn’t play a single offensive snap.
The Ravens got solid production from their running back group a week earlier against the Minnesota Vikings, but it wasn’t replicated Thursday and for some reason in a game where the Ravens needed more speed and playmaking on the field, Williams didn’t even get a touch.
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Meanwhile, the Ravens’ lack of explosiveness at the position was notable as they left yards on the field. Freeman took advantage of some nice holes to get yards early, but he also fell down twice on runs. On a key third down in the third quarter, Freeman appeared to have room to get the first down and he was caught from behind by a linebacker. Bell never got out of the blocks on his three carries
Latavius Murray could be back as early as next week and that may force the Ravens to make a decision with one of the backs that was active Thursday night. Either way, change in how the Ravens are using their running backs seems necessary. Whether it’s because of security, pass protection or just tentative running, the coaching staff clearly doesn’t trust Williams. Bell is lacking in speed and explosiveness and Freeman can be part of the picture, but is miscast as a No. 1 back at this stage of his career.
Other observations
• The failure to pick up blitzes and the lack of any obvious offensive plan and adjustments were the most prominent issues. But the offense’s habit of breaking the huddle late and then snapping the ball with a second or two left on the play clock — or not snapping it at all and taking a delay of game penalty — remains befuddling. There needs to be more urgency, more tempo, more of a willingness to go no-huddle if the offense is struggling. I don’t know if it’s a matter of the play call getting in too late or Jackson taking too long to get the offense out of the huddle or to go through his checks. Harbaugh agreed after the game that it was an issue and blamed himself for it, but this was not just a Thursday night issue. It’s been going on for a few years. The delay of game penalty on third-and-4 on the Ravens’ first drive factored prominently in the Ravens settling for a field goal.
• I’d love to hear an explanation for why the Ravens, trailing by two scores midway through the fourth quarter, were still huddling at times.
• While we’re at it, what is the thought process behind running a draw play to Bell on second-and-17 near midfield? The result was predictable. Bell got one yard. I get wanting to make it third-and-manageable, but is giving the ball to Bell there the way to do it?
• Jackson made his share of mistakes, but it couldn’t have been easy on quite a few plays to have to lunge to get center Bradley Bozeman’s shotgun snap and then immediately look up to see where the blitz was coming from. Bozeman has been solid with his snapping for most of the season, but he was off Thursday night and it didn’t help matters. A few of the plays seemed doomed from the start.
• Bateman sure has a way of plucking a ball out of the air and making a contested-catch that we haven’t seen a whole lot of in recent years.
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• Sammy Watkins obviously had a tough return to the lineup after missing three games with a strained hamstring. He either didn’t pick up Jackson’s deep pass on the Ravens’ first drive or he pulled up because he was worried about running into something beyond the end zone. He fumbled the ball on his one catch and Xavien Howard returned it for a touchdown. He just appeared to lack the crispness he was playing with before he got hurt. Let’s keep it in perspective though. It was one game. Before the injury, Watkins was mostly delivering on the expectations the Ravens had when they signed him. He’ll be fine although Bateman’s emergence probably makes it less likely that he’s going to get seven-plus targets a game, like he was averaging in Weeks 1 through 4.
• Cornerback Anthony Averett was in perfect position to intercept Jacoby Brissett late in the second quarter in Dolphins’ territory and he dropped the ball. Inside linebacker Patrick Queen timed a blitz perfectly and knocked the ball out of Tua Tagovailoa’s hand. Instead of quickly falling on the ball, Queen tried to bend over and pick it up and Dolphins tackle Liam Eichenberg beat him to it. Along with the lapses in communication and the poor tackling, the defense’s failure to create turnovers has been a major issue all season. They’ve forced just seven turnovers in nine games. Only three teams have fewer takeaways and they’ve all played one less game than the Ravens. When the Ravens have opportunities to get off the field and give their offense the ball back, they need to convert them.
• Maybe, the Ravens defense just wore down from having to carry a punchless offense all night and from getting little rest time amid a flurry of three-and-outs. However, even after allowing the 64-yard reception to Albert Wilson on Miami’s final full drive, you would have liked to have seen the defense buckle down and force a field goal, giving the offense a chance to tie the game with a touchdown and two-point conversion. Instead, the defensive line was pushed back on three consecutive running plays and the Dolphins scored. The Ravens have had far bigger problems this year, but the lack of consistent impact from any interior defensive lineman beyond Calais Campbell has been a discouraging development.
• It wasn’t all bad. The Ravens did a terrific job on Dolphins standout tight end Mike Gesicki who had no catches on seven targets. Ravens defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale often used Marlon Humphrey on Gesicki, particularly on third downs, and Humphrey won those matchups. Humphrey had the pass interference in the end zone and he gave up a few catches, but he had a team-leading seven tackles and two pass breakups and he was probably the best Ravens defensive player on the field.
• Queen made a few mistakes, but he’s still playing with more physicality than he was earlier in the season and that’s at least a positive. Queen’s hit in the open field on Dolphins running back Salvon Ahmed was loud and aggressive.
• The play wound up not counting because of an illegal touching penalty, but give Ravens cornerback Chris Westry credit for his willingness to step in and take on Dolphins guard Robert Hunt as he rumbled toward the end zone. Playing his first game since injuring his knee in Week 1, Westry put a nice hit on the 6-foot-6, 327-pound lineman. I’ve seen players make business decisions in similar situations. Westry played 17 snaps and was needed after Tavon Young went down.
• Harbaugh had no update on the status of Young, who left the game with a foot injury. It goes without saying that if he’s forced to miss considerable time, it will be another blow to a secondary that is already buckling under the weight of missing so many guys.
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• The impact of Holland, a rookie second-round pick by the Dolphins, should have served as a reminder to Ravens’ decision-makers about the importance of adding a play-making safety this offseason.
• Head referee Ronald Torbert’s microphone picked up an interesting exchange with Campbell after Torbert’s crew changed the spot on Jaylen Waddle’s third-down catch in the second quarter and gave the Dolphins the first down. Based on replay, it appeared to be the right decision. Campbell asked Torbert, “What made you change it?” And Torbert said, “We got some help from upstairs.” I guess there is an “eye in the sky” after all.
• James Proche was inactive for the first time all season, a result of Watkins’ return from a hamstring injury. The move says more about the importance that the Ravens place on special teams than anything Proche has done or hasn’t done. Proche has played in 36 special teams snaps all year. Miles Boykin and Tylan Wallace, meanwhile, have been the Ravens’ starting gunners on special teams and they combined to play 42 special teams snaps Thursday. If you are going to be the fifth or sixth receiver, playing special teams is a must.
• Ravens outside linebacker Justin Houston said a few weeks ago that he’d like the jersey of the quarterback he took down for his 100th sack as a memento of the occasion. That might be a tough ask, considering Houston’s sack on Brissett ended with the veteran signal-caller leaving the game for good with a knee injury. Brissett and Houston were teammates in Indianapolis, so perhaps that would eliminate the awkwardness.
(Top photo of Lamar Jackson: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
