Baltimore Ravens in a dire situation They are 1-4, and they’re staring into the abyss. A win over the Rams is a must. With a few players still out, it’s going to be a tough game. We’ll look at some Ravens keys to success for Week 6.
Baltimore Ravens in a dire situation They are 1-4, and they’re staring into the abyss. A win over the Rams is a must. With a few players still out, it’s going to be a tough game. We’ll look at some Ravens keys to success for Week 6.
Last week, the Ravens were urged to focus on Derrick Henry’s run game due to Lamar Jackson’s absence and recent struggles. Henry did carry the ball for the Ravens 15 times. However, it was only 33 yards. This is one of Henry’s lowest career performances. Henry was constantly hit behind the line-of-scrimmage by the Ravens offensive line. Todd Monken didn’t look to Keaton Mitchel to create some momentum for their run game either.
Recently, there has been much talk about changing the offensive line, but the Ravens must find a way this week to establish something on the ground, no matter who blocks. They should continue to run the ball even if they’re down 20 points by the second quarter. The Ravens should use the entire playbook to win this game, including counters, traps and whams. They can also throw in duos, toss sweeps, and duos. Henry and whoever is on the line should be moving forward to the next game, when Jackson will hopefully return. Henry must carry at least 20 times.
Puka Nacua has been the Rams’ most important offensive player this season. If he continues to play, he could reach 210 targets this season and gain 1999 yards. Both NFL records. The Ravens have been terrible at stopping teams from passing, with 262.4 yards allowed per game. This has generated a lot of buzz around Nacua and his potential to break a single-game record for receiving.
The Rams are going to feed Nacua just like they have done all season. And the Ravens need to find a way to stop this. Nacua’s best performance this season included 10 catches, 85 yards and a score. Schematic tweaks are unlikely to be sufficient at this stage. Zach Orr must be willing to spend extra resources, including double coverage on important passing downs, to prevent the Rams best player from beating Orr alone.
Two things must happen early if the Ravens are to have a chance of winning. Early on, the defense must make a quick interception and the offense must score a touchdown. The Ravens’ defense allowed the Texans to score a touchdown after a 10-play drive lasting five minutes. The Ravens offense then followed with a 12-play, seven-plus minute drive that ended in a field-goal. It’s not good enough.
The Ravens’ defense has had some of the highest snap counts of any football unit. The Ravens have been unable to leave the field and their offense has struggled to maintain drives. They’ve also lost the battle of time-of possession. They have played the opposite of complementary soccer, but need to find a synergy this Sunday. Cooper Rush can’t be expected to chase Matthew Stafford if Rams take a big early lead like the Texans. To slow down and stay in the game, it’s important to get a stop early and put up seven points.
The Ravens are one of the worst teams in the National Football League at pass-rushing. This defense is in a dire situation due to the injury of Nnamdi. Madubuike. It can’t be repaired without a new talent. The Ravens haven’t been able generate pressure since then with just four rushers. Odafe Oweh did not live up to expectations but was still the Chargers’ second-most experienced pass rusher. Kyle Van Noy has become the only constant source of pressure for the defense, since Travis Jones was constantly double-teamed. Other young pass rushers such as Mike Green and Tavius have also not performed as expected.
Orr must change his approach after finding no success with the four-man rush. Every week, the new Ravens’ defense must send extra rushers to every game. The Falcons are currently leading the NFL with a 41.1% blitz rate in Week 5. The Ravens should aim to surpass that number over the remainder of the season. Kyle Hamilton, now that there are two new safeties on the team, can take up more blitzing duties. Marlon Humphrey and Teddye Buchanan are also second-level players that should be sent after the opposing quarterbacks to force the turnovers they need to win.