The Ravens’ 27-19 victory in Minnesota was a welcome boost to a season which, just three weeks earlier, had seemed lost. The Ravens, who started the season 1-5, have now won three consecutive games. While the team doesn’t seem as dominant as it did in 2023/24 they are showing signs of life. The Ravens’ recent winning streak coincides with the return to form of Lamar Jackson, two-time MVP. Jackson, despite the Ravens’ offensive line problems, has stabilized the ship. He has reminded everyone of why he is the most valuable player in this league.
Jackson has been evolving as a quarterback for years. Sunday was just another small step. The Ravens don’t look like the offensive powerhouse they were in 2024. But games like Sunday show a team learning from past mistakes and creating cohesive game plans against the opposition. The Ravens’ high use of the short-passing game against Minnesota is a good example. DC Brian Flores has a reputation for being able to get opposing quarterbacks fired up. Given the Ravens’ inability to defend Jackson this season, it was important that he threw the ball away quickly. Jackson is being pressured by the NFL at a rate of 40%, which is the 6th highest. This is a significant increase from 2024 when Jackson was only pressured 32.7%, ranking 21st. Baltimore’s once dominant running game hasn’t been seen this year, which compounds the problem. In the past the Ravens’ ability to use play-action and bludgeon the defenses took a lot of pressure off the offensive line and the quarterback. On Sunday, Jackson adjusted. According to Next Gen Stats Jackson’s career-high rate of throwing the ball fast (under 2.5 seconds), was the second fastest in his career. The Vikings who are the league’s second-highest blitzers (43.1%), upped the ante by blitzing Jackson with a 59% clip on Sunday.
Jackson and his coaching staff will need to adapt their game plan when they come up against elite defensive lines like those they’ll face in Cleveland on Sunday. Great quarterbacks are able to adjust their playstyle to compensate for offensive deficiencies. As an example, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is able to morph from a push-the-ball QB into a passing QB in order to compensate for poor offensive line play and WR performance.
Jackson and his coaching staff must continue to take what the defense gives them if the Ravens are to go on an exciting run and make it to the playoffs. We’ve seen coaches and players fail to make adjustments in game, especially in big games. Jackson’s discomfort with opposing defenses and his inability to stop the train from running off the tracks are recurring themes of playoff losses. We finally saw an offense not lose control, but instead shift to a conservative plan. The Minnesota coaching staff was well respected, and they were unable to make any meaningful plays.
Jackson is not a ball-runner by nature due to his playmaking ability and play extension, but it may be time to switch to a conservative style of play as long as the Ravens’ offensive line continues allowing pressure. The Ravens’ offensive form in 2024 will be determined by time, but it is encouraging to see that Jackson and Monken have adapted well. This will prove crucial when facing elite coaches and competitors.