The Ravens offense, as we noted above, had problems in the red-zone and in situations requiring short yards, such as when they were faced with a first-and goal at the 4-yard-line.

The Ravens were able to find success on short yards thanks to the creativity of offensive coordinator Todd Monken.

Smolka wrote, “After the Ravens recovered the Vikings fumble they faced third and 1 from Vikings 14.” They lined up with Mark Andrews at the center in their “tush push” formation. The Vikings must have watched the play. Andrews, instead of rushing forward, threw a pass to Lamar Jackson who ran around the right end and gained 3 yards for a first down. Justice Hill then scored a touchdown to give the team a 19-10 advantage.

Later, the Ravens faced a third-and-2 at the 9-yard-line. Jackson ran left instead of giving the ball to Derrick Henry. Henry, Patrick Ricard and Ronnie Stanley, as well as Tyler Linderbaum, the pulling center, formed a rolling barrier in front. Jackson gained 7 yard and a 1st down. Jackson then threw Andrews a 2-yard TD pass, giving the team a 27-13 advantage.