Red Zone Offense Remains A Problem For The Ravens
By Riley B
"We always say, in the red zone we want to get seven. But, we want to make sure we get at least three. I thought our offense did a real nice job- Joe [Flacco] and the whole offense- making sure we got three, and then Billy converting. – Head Coach John Harbaugh"
Should fans be worrying about the Ravens red zone struggles on Sunday? The answer is no. Although a lot of those field goals should have been touchdowns, the important thing is that the Ravens won the game. The Ravens have had red zone troubles for years now, but the difference this year is that they are still winning the close games. A lot of that has to do with the defense, which has vastly improved since last year.
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Though it wasn’t Joe Flacco’s best performance, he kept them in the game and completed two 50+ yard passes that landed the Ravens inside the red zone. However, the offense stalled time after time and was unable to punch it in.
The offensive line is playing much better than I thought they would be, but they’re still a work in progress. Ben Grubbs being out is definitely hurting them. Although Andre Gurode is a viable substitute, Grubbs is a valuable asset that’s hard to replace. But that’s no excuse for the lack of effort on short conversions. The Texans D seemed like they wanted it more when they made numerous goal line stands.
Even when the Ravens did score on their first possession, it took them six times to get in the end zone. That’s unacceptable. If it wasn’t for dumb penalties committed by the Texans, the Ravens would have kicked a field goal. If the Ravens want to keep the reputation as a tough, ground and pound team, they need to be able to convert inside the ten yard line.
The season is still young and the Ravens have plenty of time to turn around their red zone woes. But they better get it sorted out before the playoffs because they won’t last long against high octane passing teams.
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