Baltimore Ravens Rushing Attack On Historic Pace

Sep 7, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Bernard Pierce (30) hurdles Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Terrence Newman (23) at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

Everybody knows by now that the Baltimore Ravens rushing attack has had some issues in the recent past, as has the offensive line. These problems have been well documented, and the team made sweeping changes to both over the course of the offseason. Add in a new scheme that puts a huge emphasis on the run, and you have a recipe for a rebound.

And the Ravens did indeed rebound, posting some impressive stats in the preseason. That success carried over somewhat to the regular season, but perhaps more than anyone has given them credit for. We’ll forgive you for not paying attention, because it’s almost impossible to do so when other, non football related news dominates the headlines.

This is a team that will stay committed to the run going forward, despite what we saw in a fluky week one disaster of a game plan.

So let’s get you caught up on how well the Ravens rushing attack has performed through two weeks of real action. Perhaps surprisingly, the Ravens are on a bit of a historic pace. With 251 yards rushing on 56 attempts (4.5 average), they are on pace for a prorated 2,008 yards this season via the ground.

That would be the first time the Ravens have exceeded 2,000 yards rushing in a season since 2009, and only the third time they have reached the mark in the last decade. For a team known for playing stout defense and pounding the ball on the ground, that would be a major accomplishment.

In that 2009 season, Ray Rice and Willis McGahee paved the way to 2,200 yards on the ground. It was a year in which Joe Flacco also completed 63.1 percent of his passes. So far this year, he has completed 61.5 percent. And that is in spite of his drop filled disaster of a week one performance from the receiving corps.