Baltimore Ravens Keys To Victory: Pittsburgh Steelers Edition
By Brett Foote
Sep 7, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) pressured by Cincinnati Bengals tackle Geno Atkins (97) at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
Keys To Victory #2: More Play Action, Please
Did anybody see the 4th and 1 the Ravens converted to keep their drive alive in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game? The Ravens went play action and the entire Bengals defense was fooled, allowing Flacco to slowly jog right for a three yard gain and the first down.
The Bengals were afraid of Justin Forsett at that point, who was shredding them for 6.4 yards per carry. Play action is a fantastic offensive weapon that is very effective when a team is pounding the rock on the ground and picking up yards. So why didn’t they use it more often on Sunday?
We’ll just assume they didn’t use play action for the same reason they didn’t keep running the ball – they didn’t want to win.