Baltimore Ravens: 3 Things That Went Wrong Vs. Patriots

#2: A Conservative Offense

Aside from back to back touchdown throws by Joe Flacco, the offense looked stagnant all night. After an offensive explosion against the Dolphins, they were back to their old ways.

Flacco completed a franchise record 37 passes, but the stat is not as impressive as it seems. The majority of these completions were check down passes to running backs or to the fullback at the line of scrimmage. It was a complete turn around from last Sunday. Flacco barley took any shots down the field during the game. He almost looked scared to throw the ball deep. The only two touchdowns scored came off of turnovers, which put the Ravens offense inside of the Patriot’s 20 yard line. Overall, the offense looked like they lacked a sense of urgency.

If the Ravens want any hope of making the playoffs, the offense has to stay aggressive. The check down throws only pick up 1-2 yards and put the offense in bad 2nd and 3rd down positions. Defenses are very aware of the short throws and swarm to the ball every time. With receivers like Mike Wallace and Breshad Perriman, Joe Flacco must utilize their speed and throw the ball downfield.