Baltimore Ravens need to make John Brown bigger part of the offense

John Brown is the key for the Baltimore Ravens offense to reach the next level:

John Brown has been the most exciting addition to the 2018 Baltimore Ravens. In three of the Ravens five games, Brown has caught a pass that went over 40 yards. Brown’s longest reception against the Browns was 28 yards. In a game where one big play could have won the game, the Ravens didn’t turn to Smokey Brown enough. The deep ball to Brown is the most important part of a Ravens offense that is operating mostly through Joe Flacco and the passing game.

You saw the impact that Brown had against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Flacco hit Brown for a deep touchdown early in the game. Then Brown got them in the red zone with another deep shot. That was a game where the Ravens offense was able to control the game by keeping their offense on the field. Brown set that in motion. The Steelers put two safeties way back and were determined to keep the passing attack in front of them. This allowed the Ravens other targets, mainly Willie Snead to pick up key first downs.

Brown is also the most reliable receiver the Ravens have. Michael Crabtree leads the league in dropped passes, and not coincidentally the Ravens lead the league for drops as well. Basically, if Flacco gets a decent throw to Brown, he’s going to bring in the football. Flacco’s horrible decision to force a long pass to Brown in the Bengals game was a great example of that. Brown caught a pass in a crowd of Bengals defensive backs. He bailed Flacco out in a tough spot.

Brown is not a receiver who has a limited route tree. He beats teams deep because he is blazing fast, but he can run every route. He has proven to be a great downfield target for Flacco, and no defensive coordinator wants to give up the big play. The respect that he has as a deep threat will afford him softer coverage. Hitting Brown on hitches, slants and out routes will take advantage of his speed in the most practical way, while setting up even more deep shots down the field. Brown’s ability to take the top off the defense helps himself as much as it does his teammates.

So in review, the point is simple. Brown unlocks the rest of the Ravens’ passing attack because he is a legitimate deep threat. He is the player that you can trust most and he seems to be the player that sparks the offense. Brown is the Ravens number one receiver, and he should get plenty of targets every game.