Ravens Week 2 film study: What we know about the Cardinals

How to attack this offense:

Murray’s release is on a schedule. He will force the ball into tight windows. Murray has the signature rookie trait of not throwing the ball away. If you get him rolling out he’s dangerous. The key is to get him running back and away from viable passes. He has great pocket presence, athleticism and he is very slippery in the pocket. The key is to make him hold the ball longer than he should and have him sprint himself out of viable passes.

The defense has to get their hands up. Murray’s height and low release was a problem in his debut. The Lions were able to tip four passes in this game. Murray is the center piece of the offense. Everything is dependent on him seeing the right thing and delivering the football. He’s a great athlete with great speed and a great arm yet his physical limitations do come into play. You can also see that while he gets this offense at a high level (he’s basically ran it at Oklahoma) he is a rookie.

The Cardinals showed a lot of five man protection. That’s the give and take with their offense. While it’s hard to get to Murray, winning one on one match ups in the trenches will get Murray under pressure. Don Martindale has to use stunts in this game. This is a game that highlights Pernell Mchpee’s skill set.

The Cardinals offensive line is good but not great. While Arizona had 59 passing attempts, they are surprisingly strong run blockers. Arizona runs basically every play out of the shotgun and their run game is still quick hitting. David Johnson has such a quick burst when he gets the hand-off, that the shotgun hand-off doesn’t hurt the run game.

The Ravens need to be mindful of Christian Kirk. Kirk has great speed and the Cardinals love getting him the ball. He got the ball on a jet sweep in which the defense was ready for it and Kirk still picked up a chunk of yards.