The Baltimore Ravens offense has some kinks to work out still. Here are three things the offense needs to start doing immediately:
1. Getting Devin Duvernay the ball:
Good things happen when Devin Duvernay has the football in his hand. Duvernay had a kickoff return for a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs, and if that breakaway speed should motivate Greg Roman to get the rookie receiver the football. Duvernay is doing great as a kickoff returner. He’s averaged 34 yards a pop on seven returns. He always sets the Ravens up with decent field position, and hasn’t made a bad moment as a return specialist yet. He’s only had five receptions, though he’s looked good when his name is called in the passing game. Duvernay may not become the number one receiver or anything, but he could give Baltimore a boost.
Against the Washington Football Team, Duvernay had just one catch for four yards. He did have one pass he couldn’t pull in, yet Randy Moss may not have caught that one, so that wasn’t on him. Duvernay is known for being a sure handed receiver. At Texas, a dropped pass was a very rare occurrence for Devin Duvernay. There’s no harm in getting Duvernay involved in the offense. He’s going to catch the football, and he’s going to do something with the opportunity. That’s all that matters.
Willie Snead may have more of a polished route tree, maybe even a better chemistry with Lamar Jackson, but Duvernay could be a shot in the arm of the passing game. Get him the ball on screens, crossing routes, slants, it doesn’t matter how you do it. The key should be increasing the yards after the catch by getting Duvernay in the open field with the football. Duvernay could make things easier for Jackson in the passing game.
2. Figuring out what they want to do at running back:
Serious question here: Who is the Ravens starting running back? Now who is the main running back? Because the Ravens don’t seem to know. Mark Ingram has 34 carries. Gus Edwards has 27 carries and J.K. Dobbins has 15. Against the Washington Football Team, all three running backs got a fairly even work load. Edwards and Ingram combined for 17 carries while Dobbins had five. The Ravens seemingly have a different running back in the game every time you blink. Not only does this prevent any running back from developing the hot hand, it may be hurting the rhythm of the offense.
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It’s obvious that the Ravens have a surplus of talent at the running back position. The problem is that none of the running backs have been given the chance to get anything going. So far the running backs aren’t factoring into the receiving game that much, and Ingram and Edwards are used in what seems to be the same kind of function. It doesn’t look like there is a method to the madness. It looks like an experiment. The Ravens either don’t know what they want from the running back spot, or their plan is just problematic.
In 2019 Ingram had 202 carries while Edwards had 133. There was a clear dichotomy here. You knew that Ingram was the starter, Edwards was the complementary number two running back. Now, the Ravens are acting as if they have two starting running backs. Edwards and Ingram are getting almost the same amount of touches. Dobbins then fills the role of the complementary number two back, yet the rotation of backs is almost random. If the Ravens can figure out the right balance this could be an incredibly potent trio. Right now, Jackson leads the Ravens in rushing attempts and rushing yards. Baltimore has so much talent at running back. They must make it all work together well.
3. Figuring out the problems with the offensive line:
The offensive line hasn’t been great in the Ravens first four games. Jackson has been sacked nine times in four games. The pass protection has had it’s lapses and the run blocking has been inconsistent. The Ravens need to get better play from the offensive line. The offensive line was a concern before Ronnie Stanley missed a game. The offensive line made it a challenge to get the run game going against the Browns. The offensive line did little to ease concerns against the Texans. The Chiefs game is a game we all want to forget for a lot of reasons. It’s the biggest area of doubt on the entire roster other than the pass rush. It’s one of the main concerns on a weekly basis now.
Tyre Phillips has been the starter at right guard. In a tweet by Pro Football Focus’s Gordon McGuinness the difference between Phillips and Yanda is shown. According to McGuinness, Phillips has already given up almost as many pressures on Jackson as Yanda did in the entire 2019 season. That’s an argument for D.J. Fluker at right guard. One way or another the Ravens need to do a little better on the offensive line. The Ravens can stay the course. They just need to be more consistent. It’s not all bad, it’s not all good, it’s a mixed bag and that’s the problem.
The Ravens dominated teams with the offensive line last season. That is why they broke the record for the most rushing yards in NFL history in 2019. The Ravens are still second in the NFL in rushing yards, it’s not like they stopped being able to pound the rock. Here’s the thing though, last season they were the best rushing team in the league and it wasn’t even close. The Ravens aren’t rolling on all cylinders and the offensive line is one of the reasons why. The Ravens are playing well, but falling behind their crazy numbers of a year ago. Up and down play on the offensive line is a problem.
If the offensive line plays to their peak level of performance, the Baltimore offense could find the groove it had last year. If the Ravens figure things out with the offensive line, they get Duvernay the ball more and they set the right pecking order at running back, the offense could take a step forward in the second quarter of the NFL season.