Mark Andrews and Marquise Brown
Bengals S Jessie Bates: “It’s just as simple as not letting [Mark Andrews] get the ball. We know where Lamar wants to go; either ‘15’ [Marquise Brown] or ‘89’ [Andrews]. It showed up today as well. That’s all he was really throwing to, was ‘15’ or ‘89.’"
— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) October 12, 2020
This tweet tells the story of the game. The Ravens offense struggled to move the ball and really looked bad besides their one touchdown drive that was sparked by a 45 yard end around to Devin Duvernay. Besides that drive Lamar Jackson and the offense played pretty poorly. These guys are hot because he has struggled this season off and on and has been reliant on touchdown production. But, in this game they checked both boxes and were very effective and reliable when nobody else was.
Even in his effectiveness, the Bengals sent safety help to add an additional defender to guard them on nearly every play. Teams are noticing that if you can take out Andrews and Hollywood Brown, the Ravens offense can get slowed down pretty easily. In this game though, even with double teams they were able to make important plays that kept the Ravens in the game.
They had six catches a piece and each scored a touchdown early in the game. Between the two of them the had 12 catches on 19 targets. Jackson threw only 37 on the day. That is over half of his targets to two players. They combined for 123 of his 180 passing yards and showcased why Jackson trusts in them so much. Andrews makes catches in tight areas and can take hit, but also can make plays down the field. Brown’s speed can be dangerous on any given play. He can turn a five yard throw into a touchdown and defenses have to respect the threat he brings.
The Ravens need to incorporate Duvernay and J.K Dobbins (four touches, 55 yards) more into the offense, but in this game they got by on offense due to their stars. Once more threats emerge, it will be easier for Andrews and Brown to find success, but moving forward they both will have to continue to beat double coverage. This game was a good start, in week six against a banged up Eagle secondary, they should continue to shine.
Who’s Not
Lamar Jackson
This is sad. The reigning MVP showing up here twice this season is not easy for me to write about. Jackson ran all over the Bengals defense last season. In two matchups last season Jackson looked insane making career highlights in each game. In this game he struggled from start to finish being lucky to only throw one interception. He should’ve thrown at least three. Jackson also struggled to run the ball only carrying it for three yards, his lowest output in his career by far.
Jackson hasn’t produced this year like he has in years past and this game just looked worse than his stats show. Statistically, he was 19-37 for 180 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. That’s not so great for winning the game 27-3. Fortunately, the most important thing is that the Ravens won, Jackson did what he needed to in order to win. With a banged up Eagle defense next, he has a good chance to rebound. If he cannot then the Ravens will certainly need to look for a new way of getting offense.
Thus far, the Ravens have not had much success running the ball. This starts with the execution of the passing game. If the Ravens can’t throw the ball down the field then teams will continue to stack the box with seven, eight guys. After seeing how teams are approaching the team and the success the opposition is having, it may be time to adjust. The Ravens can use more sweeps and jet motions, they can try and stretch defenses more within the run game and they can use more play action to get easier passing lanes for Jackson. Until they do that, their may be more sloppy football.