Baltimore Ravens: 3 takeaways from Super Bowl LV

Baltimore Ravens fans have some lessons that can be learned from watching the Tampa Bay Buccanneers throttle the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV.

The offensive line must be the priority this offseason:

Even with his star receiver and all-world tight end available for the Super Bowl, Patrick Mahomes‘s stat line looked pedestrian against the Buccanneers, despite his efforts to extend plays and throw perfect spirals toward the end zone as he fell to the ground. This is largely because, with both his starting tackles unavailable for the game, Mahomes was being chased by four-man rushes all night, and the Bucs were able to pressure the quarterback while also deploying additional resources to locking down the Chiefs’ best passing targets.

For a Ravens team that struggled with offensive line play all season, this should be the perfect proof text that adding a star receiver or a tight end running mate next to Mark Andrews will not be the primary solution to the team’s offensive woes. If Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, and perhaps the most creative play-calling staff in the NFL couldn’t bail out Mahomes, a free agent signing or high draft pick spent on a flashy receiver won’t be making up for the pressure Lamar Jackson feels in the pocket. If Baltimore wants to represent the AFC in Super Bowl LVI, putting cap and/or draft resources towards fixing the offensive line must be priority number one this offseason.

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Don’t blame Lamar Jackson:

To that point, no one is walking about from Super Bowl LV under the impression that Patrick Mahomes can’t win the big game, lacks the clutch gene, or even lacks weapons to throw to. His dancing around in the pocket wasn’t a sign of “immaturity as a passer” or a “run-first mentality.” It was plain and obvious to the world that the Chiefs were in a world of hurt missing their two bookend offensive linemen, and that resulted in Mahomes clearing a new FitBit goal every time he dropped back in the pocket.

Of course, Lamar Jackson experienced this caliber of protection for nearly the entirety of the season, still managed to navigate his team to a playoff win against a talented Titans team, and was still defamed by pundits and Ravens fans alike week for resorting to the same types of scrambling and off-target throws under pressure that we saw from Mahomes on Sunday night. This despite Jackson never having thrown a red-zone interception until the Divisional Round game against the Bills, and further establishing his credentials as a passer by leading the league in touchdown passes and quarterback rating in 2019.

Mahomes’ performance on Sunday showed that even the best of quarterbacks simply can’t put together a winning performance when it matters most if they don’t have adequate protection. These same factors should play into how fans and pundits alike assess the Ravens franchise quarterback.

The Ravens need a third safety this offseason:

When the Ravens played the Chiefs in Week three, they were beaten over the top for touchdowns on multiple occasions. And when they played soft coverage to keep things in front of them, the Chiefs opted for easy check-downs and slants that turned into easy first downs. If they want better success against Kansas City (and other talented passing teams on the schedule like San Diego) in 2020, adding a true free safety into the mix will be essential.

Having a true ball hawk in the defensive backfield would allow Baltimore to play receivers tight while having the necessary help over the top that will allow corners like Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters to be tough and aggressive without getting burned for big plays. This would also allow DeShon Elliot to play in his more natural strong safety position, and let Don Martindale deploy Chuck Clark in the box and as a matchup piece against tight ends like Travis Kelce.