Ravens' OC Todd Monken has nowhere to hide after another offensive collapse

After a 17-3 loss against the Los Angeles Rams, the Baltimore Ravens are now 1-5 on the season. For the first five weeks of the year, the Ravens' defense had let them down, giving up 35.4 points per game. However, it was a different story on Sunday as poor offensive playcalling and Cooper Rush's limitations hurt the team.

Much of the blame for the Ravens' slow start has been on defensive coordinator Zach Orr and head coach John Harbaugh. Undoubtedly, though, offensive coordinator Todd Monken deserves plenty of blame for Sunday's disastrous offensive outing and the Ravens' season at large.

Monken has had his high points since taking over as the OC in 2023. Regardless, in both of the Ravens' playoff appearances, under Monken, he has abandoned the run game as the team cratered.

Earlier this season, Monken failed to utilize Derrick Henry multiple times, most notably giving him just eight carries against the Kansas City Chiefs. After Sunday's showing, the hot seat must be cranking up for Monken.

Monken's playcalling was a key problem on Sunday

The most notable example of Monken's poor playcalling on Sunday was when the Ravens got to the goal-line at the end of the second quarter and failed to break into the end zone. Instead of running it with Henry, Monken opted to direct snap it to Mark Andrews for a sneak twice before finally trying with Henry on fourth down. Trying a trick play with Andrews once is one thing, but trying again is straight up negligent.

Keep in mind, Henry had 90 yards and 18 carries in the first half, so it's not like he was struggling. Henry even went onto say it pisses him off that the Ravens failed to punch it at the goal-line.

Another example of questionable playcalling was the jet sweep to Zay Flowers, which led to a fumble. Yes, this mistake is on Rush (and Zay), but this play has failed multiple times throughout the season.

Moving beyond specific plays, Monken once again abandoned Henry in the run game. After Henry received 18 carries in the first half, he received just six carries in the second half. Of course, you will naturally air it out more when you're down, but the Ravens were tied 3-3 at halftime.

In the passing game, Monken lacked creativity. The Ravens didn't have a passing play for more than 10 yards until Tyler Huntley checked into the game. Rush's limitations as a passer were the main factor. Nevertheless, Monken didn't display much creativity to get his wide receivers open. Monken has a weird blend of untimely trick plays and basic schemes.

After this game, the Ravens are averaging 6.5 points without Lamar Jackson. Undoubtedly, this is a testament to Jackson's importance to the team, but also a reflection of Monken's poor playcalling.

Overall, unhappiness with the coaching staff has been a major talking point among Ravens fans, and Monken will be discussed more as Baltimore heads into their bye week.