The Baltimore Ravens are a short-yardage mess. It’s been that way since Week 1, and in Week 7, third- and fourth-and-short issues continued to haunt them. It’s time for Declan Doyle to start being basic: run the Tush Push with Mark Andrews.
Whatever Doyle’s been doing in short-yardage situations hasn’t worked enough. He’s drawn up simple inside runs with Derrick Henry, fullback dives with Justice Hill, outside runs, pass plays; he’s tried pretty much everything in the book. Some have worked, but he hasn’t found a consistent winner.
To Doyle’s credit, the Ravens tried to let Tyler Huntley sneak it, but that failed late in the game. That’s with Huntley, though. The 6-foot-5, 250-pound Andrews feels like the more obvious candidate to line up under center.
It worked last year. Who’s to say it won’t work again?
Tush Push could solve Baltimore Ravens’ short-yardage issues
Entering Sunday, Declan Doyle’s offense ranked 30th on 3rd- and 4th-and-1 conversion rate, going 5-for-10. Much of those same issues persisted in Week 7.
In their loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore couldn’t put those woes to bed. And when it was a must-have yard, the offense seemed to flounder in the big moment. On third and fourth downs with three or fewer yards to go, the Ravens went 3-for-8, including a failure on a third down inside the opposing 20-yard line.
It’s a polarizing play, but the Tush Push is extremely efficient. Heck, it worked on Sunday for the Miami Dolphins, who used it to seal their first win of the 2026 campaign. And since the Philadelphia Eagles popularized it in 2022, it’s been one of the NFL’s most effective plays. Teams looking to pick up a first down often find success.
Here’s a look at the league-wide success rate since the play was implemented more and more across the NFL.
YEAR | CONVERTED | ATTEMPTS | CONVERSION RATE |
|---|---|---|---|
2022 | 34 | 38 | 89% |
2023 | 64 | 74 | 86% |
2024 | 74 | 90 | 82% |
2025 | 93 | 114 | 82% |
2026 | 29 | 36 | 81% |
It’s not a guarantee, but if you’re an analytics person, they’ll usually point to you running it. And given Baltimore’s struggles on short-yardage plays, they definitely need to contemplate it.
Maybe Mark Andrews can fix that. In 2025, the Ravens went 4-for-6 running the Tush Push. The veteran tight end was the go-to guy on those plays, and he even had a miraculous 35-yard touchdown run on a fake design.
Baltimore also acquired Cam Jurgens, who made his first start at center in Week 7. He knows the Tush Push better than anyone. He ran it really well during his career in Philadelphia.
Of course, don't run it too much. With a player like Jurgens with injury history, you don't want to put him in that scuffle too often. But you don't need to be the Eagles or Buffalo Bills; run it when you desperately need the yard.
The point is, Andrews has experience taking snaps and Jurgens has experience leading the operation. They could be the answer to Doyle’s problem. He hasn’t found a dependable blueprint, and it’s agonizing how it’s halted drives. An Andrews Tush Push should be the last stone to turn over to fix it, and it might be the best call. The numbers support it.
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