Getty Ravens QB Lamar Jackson calls a play in a huddle of a regular season game on October 16, 2022.
With the 2022 regular season nearing a close and the postseason right around the corner, retired NFL players turned TV analysts, Ryan Clark and Dan Orlovsky, took a stab at pointing out and giving their opinions on what the “biggest flaw” is for the top four contenders in the AFC on the ESPN sports talk show ‘NFL Live’ on Tuesday, December 13, 2022.
The Baltimore Ravens were the last team they talked about on the show and both pundits believe too much is being placed on the shoulders of superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson and expressed concerns pertaining to the team’s pass catchers and passing attack.
Clark’s Take
The former long-time Pittsburgh Steelers‘ safety went up against his fair share of dangerous weapons in the heated rivalry between the two teams during its golden age. He doesn’t believe that this year’s team has many offensive skill players left standing following the loss of No. 1 wide receiver Rashod Bateman that opposing defenses should be weary of down the stretch and come playoff time.
He acknowledged that they still have All-Pro tight end Mark Andrews who is their leading receiver on the season in targets (92), receptions (58), receiving yards (671), and receiving touchdowns (5) according to Pro Football Reference. However, he is not impressed with the addition of veteran speedster DeSean Jackson and doubts their ability to create explosive plays outside of what Jackson brings to the table with his electric playmaking ability.
“They’re not going to be able to add anybody on the outside. So, what is this team going to do when you get into a position where Lamar Jackson or whoever, whether it’s Tyler Huntley has to throw the football in order for you to win?” Clark asked his colleague on set.
According to ESPN stats, the Ravens’ 27 plays of 20 or more yards is the second-fewest in the NFL this year. He doubts that they have enough explosiveness and weapons, particularly in the passing game, to be able to mount a comeback if they get behind against a top-tier opponent that does possess those assets on offense.
“I don’t necessarily believe they can and that’s why so much is dependent on Lamar Jackson which is a very difficult place to be in the AFC,” Clark added.
Orlovsky’s Take
The former journeyman backup turned analyst has been standing on the same soapbox as it pertains to his feelings or rather aptly, his frustrations when it comes to the Ravens’ passing game under offensive coordinator Greg Roman.
Asked Greg Roman about this congested pattern and whether he’d even be comfortable calling designed scrambles.
“When you play certain coverages that match, and you take everybody on this side of the field and run them to the other side of the field …”
While he praises the fourth-year signal caller for his innovative smash-mouth run designs and unique blocking schemes, he absolutely abhors his pass game designs when it comes to “spacing, timing, a reason, rhythm, connection, (and) distribution.”
Orlovsky said all of those components are tied together and make up an efficient passing game and he believes the Ravens have “none of that”.
“Their passing game schematically, Xs and Os, is so fundamentally flawed,” Orlovsky said. “For as much of a fan of their run game (as) I am with Greg Roman, I am the complete opposite with their pass game.
He broke down a play from their most recent game against the Steelers in Week 14 where he said the same issues came up that have made their aerial attack stagnant and lack creativity and has done the same several times this year and dating back to last season on Twitter as well.
Santa all I want for Christmas is better spacing in the Ravens pass game…one time. Just one time..🤦♂️🤦♂️
What is this @Ravens
No structure
No definition
No rules
There’s too many plays that have 👆there…Not absolving the QB play overall—but…
Clark chimed back in and talked more about how their current collection of weapons lacks players with specialized talents and skill sets that he believes every functional passing offense needs to succeed.
“Other than Mark Andrews, we don’t know what those guys specialize in,” he said. “They don’t have a No. 1, we don’t know that you’re going to line up here and you’re the guy that can push the football down the field or you’re a guy who we understand that if we get the football into your hands in the right space, we can get yards after the catch…They don’t have a passing identity other than who Mark Andrews is.”
My Take
While I didn’t play in the league for a decade plus like either of the retired seasoned pros, I do follow and cover this team more closely than they do as they are required to cover, analyze, and break down the entire league on a weekly basis.
In my opinion, the Ravens’ biggest flaw that could prove fatal down the stretch and during the season is the same one that has plagued them all year and ravaged their roster last season, health or the lack thereof.
The aftershocks of the injury-riddled 2021 season from hell have still been felt this year with star players at key positions integral to their success on both sides of the ball coming in and out of the lineup through their first 13 games.
In a win over the Steelers in Week 14, we all got a first glimpse of what their running game can look like when they had their top two running backs-J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards-and their All-Pro left tackle, Ronnie Stanley, playing together for the first time for a full game since Week 6 of the 2020 season and it was glorious despite having to play a pair of backup quarterbacks in the same game.
They were forced to rely on several young defensive backs early on in the year after injuries hit their secondary hard and some of the players that were available were still working their way back from season-ending injuries suffered the year before.
However, now with a healthier cast in the backend and the addition of two-time All-Pro inside linebacker Roquan Smith at the midseason trade deadline, they rank first in yards per rush allowed (2.8), first in third-down percentage (29%), and are second only to the San Fransico 49ers in points allowed per game (13.4) according to ESPN Stats.
They’re not getting Bateman or veteran cornerback, Kyle Fuller, back as both were lost to season-ending injuries, their cupboard isn’t bare at either position contrary to popular belief outside of the organization.
In Roman’s scheme which already heavily features the tight end position, they can offset some of the loss of Bateman by leaning even more on the talented trio of players they have there. In addition to Andrews, the Ravens also have promising rookie Isaiah Likely who has flashed at times this year, and fourth-year pro Josh Oliver who is having the best season of his career with the way he is making consistent contributions as both a blocker and receiver.
They also have another rookie Charlie Kolar who was activated to the 53-man roster last month but has yet to see his first NFL action. At 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds, he could be a factor at some point and was essentially utilized as a big-bodied wide receiver in college at Iowa State.
At the wide receiver position, they have a handful of useful weapons with different skill sets. Even at 36 years old, Jackson has proved he can still take the top off of opposing defenses with blazing speed. Veteran possession receiver Demarcus Robinson has been a “pleasant surprise” considering he joined the team just before the last preseason game.
Third-year pro Devin Duvernay got off to a hot start this season as a dynamic receiver, has cooled off since, but is capable of impacting the offense in a multitude of ways including as a pass catcher in space and ball carrier out of the backfield.
Devin Duvernay is so hard to stop on jet sweeps, especially when he’s got Gus the Bus leading the way as a blocker. On the TD, watch the defender have to change his angle. No chance. Duvernay has pure speed + uncanny knack for setting up blocks.
Roman could also learn from some of the other top contenders that had to be without their star quarterback for a stretch this season and simplify the playcalling upon Jackson’s return to the lineup. Overthinking and trying to get too clever with trick plays and unnecessary tendency breakers when opposing defenses couldn’t figure out how to stop their bread and butter on that side of the ball in the first place has been an issue at times this season.
If having to play multiple quarterbacks teaches a play-caller anything, its less can sometimes lead to more consistency even if it doesn’t necessarily lead to more explosive plays. Since they are in a conference with a bunch of high-flying offenses and elite quarterbacks, controlling the ball with log time-consuming drives that include a series of modest to chunk gains will help them keep pace with the more loaded offenses in terms of offensive skill talent.
On defense, the Ravens still have a pair of multi-time Pro Bowlers at cornerback in Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters and versatile safety they selected with the No. 14 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft in Kyle Hamilton who has shined in hybrid nickel safety/dime/outside linebacker role.
With the return of their ball-hawking free safety, Marcus Williams, from injured reserve, it will allow defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald to get even more creative with his coverage looks and disguises thanks to the additional safeties he now has at his disposal.