The Baltimore Ravens have seen all sorts of defensive approaches since quarterback Lamar Jackson became their full-time starting quarterback in the second half of the 2018 season, and the most successful ones typically had a common goal: take the fight to Jackson rather than giving him time and space.
Blitzes were not necessarily Jackson’s kryptonite, but it was one of the few strategies that seemed to work with any consistency. Not anymore.
The Ravens’ torrid offensive stretch — they’ve averaged 35 points and 479 yards per game during their five-game winning streak — has been fueled by Jackson’s improved ability to punish aggressive defenses.
In Monday’s 41-31 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jackson was blitzed on 61.5 percent of his dropbacks, the third-highest rate of his career. He went 11-for-15 for 166 yards and three touchdown passes and posted a 148.9 quarterback rating against the blitz, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. A week earlier against the Washington Commanders, Jackson completed 9 of 10 passes for 150 yards versus pressure.
“We’ve been very intentional about not just that, but that has been a big one — how we attack people who are going to blitz us in various ways and play various coverages behind it,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday. “We’ve tried to build something, and I would say Lamar has been the most intentional about it. He’s been locked in on that from day one, so it is showing up, and we have to keep it going. We’re going to get different blitzes.”
Overall, Jackson’s passer rating against the blitz this year is 119.9, according to Next Gen Stats, and he ranks second in the NFL in success rate (63.2 percent), trailing only Patrick Mahomes (65.1 percent). Jackson’s previous career-best success rate against the blitz was 49 percent in 2022, per Sharp Football Analysis.
The improvement feels especially pertinent this week against a talented Cleveland Browns defense that is one of the most blitz-happy units in the league. Baltimore native Jim Schwartz’s defense blitzes on 35.7 percent of quarterback dropbacks, the third-highest total in the NFL.
The Browns’ aggressive defense caused problems for Jackson in the second meeting last season, as he threw two interceptions, posted a 67.8 quarterback rating and was sacked three times.
Harbaugh said this week that the Browns are one of the top blitzing teams in the league and credited Schwartz’s creativity in designing blitzes. There’s also the matter of the Browns having Myles Garrett, arguably the best defensive player in the league, on one side and Za’Darius Smith, who has 64 career sacks, on the other, with lightning-fast linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah behind them.
For Jackson, though, it’s just the latest challenge. The Ravens already have played teams that ranked fifth (Las Vegas Raiders), sixth (Kansas City Chiefs), seventh (Tampa Bay), ninth (Washington) and 11th (Dallas Cowboys) in blitz percentage.
“That’s what we’ve been getting every week is pressure,” offensive coordinator Todd Monken said. “Different forms of it, different variations of it. I think that’s what we’re going to continue to see.”
During game weeks, we’ll examine some of the storylines, matchups and questions the Ravens face heading into the contest. This week’s first-and-10:
1. Harbaugh put a premium this week on trying to get his players as much rest as possible on a short week coming off a Monday night road game. The Ravens didn’t practice Tuesday and were told to come into the building later Wednesday. Wednesday’s practice was more of a walk-through. Practice reps were divided accordingly. The Ravens have been relatively healthy all season, but this week is probably as banged up as they’ve been, particularly on defense. The defense needed to play 82 snaps Monday. How the team responds to an always physical AFC North road game will be interesting to follow with a quick turnaround.
2. Derrick Henry’s 873 rushing yards are the most through seven games since DeMarco Murray had 913 rushing yards for Dallas in 2014. With 127 rushing yards Sunday, he’ll become the fourth player in NFL history with at least 1,000 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns in his team’s first eight games. To put his start in perspective, Jamal Lewis has the best single-season rushing performance in Ravens history, rushing for 2,066 yards in 2003. Through seven games that season, Lewis rushed for 977 yards on 166 carries. Henry has only 134 carries. The Browns have allowed more than 100 rushing yards per game just twice this season.
DERRICK HENRY BREAKS OFF AN 81-YARD RUN.
📺: #BALvsTB on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/xXVR93t3uI— NFL (@NFL) October 22, 2024
3. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley’s resurgence hasn’t gotten a ton of attention because of Jackson and Henry’s excellence. However, it’s been crucially important for an offensive line with three new starters. Not only has Stanley been able to stay healthy, which has been a major issue in the past, but he ranks as the league’s third-best pass blocker, per Pro Football Focus. He has yet to allow a sack. That streak will be challenged this week, as Stanley figures to be matched against Garrett for much of the afternoon. The five-time Pro Bowl selection doesn’t always rush from one spot, but he has stayed on the right side for much of this season. He has rushed from the right side for 239 defensive snaps this year, compared with 63 from the left, per Pro Football Focus. Garrett has at least one sack against the Ravens in seven straight games.
4. With the first of his two touchdown catches Monday against the Buccaneers, tight end Mark Andrews became the Ravens’ all-time leader in touchdown catches. He has 43 touchdowns, leaving him five away from surpassing Lewis as the franchise’s all-time touchdown leader. He’s facing an opponent Sunday that has helped him climb the franchise scoring list. Andrews has nine career touchdowns against the Browns, his most against any team. He has scored at least one touchdown in six of his last eight matchups with the Browns.
5. Speaking of tight ends, last week’s trade of Amari Cooper and the recent struggles of Jerry Jeudy leave David Njoku as arguably the Browns’ most dangerous target. He caught 10 balls and a touchdown (on 14 targets) for 76 yards Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Ravens have been hurt badly this season by tight ends, many of whom are less explosive than Njoku. Three tight ends have had 95 or more receiving yards against them. No team in the NFL has given up more receptions (45) and receiving yards (536) to tight ends than the Ravens. They’ll need a plan for Njoku, who can get downfield.
6. Browns quarterback Jameis Winston, who will make his first start since 2022, is in his ninth season in the NFL, yet he has faced the Ravens just once. That was back in December 2018 when he was the starter for the Buccaneers in a 20-12 loss in Baltimore and completed 13 of 25 passes for 157 yards and an interception. Still, the Ravens should have plenty of familiarity with Winston. Monken was Winston’s offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay from 2016 to 2018. Ravens offensive assistant Danny Breyer also was on that Tampa Bay staff, and Harbaugh described him as one of Winston’s best friends.
7. In the warmup phase of Thursday’s practice, Ravens defensive backs repeatedly had balls bounce off their hands. There might not be a statistic that tracks dropped interceptions, but the Ravens probably lead the league. Coaches and players have lamented how many opportunities they’ve squandered to create turnovers. Safety Kyle Hamilton estimated that the Ravens should have had five interceptions against the Buccaneers. They had two, both by Marlon Humphrey. Rookie Nate Wiggins and Ar’Darius Washington have had multiple interception opportunities slip through their grasp. The Ravens have five interceptions, four by Humphrey, who likely won’t play Sunday because of a knee injury. Winston is a quarterback who will take chances and put the ball in harm’s way. He has thrown 99 career interceptions. The Ravens’ defensive backs should get chances. They just need to catch them.
8. Veteran Arthur Maulet’s pending return for his season debut comes at a perfect time for the Ravens with Humphrey likely sidelined. The Ravens figure to play Brandon Stephens and Wiggins at outside corner and then use some combination of Maulet, Ar’Darius Washington and Hamilton in the slot. Hamilton figures to see a lot of Njoku, too.
9. Baltimore’s typically formidable special teams group has been mistake-prone this season, but it should have the edge in this game. The Browns rank 25th in special teams DVOA. They’re allowing 13.5 yards per punt return, and kicker Dustin Hopkins has missed three field goal attempts and two extra-point tries.
10. The Ravens could be busy Saturday at 4 p.m., the deadline for solidifying their game day roster options. With Humphrey and rookie T.J. Tampa (ankle) not expected to play, cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis could be activated to the 53-man roster after being a full participant at practice for much of the week. The Ravens would have to make a corresponding move, and one possibility is moving rookie running back Rasheen Ali (ankle) to injured reserve. The Ravens might need to elevate a defensive lineman from the practice squad — Chris Wormley and C.J. Ravenell are the options — with Travis Jones dealing with an ankle injury and Broderick Washington having missed the previous two games with a knee injury. Reserve inside linebacker Kristian Welch also figures to be elevated to special teams.
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Prediction
Ravens 26, Browns 17
There are plenty of challenging elements to this game, so it should have the Ravens’ full attention. The Browns and the crowd at Huntington Bank Field will get some juice from the quarterback and offensive play caller changes. Winston can be mistake-prone, but he also can light it up, and the Ravens defense is vulnerable. Cleveland’s defense has the personnel to cause problems with Pro Bowl-caliber players at every level. And the Ravens are heading into a difficult environment on a short week and with a banged-up roster. Still, with how well Jackson and the offense are playing, how can you bet against the Ravens right now against a one-win team? I certainly can’t, but I don’t expect Sunday to be a cakewalk for the visitors.
(Top photo: Kim Klement Neitzel / Imagn Images)
