Baltimore Ravens

Abandoning The Run Is Killing The Baltimore Ravens

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 8:44 p.m. ET

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Oct 23, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Kenneth Dixon (30) runs with the ball during the first half of their game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

The Ravens lack a commitment to running the football. It is painfully obvious and it needs to change.

The Baltimore Ravens have had a banged up offensive line. Evidently their solution to this problem is having Joe Flacco sling it all over the place. Joe Flacco leads the league in passing attempts. Terrance West only got eight rushing attempts in the Ravens embarrassing loss to the New York Jets. West is averaging just over 13 carries per game. Solving the team’s biggest problem is as simple as committing to the running game.

I am tired of saying the same thing every week. We’re all tired of seeing the same thing every week. Even if the running game struggles, abandoning it is a foolish thing to do. The run game is something that Marty Mornhinweg has to be stubborn about. There is no rushing attack that breaks a big run with every carry. Plus it’s hard to find a running back in the league that can succeed with few carries. The Ravens have to let Terrance West get going.

It is important to remember that West had a big run called back by a penalty. If it stood, that would have been West’s third game with a rush gaining over 30 yards. When West can put up the kind of numbers that he has with an offense that hasn’t committed to him, that is exciting. Give him more than eight rushing attempts. Give him a chance.

Oct 2, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Terrance West (28) celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Oakland Raiders at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

The Ravens Need Ground And Pound To Be Their Mantra

Kenneth Dixon is another player that the Ravens need to get going. Dixon has been back from injury for three weeks and he has ust six rushing attempts. No player was more exciting than Dixon in the preseason. It can not be made more obvious than it already is. Baltimore has to become a ground and pound offense.

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We cannot line up in the shotgun and throw the football all the time. Get Flacco under center, put Kyle Juszczyk in the game and let the running backs take over the football game. When the offensive line is struggling, asking them to drop into pass protection all day long isn’t a great idea. When your quarterback has a sore shoulder, maybe giving the rock to your star running back more than eight times is a good idea.

Gary Kubiak got more out of Flacco than any other offensive coordinator. Kubiak understood the power of the running game meant everything to the offense. Not only did the play-action allow for big plays down the field, but it allowed Flacco to get out of the pocket and attack the defense with his cannon arm. Kubiak may be gone, but the Ravens can sill emulate the traits of their 2014 offense. If the Ravens would base everything on the run game, they would see their offensive productivity doubled, maybe even tripled.

Sep 25, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) throws the ball in the second quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports

The Passing Game Is Inefficient:

Joe Flacco leads the NFL in passing attempts, yet the results of all these passes are rather lackluster. Flacco has thrown the ball over 40 times in six of seven games. He is averaging six yards per pass. He has five touchdowns and six interceptions. Flacco has been sacked 15 times and his passer rating is 75.4 on the year. It’s not exactly like the Ravens passing game is a beacon of efficiency. If inefficiency is the reason the Ravens abandoned the run game against the Jets, they could have made the same argument for their passing attack.

Even if the Ravens rushing attack struggles, it seems like a better idea than struggling in a one dimensional offense. The Ravens offense is predictable. If I was a defensive coordinator against the Ravens, I’d just go after Flacco. He’s not beating defenses down the field with any regularity. Plus I wouldn’t care about giving up a few chunks of yards in the running game. The Ravens pass on almost every play. If I had to design a defense against this offense, the Ravens would do half of my work for me.

The Ravens averaged just 1.3 yards per carry against the Jets. However, in the interest of being fair, less than 10 rushing attempts isn’t even trying to run the football. If the Ravens don’t try to run the ball, they can’t complain about their results running the football. If the Ravens ran the ball 44 times a game, I’d argue they would need to pass the ball more. When you are one dimensional it doesn’t work. The Ravens need to commit to running the football more. I don’t know how many more times I have to say it. I guess I’ll beat the drum until this team figures it out.

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