Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens Struggles: 5 Stats That Say It All

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 12:45 a.m. ET

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Oct 16, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Terrance West (28) runs the ball against New York Giants linebacker Devon Kennard (59) during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Ravens are 3-3. These five stats tell the true story of the season through six games:

The Baltimore Ravens have been one of the most exciting teams to watch in the NFL. They threaten to give you heart failure every single week as the game goes down to the wire. This season can be called many things, but intense is the adjective that paints the most accurate picture. Every week seems to be the same thing. Win or lose, this team has you on the edge of your seat.

The Ravens are right in the thick of the AFC playoff picture with a little more than half a season to go. With a 3-3 record the purple and black are right on the tail of the 4-2 Pittsburgh Steelers. With Ben Roethlisberger set to miss the next four to six weeks of action, the Steelers probably won’t run away with this division. If the Ravens take care of their business moving forward, the AFC North could be theirs. The situation isn’t bleak however it certainly feels that way.

The Ravens lost the last three games. The 3-0 start seems like a distant memory and it’s beginning to look like last season’s disaster. Baltimore football has seen better days, that is for sure. Who are the Ravens? Is this a good team that just needs to figure some things out? Are the Baltimore Ravens set to slide into mediocrity? What is the story that the stats tell?

Aug 11, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; (Editors note: Caption correction) Baltimore Ravens running back Terrance West (28) runs the football during the second quarter against the Carolina Panthers during the second quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

1. The Promise Of Terrance West Is In The Numbers

Terrance Wet is 13th in the NFL in rushing yards this season. He has had the 15th most carries in the NFL. You know what that tells me? If Terrance West got more carries, he’d easily be one of the most productive running backs in the NFL. West began the season splitting carries with Justin Forsett. Once Forsett was released, West was given the role as the main running back. In the first three weeks of the season West got just 33 carries. That’s simply not enough.

West had 95 yards on just 11 carries against the Washington Redskins. He got the team off to a hot start and Marc Trestman went away from him. It was an error so ridiculously unforgivable that it got Trestman fired the next day. West could have had a huge day, one that could have been remembered for years to come. He was getting over eight yards per carry. He couldn’t be stopped by anybody other than the play-caller.

West has broken some pretty big runs this season. West has had runs of 21 yards, 33 yards and 35 yards in the last three weeks. The evidence is crystal clear. If the Ravens commit to West, and give him 20 plus carries a game, they will get huge dividends. West could lead the league in rushing yards, he’s that good. West is averaging 14.7 rushing attempts per game and that isn’t enough.

Oct 9, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) looks to pass against the Washington Redskins at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

2. Joe Leads The League In Passing Attempts:

Nope, that’s not a lie. Joe Flacco has thrown more passes than any quarterback in the NFL. Flacco has had 264 passing attempts which is 27 passes more than Andrew Luck. However Luck has 11 touchdowns and a 94.2 passer rating. Flacco has five touchdowns and four interceptions with a 78.9 passer rating. Joe Flacco is tied for the 27th rank in passing touchdowns. To give you some perspective on Flacco’s lack of touchdown tosses; he has the same amount of touchdowns as Ryan Fitzpatrick. Ryan Fitzpatrick just got benched for Geno Smith. That’s a bad look for the Ravens’ franchise quarterback.

Flacco is 11th in total passing yards. He averages six yards per pass which is the 43rd best average in the NFL. If you take out the non-quarterbacks and backups with few passing attempts, it’s still incredibly bad. This is a byproduct of playing five games in Marc Trestman’s dink and dink some more passing attack. However, it does seem like Flacco is a bit gun shy.

The bottom line here is, that the Ravens run to pass ratio is way off the sweet spot. More importantly the Ravens passing attack is as inefficient as paying for things in all pennies. In theory it still adds up to the 11th most passing yards. In actuality it adds up to a struggling offense. The Ravens need to get more bang for their buck in the passing game. They also need to strive for a more run heavy balance for their offense.

Sep 21, 2014; Orchard Park, NY, USA; A general view of a penalty flag thrown by a official during a game between the Buffalo Bills and the San Diego Chargers at Ralph Wilson Stadium. San Diego beats Buffalo 22 to 10. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

3. Penalties Galore:

The Ravens are the most penalized team in the NFL. If you don’t believe me, go to NFL.com and see for yourself. Of course, after a 16 penalty game against the New York Giants, this should come as no surprise. The Ravens have been flagged 52 times. It ties with the Oakland Raiders for the most penalties.

However the Ravens are second in penalty yards. The Raiders have had 411 penalty yards, while the Ravens have had 403 penalty yards. The cost of Ravens penalties is 10 yards less than Terrance West has rushed for through six games. Let that sink in. This is perhaps the most unsettling problem the Ravens have. There just doesn’t seem to be a surplus of discipline with this team.

The Ravens have to clean this part of their game up. If they don’t get a handle on this, beating good teams is going to be very difficult. Just take some time to consider how much easier things would be, if the Ravens weren’t shooting themselves in the foot. No team has fewer than 26 penalties this season. Penalties happen. However if you’re being penalized almost nine times per game, it may be time to look in the mirror. The Ravens have to fix this, plain and simple.

Oct 16, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA;
Baltimore Ravens running back Terrance West (28) is stopped short of a touchdown by New York Giants outside linebacker Mark Herzlich (94) and outside linebacker Jonathan Casillas in the 4th quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

4. Fourth Down Has Not Been The Ravens Friend:

The Ravens have not had a lot of success converting on fourth down, yet their opponents have. The Ravens are four for ten on fourth down conversions. Their opponents are seven for eight. So many of these fourth down situations end up costing the Ravens a chance to win the game. Whether it’s failing to convert late in a game, or watching Odell Beckham turn the last stand into the Giants game winning score, fourth down is being mean to the Ravens.

The Ravens have been so terrible in these situations. One would think that John Harbaugh would lose confidence with every aggressive decision that takes place. Twice this season Harbaugh has turned down a sure field goal from Justin Tucker to gamble on fourth down. Fourth down conversions happen to be one of the few statistical categories that the Ravens ninth ranked defense cannot boast about.

It seems like there have been more fourth down decisions this year than in any six game stretch that I can remember. A lot of that is due to the close games. Late in games, there is often no choice but to go for it. However it seems like the Ravens decision making in these big moments, has been rather flawed.

Sep 11, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) throws to wide receiver Mike Wallace (17) for a second quarter touchdown against the Buffalo Bills at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

5. The Offense Needs More Star Power:

The Ravens offense has only had two players score a receiving touchdown. Mike Wallace has three receiving touchdowns. Steve Smith Sr. has two. Dennis Pitta is the Ravens leading receiver with 34 receptions. Smith Sr. has 27 while Mike Wallace 25. When you look at this offense, there is no one star that the opponent has to fear. Baltimore has solid players. They have a bunch of complementary pieces. It’s like a jigsaw puzzle missing the corner pieces.

The Ravens have tried to make Breshad Perriman their big play guy. Perriman has 13 receptions for 113 yards. While the inexperienced receiver shows potential, he has been anything but spectacular. So far he has made most of the the hard catches while dropping some of the easy ones. Chris Moore has also squandered some of his chances with dropped passes.

The Ravens struggles are on the Ravens. They have nobody to blame but themselves. This team could easily be 6-0. However it could be 0-6 as well. Every game has been close. If they utilize a run heavy approach and clean up the amount of penalties, they will be much better. That is the take home point. Terrance West and discipline are the two things the Ravens need the heaviest dose of.