It didn’t take lengthy for the Ravens’ residence opener plans to wish some revising.
Amid a wave of accidents and ongoing recoveries, the staff might welcome followers again to M&T Financial institution Stadium with out 4 stars who ended final season on injured reserve. Left sort out Ronnie Stanley, working again J.Ok. Dobbins, and cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters are all questionable or uncertain for Sunday’s recreation in opposition to the Miami Dolphins (1-0).
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, nonetheless, can be again for his first residence recreation since Nov. 28, and his efficiency may very well be revealing. Jackson struggled mightily in opposition to the Dolphins’ strain packages of their Week 10 assembly final season, a 22-10 street loss. A powerful displaying Sunday might flip the web page on the offense’s struggles in opposition to the blitz. Right here’s what to observe within the groups’ Week 2 matchup.
Offense
1. After a disappointing season opener, the Ravens’ working recreation wants a bounce-back efficiency Sunday. The offense completed with 21 carries for simply 63 yards in opposition to the New York Jets, their second fewest since 2019 and their fewest with Jackson as a full-time starter. (The Ravens, lacking Jackson and different key contributors due to accidents and the coronavirus final season, had 16 carries for 39 yards of their Week 16 blowout loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.)
Whereas the Ravens’ run blocking was inconsistent, particularly within the first half, the speeding manufacturing in all probability might’ve been higher. In keeping with the NFL’s Subsequent Gen Stats modeling, working again Kenyan Drake (11 carries for 31 yards) completed with 16 fewer yards than anticipated in his Ravens debut. One other week of observe ought to assist Drake’s consolation with the run schemes. A wholesome and explosive Dobbins, who practiced as a full participant Thursday and Friday and will play Sunday, would even be a boon.
“I might describe [the running game] as very uneven,” offensive coordinator Greg Roman mentioned Thursday. “We had been rusty in some issues; it was a man right here, one factor right here, one factor there. So it’s clearly one thing we’re attacking and attempting to enhance. We actually didn’t present an entire lot as soon as that recreation opened up a bit bit, and we constructed a unique lead. …
“However so far as the working recreation goes, we wish to be extra environment friendly. We can be. We’ve set to work by way of it, work at it. However actually, it wasn’t, like, a large drawback. It was one factor that broke the play down. However we’ve acquired plenty of work to do, and I really feel actually good concerning the guys getting it executed.”
2. If the Dolphins’ Cowl 0-heavy blitz schemes are solely as safe as their secondary’s weakest hyperlink, the Ravens might have a goal in thoughts for Sunday.
In final season’s assembly, Dolphins cornerbacks Xavien Howard and Byron Jones — the sixth- and ninth-highest-paid corners within the NFL this yr — performed each defensive snap and helped maintain Jackson to 238 yards, a landing and an interception on 26-for-43 passing.
This time round, the Dolphins nonetheless have Howard and rising-star security Jevon Holland, who can line up as a slot nook. Fellow beginning security Brandon Jones additionally fared effectively in Week 1, getting the strip-sack on New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones that outdoors linebacker Melvin Ingram returned for a landing.
However the Dolphins don’t have Jones, who began the season on the reserve/physically-unable-to-perform listing with an Achilles tendon damage. Beginning in his place Sunday was Nik Needham, who allowed 5 completions on six targets for 93 yards, in line with Professional Soccer Focus. He’s removed from inexperienced, having began 11 video games over the previous two seasons. However he performed simply 4 snaps in final yr’s matchup.
3. The cat-and-mouse recreation between the Ravens’ offense and the Dolphins’ protection Sunday may very well be entertaining. Because the Patriots’ Jones noticed in Week 1, Miami can present a Cowl 0 look earlier than the snap and ship on that promise with an all-out blitz. The Dolphins can even present a Cowl 0 look, look forward to the offense to audible right into a safer pass-blocking scheme, then again off the road earlier than the snap and drop right into a passive zone.
The Ravens have maintained this week that they’re higher ready for the form of punches the Dolphins threw final season. However they’ll have to be ready for Miami’s counterpunches, too.
“They play Cowl 0, however additionally they play plenty of different issues,” Roman mentioned. “They wish to present you ‘0,’ and so they don’t [run it]. … So, sure, there’s undoubtedly some layers to this. But it surely’s going to come back right down to preparation, communication and execution. So if we’re good in these areas, I like our probabilities.”
4. Roman didn’t wait lengthy Sunday to indicate a brand new dimension within the Ravens’ assault. On their first play from scrimmage, Jackson faked a handoff to Drake and rolled out to his proper, the place he accomplished a brief go to large receiver Rashod Bateman.
It wasn’t how the play unfolded that was novel, however the way it began. Jackson had lined up underneath heart, a departure from Roman’s shotgun- and pistol-heavy formation tendencies. On first and second down Sunday, the Ravens ran three go performs from underneath heart — Jackson went 3-for-3 for 30 yards — and had six under-center runs for twenty-four yards. In keeping with Sports activities Information Options, that they had simply 14 drop-backs and 26 carries (excluding kneel-downs) from underneath heart on early downs all final season.
“We are able to do plenty of stuff underneath heart,” Roman mentioned. “We did a few of it this week, and there’ll be extra of it to come back. We’ve acquired to remain on prime of what we’re doing underneath heart, which we'll — perhaps set the hook on just a few issues.”
Protection
5. In his first recreation in opposition to the Ravens, in 2018, then-Chiefs large receiver Tyreek Hill had eight catches for 139 yards, together with a miraculous 48-yarder on fourth-and-long late within the fourth quarter to maintain Kansas Metropolis’s comeback hopes alive. In 2020, Hill had 5 catches for 77 yards and a landing in Baltimore, plus two runs for 25 yards.
Final yr, the Ravens determined they’d seen sufficient. They double-teamed Hill typically and shaded their protection towards the six-time Professional Bowl choice, holding him to a few catches on 4 targets for 14 yards — however leaving loads of house elsewhere for quarterback Patrick Mahomes to carve up the Ravens’ secondary.
In Miami, Hill doesn’t have Mahomes throwing to him, tight finish Travis Kelce lining up subsequent to him or Andy Reid teaching him. He does have large receiver Jaylen Waddle as a working mate, although. The No. 6 total choose in final yr’s draft, Waddle had 1,015 receiving yards as a rookie and began his season Sunday with a 42-yard catch-and-run rating. The Ravens can’t double-team each.
“I believe if you face a staff like this, you need to actually ensure you’re in your fundamentals, working out of the stacks, pursuit angles are good, communication within the again finish, presnap and postsnap,” defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald mentioned Thursday. “So it’s been an enormous emphasis for us this week.”
6. The Ravens don’t simply need communication on protection. They need “obnoxious” communication: everybody pointing, everybody speaking, everybody calling out reads.
There wasn’t sufficient of that final season in Miami Gardens, Florida. The Dolphins’ two largest features got here on protection busts.
Within the remaining minute of the primary half, the Ravens had three zone defenders drop into protection to quarterback Jacoby Brissett’s proper, nearly forming a line 10 yards large. However as large receiver Isaiah Ford ran a vertical route down that sideline, nobody went with him. He was large open for a 52-yard catch-and-run that arrange a go-ahead discipline aim.
Late within the fourth quarter, with the Ravens trailing 15-10, they forgot to cowl large receiver Albert Wilson after he went in movement and zoomed up the left sideline. This time, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa discovered him unmarked for a 64-yard catch-and-run. A minute later, Tagovailoa put away the sport with a landing run.
In Week 1, the Ravens’ defensive recreation plan regarded removed from vanilla. The form the protection confirmed earlier than the snap typically modified on the snap. However security Chuck Clark mentioned afterward the unit was on the identical web page all through the afternoon.
With Kyle Fuller misplaced for the season and fellow cornerbacks Brandon Stephens, Humphrey and Peters coping with their very own accidents, that cohesiveness won't come so naturally Sunday.
“The factor that I’m most happy with is the sense of urgency from our guys about communication,” Macdonald mentioned Thursday. “Not that it wasn’t there, but it surely actually appears like probably the most buy-in we’ve felt within the sense of urgency to make calls since we acquired right here over the past couple weeks. That’s one thing that we’re undoubtedly harping on; it’s some extent of emphasis. You at all times hear the saying, ‘A loud protection is an efficient protection,’ and that’s what we’re attempting to be.”
7. Tagovailoa was one of many NFL’s most correct quarterbacks in opposition to zone protection final season ― 72.4% in opposition to Cowl 2, Cowl 3, Cowl 4 and Cowl 6 shells, in line with SIS ― however removed from probably the most environment friendly. Seven of his 10 interceptions in 2021, and simply three of his 16 touchdowns, got here in opposition to zone seems to be.
Of their first yr with Macdonald as coordinator, the Ravens might play extra zone than they ever did underneath predecessor Don “Wink” Martindale, who favored aggressive, man-to-man seems to be. Jets quarterback Joe Flacco noticed a majority of zone coverages in Week 1, ending 21-for-29 for 183 yards and an interception (74.4 passer score).
Additional factors
8. The Ravens have gained six straight residence openers, outscoring opponents by a mixed 181-78 in these video games. The Ravens are additionally 13-1 in residence openers underneath coach John Harbaugh and 20-4 at M&T Financial institution Stadium in September since 2008, the NFL’s greatest residence successful share in that span. A win Sunday can be the one hundred and fiftieth of Harbaugh’s profession, together with postseason victories.
9. How essential would a win Sunday be? Of the 262 groups which have began 2-0 since 1990, 165 (63%) ended up making the playoffs, in line with CBS Sports activities. Groups that began 2-0 have additionally gained 20 of the previous 32 Tremendous Bowls, together with the 2000 Ravens.
Week 2
DOLPHINS@RAVENS
Sunday, 1 p.m.
TV: Chs. 13, 9
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
Line: Ravens by 3 1/2
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