4 ways the Ravens offense can improve sustainability moving forward

There are adjustments to the personnel and it’s usage that would help take pressure off the reigning league MVP while improving both efficiency and consistency.

As impressive as the Baltimore Ravens offensive production was in their season-opening loss to the Kansas City Chiefs from an overall results standpoint, it can’t become the norm for the entire season.

Franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson accounted for 397 of the team’s 452 total yards on offense, leading in both passing and rushing yards. While he didn’t take many big hits on scrambles that he didn’t initiate himself or from within the pocket, the star signal caller was under constant duress for most of the game.

The pressure to have to constantly carry the load for the entire offense and will a clutch play into existence through sheer herculean effort was just as intense and consistent as all the heat the two-time reigning champions were applying on defense to stop or at least limit him. How aggressive and sometimes recklessly Jackson played in terms of his level of physicality would be fine for a playoff run when it’s a win-or-go-home but it’s too soon for that level with 16 more regular season games left to play.

While this was just Week 1 against an elite opponent with difference-makers at every level of their defense, in order for the Ravens to field a sustainable offense, adjustments must be made.

Here are four potential ways their overall approach on that side of the ball can improve in their second year under offensive coordinator Todd Monken, with the most dangerous dual threat in NFL history under center.

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1.) Feed Derrick Henry early and OFTEN

The point of bringing in the two-time First Team All-Pro and league rushing champion was to lighten Jackson’s burden in the ground game and ensure that the days of their quarterback leading the team in rushing attempts and yards each week were over. That wasn’t the case against the Chiefs although not by much in terms of attempts as Henry finished second to his quarterback who had 16 while he recorded 13 for 46 yards and a touchdown.

On the Ravens’ opening drive of the game, the new dynamic duo got a chance to show what they can do playing in tandem with Henry toting the rock five times for 17 yards with his fifth resulting in the first points of the 2024 NFL season. However, instead of averaging between four to five touches a drive, he was only given eight the rest of the game throughout the Ravens’ next nine possessions.

Had the Ravens been trailing significantly for most of the game, having fellow veteran Justice Hill in the game more often for his pass-catching and protecting upside would make more sense. However, the Ravens only trailed by a field goal at halftime and even though the Chiefs increased their lead to 10 on the opening possession of the third quarter, they took less than four minutes off the clock so there was still plenty of time for them to run their way back into the game. Instead, six of their seven plays to open the third quarter were passing plays including four straight before Henry was given a carry to break tendency and was subsequently stuffed for a one-yard loss.

The four-time Pro Bowler has always been the kind of ball carrier who produces more with a higher volume of carries. Many of his best and most iconic runs have come later in games where he can help put teams away by crushing the will of their defenders who get winded and no longer want to tackle the 6-foot-2 and 247-pound freight train. In the season opener, the Ravens did a good job of getting him involved early but moving forward, they also need to do it often and not get what seems like panicked at times when they fall behind by a touchdown or more with plenty of time to battle back with a balanced attack.

2.) Start Ben Cleveland at right guard

An offensive line is only as strong as its weakest link and it was clear that the right side of the of the Ravens’ first team blocking unit was the fatal flaw that the Chiefs targeted to exploit in Week 1 to much success.

While third-year pro Daniel Faalele is by no means weak from a sheer size and physicality standpoint at 6-foot-8 and 380 pounds, the converted tackle’s inconsistency in pass protection and inability to dominate in run blocking, like someone of his size should, is cause for concern. Unlike at right tackle where the Ravens have no viable alternative options to veteran Patrick Mekari and second-round rookie Roger Rosengarten, who rotated in Week 1, they do have a player on the roster who would be an upgrade over Faalele in fourth-year pro Ben Cleveland.

The 2021 third-rounder has been a projected Day 1 starter every year he has been in the league yet has either rotated or gotten beat out for one of the Ravens’ top guard spots. Yet, whenever he has actually received a chance to get in the game on offense, he has played well including the final two games of last season when he filled in more than admirably for the 2023 Pro Bowler Kevin Zeitler.

Even though Cleveland spent most of the training camp cross-training at center and filling in for Tyler Linderbaum, he is a natural guard. In the final year of his rookie contract, he would help bring more consistency from the right guard spot in terms of pass protection and more efficiency as a run blocker.

3.) Dial up more play action passing

One major way to help an offensive line that is working its way through kinks and overcoming the adversity of having three new starters, as well as still mourning the passing of beloved position coach Joe D’Alessandris, is to make their jobs easier. Linemen almost always prefer run-blocking to pass-blocking because they get to be aggressors instead of reactors and calling play-action passing allows them to do both.

The Ravens only dialed up play-action passing plays 13 times against the Chiefs and doing so at an even higher rate would also greatly benefit Jackson because it would allow him to roll out on boots and throw on the run with less pressure in his face or open up more of the middle of the field where he has been at his best attacking.

4.) Keep it simple in crucial situations

There are a handful of instances when the Ravens’ play call selection made moving the ball harder than it needed to be at times, especially in some crucial situations including some short down and distances. While Monken has a plethora of creative and innovative plays to create and exploit mismatches in the passing game or get a player wide open, reducing the margin of error should take precedence in got-to-have-it situations such as third and fourth down.

One of the most glaring instances from the season opener was a fourth down gamble from at exactly midfield in the second quarter. It resulted in a turnover on downs and gave the Chiefs the ball back at their own 49-yard-line to start a drive that eventually ended in a field goal. On the play in question, wide receiver Zay Flowers was crouched behind the line of scrimmage and sprung open into flat where had veteran wideout Nelson Agholor not forgotten to block cornerback Trent McDuffie, he would’ve picked up the first down and then some with his explosive playmaking ability in the open field.

Instead, Flowers was tackled immediately after making the reception for a one-yard gain when they needed three to move the chains. At the same time, the failure of the attempt essentially boiled down to only one of the 11 players not doing their job, in such crucial situations, dialing up some of their more automatic plays that reduce the chance of human error outside of Jackson makes more sense.

A much better play selection in that particular short-yardage situation would’ve been one where Henry got the ball up the middle or Jackson to the edge off an option where he read the edge defender and potentially had another blocker in front of him as tight end Isaiah Likely did on a couple different occasions that resulted in big first downs.

Having the ball in their best player’s hands is always the way to go when they absolutely need a first down because Jackson has shown the ability to make it happen more often than not. Keeping that in mind every time crucial situations present themselves in big matchups against the best teams in the league, such as the Chiefs, who they could very well cross paths with again in the postseason.