Analyzing the Ravens’ playtime percentages in their Week 5 victory over the Bengals.
In Week 5, the Baltimore Ravens offense turned to their passing game after a strong start by the Cincinnati Bengals run defense, frequently lining up Mark Andrews as receiver and playing Justice Hill for much of the second half. The defense turned to dime packages as they tried to corral an explosive Bengals passing game.
Offense
Lamar Jackson played all 78 offensive snaps on a hot October afternoon in Cincinnati, frequently relying on hurry-up offense to keep up with an onslaught by Joe Burrow and the Bengals air attack.
The Bengals’ early stiffness against the run and the Ravens’ negative game script forced Derrick Henry off the field for much of the second half, resulting in a near-even split with Justice Hill. That kept Henry fresh for overtime, when he was able to finish the game with a breakaway run that called back to his days as a closer in Tennessee.
The game script also sidelined Patrick Ricard for much of the second half as the Baltimore moved away from their heavy run game as they mounted a comeback. He played just 25 snaps (32%), a significant drop from his past two weeks over 50%.
Baltimore’s offensive line entered the game unchanged from last week with Andrew Vorhees still sidelined, but an ankle injury to Roger Rosengarten and a bout of vomiting by Ronnie Stanley brought Josh Jones in the game. He played seven snaps at right tackle and two at left tackle, though both Ravens starters were able to finish the game. Ben Cleveland played two snaps as a sixth offensive lineman, while Patrick Mekari, Tyler Linderbaum, and Daniel Faalele all went the distance.
The Ravens’ receiving corps stepped up in the second half, led by Zay Flowers with 64 snaps and a career-high 111 yards. Rashod Bateman is still firmly Baltimore’s WR2, playing 49 snaps, while Nelson Agholor dropped to a 47% snap share, his second-lowest of the season. Tylan Wallace only played 14 snaps on offense, consistent with his usage this year, but he made them count. His two targets with his first of the season, and he converted first downs on both along with a key block to spring Henry on his overtime run that effectively ended the game.
Isaiah Likely played 71% of the Ravens’ snaps at tight end, a season-high, but both Mark Andrews and Charlie Kolar finished with more targets and receiving yards. Andrews played 43 snaps in his most productive outing of the year, lining up mostly in the slot and out wide while Likely took inline blocking duties. Like Wallace, Kolar made the most of his 21 snaps with 64 receiving yards and a 2-yard rush to convert a fourth-and-1 in the first half.
Defense
Roquan Smith played all 67 defensive snaps for the Ravens as he scrambled to find answers against a deadly Bengals passing attack. Baltimore’s starting secondary of Kyle Hamilton, Brandon Stephens, Marcus Williams, and Marlon Humphrey all played at least 90% of the team’s snaps.
Nate Wiggins played just 21 snaps (31%) after his 51-snap (86%) outing last week, with Zach Orr preferring three-safety formations with Eddie Jackson’s snap count more-than doubling from 20 in Week 4 to 41 in Week 5. Despite solid performance against Dallas and Buffalo, Ar’Darius Washington only saw a 2% increase in his snap share as he remained in a more limited role in Baltimore’s dime packages. The Ravens’ struggles on the back end in Cincinnati could lead to an additional
Trenton Simpson’s snap count has ticked back up after he played just 51% of the game against the Cowboys. He played 45 snaps (67%) against the Bengals, while Malik Harrison maintained an early-down role with 13 snaps (19%).
Kyle Van Noy led the Ravens’ edge rotation with 43 snaps (64%), but his recent AFC Defensive Player of the Month award loomed large in the eyes of Cincinnati’s pass protection as they threw chips and double-teams at him all game. Odafe Oweh played 31 snaps (46%), both lows on the season, as Orr rotated in David Ojabo for 21 snaps and practice squad elevation Yannick Ngakoue 18 snaps. Tavius Robinson played at least 35% of the Ravens’ snaps for the third straight game and delivered his first sack of the season.
Nnamdi Madubuike led the defensive line with 47 snaps while Travis Jones played 45 snaps for his fifth consecutive appearance with a snap share of 60% or higher. Broderick Washington’s snap share continues to hover around 40% with 28 snaps, and Brent Urban played a rotation role with 12 snaps (18%). The Ravens limited Michael Pierce’s exposure to an up-tempo Bengals offense in the heat coming off a shoulder injury that sidelined him in Week 4. His 19 snaps were his second-lowest since re-signing in Baltimore in 2022, though his 28% snaps share is only slightly lower than his season average.