New York Giants at Baltimore Ravens: First Look at Ravens Offense
The Baltimore Ravens are playing in arguably the toughest division in football, and they currently sit as the third-best team with a 9-5 record. Not that I have to remind the great readers of Giants Country, but the best record in the NFC East is Washington’s 6-8.
Both the Giants and the Ravens desperately need this victory. Baltimore is on the outside looking in on three AFC wild-card spots currently held by the 10-4 Browns, the 10-4 Colts, and the 9-5 Dolphins.
John Harbaugh and his squad seemed to be on a tailspin after losing three games in a row to the Patriots, Titans, and Steelers, but things have recently been looking up.
They followed up the three consecutive losses by beating the Cowboys, dumping the Browns on Monday Night Football, and embarrassing the Jaguars while scoring 40 points in the last two games.
The Giants just faced an offense coming off of two 40 point games, and they held them to 20 points; however, it’s safe to say that Kevin Stefanski took his foot off the accelerator a bit in that loss to the Browns. The Ravens have quickly become a scary team to play, once again, so let’s take a look at their squad.
Offense
Star quarterback Lamar Jackson is having a good season, but it’s not quite close to his 2019 campaign where his passing efficiency, especially deep, was a bit better.
Through the first six weeks of this season, Jackson had 23 deep passing attempts (plus 20 yards) and connected on 6 of them with only one touchdown (26%). Last season, he was 51 of 18 (35%) with nine touchdowns deep.
In the 2020 season, Jackson has taken more deep shots per game in 2020; he’s averaging 3.83 deep shots per game this season, as opposed to 3.4 from 2019. The explosive plays haven’t exactly been consistent for the Ravens passing attack.
Yes, the passing attack is struggling a bit, and the Greg Roman offense only averages 173 passing yards per game (PYPG), but the scoring efficiency is still exceptional. The Ravens are third in points per play in the NFL behind Green Bay and Tennessee.
They also rank first in yards per point, so they’re converting where it matters in the red zone. The Ravens rank sixth by averaging 28 points per game on the season, but they rank first in the last three weeks.
The Ravens are all about running the football and disguising who has the ball right after the snap. This stresses the Giants' second-level defenders' run keys while putting a ton of pressure on the big guys up front.
Baltimore is first in rushing yards per game on the season, and in the last three weeks, they’re first by about 60 yards. Yes, a lot of this is a product of Lamar Jackson, but it also speaks to the entire rushing offense's potency. The Ravens do an excellent job using different personnel groupings and formations to create chaos for the defense.
Baltimore lines up tight, they’ll spread a defense out, they’ll align in 30 personnel, 22 personnel, 11 personnel, and they’ll run similar plays from all these different looks.
The foundational plays that they run are the zone read of the end man on the line of scrimmage, middle option read, outside zone, and power/gap backside guard pulling. They love to also run these plays, move the pocket, and hit the defense with play-action.
The Giants will have their hands full trying to defend Jackson on bootlegs with three-level reads: motioning receiver from backside in flat, Mark Andrews in between the linebacker and safeties, and Marquise “Hollywood” Brown stretching the field vertically. There’s a lot of motioning through the mesh point, as well as orbiting running backs or receivers to keep defenses guessing as well.
Dealing with this Greg Roman rushing attack with Lamar Jackson is a very difficult task to try and execute. The Giants haven’t seen a lot of the pistol formation this season, and the Ravens love to use pistol variations. New York will have to play gap-responsible defense, trust their keys, be decisive with their choices, and attempt to force Lamar Jackson to push the ball outside the numbers, where he’s struggled.
Skill Positions
Rookie second-round pick J.K. Dobbins has been a complete stud for the Ravens. He has a touchdown in four straight games, but he also has two fumbles. Dobbins shares the backfield with Gus Edwards, a former undrafted rookie out of Rutgers. Edwards is a 238 pound physical back who also possesses a very nice blend of explosiveness and lateral agility.
When he’s on the field, team’s have to respect his skill set. The combination of Dobbins and Edwards is dangerous alone, compound that with Lamar Jackson’s rushing ability, and we can all see how the Ravens have been dominating on the ground. Mark Ingram was a healthy scratch last week, but the Ravens do give snaps to 2019 fourth-round pick Justice Hill. He’s used a bit on third down, but the two players to worry about are Dobbins and Edwards.
Marquise Brown is the vertical threat with game-changing speed and quickness. He’s a smaller receiver and is only 5’9, 165 pounds, but he can easily take a pass anywhere on the field for a touchdown. He’s had a down year, relative to his expectations, but he still has 49 receptions on 83 targets for 703 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Blocking wide receiver Myles Boykin plays the second-most snaps of the group. He’s a big 6’4, 221 pounds, but he’s never had more than four targets in a game. His size makes him a real red-zone threat.
Speaking of size, Dez Bryant plays as the third boundary receiver for this offense. Bryant is still big, physical, and strong at the catch point but won’t make many people miss with quickness. He’s coming off a game where he scored his first touchdown as a Ravens player.
Willie Snead is the Ravens slot receiver, and he came off the COVID-19 list two weeks ago. He’s had some really big games for Baltimore this season, and he’s a security blanket for Lamar Jackson.
Snead still has a lot of quickness, shows a ton of toughness with the football in his hands, and it’s obvious that Lamar Jackson trusts him in big situations. Two other players that operate out of the slot are rookies Devin Duvernay and James Proche.
They don’t play many snaps, but Harbaugh loves to get Devernay the football in space. Expect a jet sweep or touch pass in front of Jackson to try and create deception with Devernay on Sunday.
Mark Andrews is a star wide receiver with 48 catches on 71 targets for 598 yards and seven touchdowns. Andrews is a very dangerous wide receiver over the middle of the field and his big frame, along with his athletic ability, pose problems for many defenses.
Expect Logan Ryan and Jabrill Peppers to be around Andrews most of the game. Andrews is not a blocking tight end, that job goes to former Giant Eric Tomlinson, who was signed to upgrade over Luke Willson after Nick Boyle suffered an injury.
Offensive Line
Orlando Brown Jr. started as the right tackle but has slid to the left side after Ronnie Stanley suffered a season-ending injury. Brown has done very well at left tackle, and this may pose a problem for the Giants.
Brown is 6’8", 345 pounds, and the Giants have a 6th round pick, a seventh-round pick, and an undrafted rookie, along with David Mayo playing edge for them. There’s a huge size disparity between all of those players and Brown. It doesn’t get much better on the right side either; former Giants offensive lineman D.J. Fluker has settled in as the right tackle and is playing well.
The right guard is Ben Powers, and the left guard is Bradley Bozeman. Powers took over for Tyre Phillips and helped stabilize the offensive line that is still hurting from Marshal Yanda's retirement.
Powers is a stable piece of the line. Bozeman, however, is a bit more of a liability in pass protection. He’s a good run blocker but has allowed 17 pressures and two sacks this season, and he’s not the most athletic guard. The Giants’ interior defensive lineman should win that match up against Bozeman on the left side.
Center Patrick Mekari has done a great job for the Ravens offensive line. He’s a great run blocker and is solid in pass protection. The swing offensive lineman is Tyre Phillips, and he’s still learning the speed of the NFL. He was a third-round pick this season out of Mississippi State, and he didn’t work as a starter, but he’s still capable in a pinch.
Defense
The Ravens have a stacked defense that consists of Pro Bowl names like Calais Campbell, Brandon Williams, Matthew Judon, Marcus Peters, Marlon Humphry, and Jimmy Smith. They’re currently the 4th best team in opponents points for, and they only allow about 20 points per game.
They’re ninth in yards allowed per game. Their pass defense ranks 14th best in the league, and their run defense is 10th in terms of yards per game. Defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale, who was in consideration for the Giants' head coaching position, is incredibly aggressive, and he brings a lot of pressure. Expect tight man coverage and zone match concepts on defense.
Defensive Line
Calais Campbell plays on the left side of the defensive line, and he is the biggest name within the unit, but his play has been down the past several weeks, which is probably one reason why some teams have been able to run the football against Baltimore.
He was dealing with a calf injury and found himself on the COVID-19 list; he came off three weeks ago and hasn’t been the same. He has 20 pressures and three sacks on the season. Derek Wolfe plays on the right side of the line. Like Campbell, he’s an aging veteran who is still effective. Wolfe does well against the run and is incredibly smart in the trenches. He has 11 pressures on the season and two sacks.
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The other defensive lineman are Justin Ellis, Justin Madibuke, and big nose tackle Brandon Williams. Ellis plays a rotational role for the Ravens and spells Derek Wolfe. He’s a solid player with limited pass-rushing upside. Madibuke is the rookie 3rd round pick out of Texas A&M.
He possesses a quick first step, very good lateral agility, and is an explosive athlete. He’s still a bit raw and is utilized more on pass-rushing downs on both the left and right side of the line of scrimmage. Brandon Williams is one of the best nose tackles in the NFL.
He’s a stout 6’1, 336-pound mountain of a man that clogs the A-Gaps and allows the linebackers to flow over the top and make more plays on the football. His role is important to the defense's function, but it’s not to stuff stat sheets. Martindale runs a lot of 3-4 attacking base type of defense with 2-4-5 sub-packages. He brings a lot of designed pressures and trap coverages to the field.
Edge Rushers
Giants’ fans know the name all too well from the many 2020 offseason rumors about former Jaguar Yannik Ngakoue, who was traded to the Vikings and then to the Ravens.
He’s still putting a lot of pressure on the quarterback: 16 pressures in six games with Minnesota and 23 pressures in 8 games with the Ravens. He has seven sacks on the season, according to Pro Football Focus.
Ngakoue plays mostly on the right side and should see a lot of Andrew Thomas. He’s not known for his ability to shut the run down, so counter runs towards Thomas may be in the game plan.
Jihad Ward plays all over the defensive front for Martindale. He missed games with an ankle injury and also found himself on the COVID-19 list. Ward is aggressive, explosive, and can play the run and the pass well. He’s a long, thick athlete that will be difficult to deal with in the game.
Another difficult assignment is Matthew Judon, who is a bit more of a linebacker, who will also drop in coverage. Judon has 36 pressures on the season and five sacks. The 28-year-old veteran from Grand Valley State is a playmaker on the defensive front.
Tyus Bowser is another player to worry about. He has 27 pressures and two sacks on the season but can play the run, rush the passer, and drop into coverage. Bowser is a versatile piece to Martindale’s defense. Pernell McPhee is a rotational player who blitzes a lot, and most of these linebackers and edge rushers. He’s an older player but is playing well in his limited role with the team.
Linebackers
Patrick Queen is an explosive playmaking linebacker that fell to the Ravens at pick 28 in the 2020 NFL Draft. His movement skills are incredibly impressive, but his tackling mechanics haven’t been great this season, and the truncated offseason may have affected his ability to put himself into optimal positions to defend the run.
There are times where he can’t get off blocks too. The struggles are understandable, but the playmaking ability is still very apparent for Queen.
L.J. Fort has been very impressive in the middle of Martindale’s defense. He’s a sure tackling, smart player that is solid in coverage. He’s been around the league for a while but has found his groove in Martindale’s defense.
Twenty-five-year-old Chris Board plays on the weak-side of the defense. From week 11 till now, his snap counts have increased. He’s not the best run defender, but he’s solid dropping into coverage.
Malik Harrison is a rotational linebacker that also plays for the Ravens. He’s a rookie third-round pick out of Ohio State who is more of a run down type of player.
Secondary
Chuck Clark is the starting strong safety, and he’s becoming a star in the league. He is 6’0, 205 pounds, and is 25 years of age. Clark is a hard-hitting, sure tackling, physical run defender who does a good job playing the robber position and operating near the line of scrimmage.
DeShon Elliot is the free safety, and he’s another young player proving how good he is in Martindale’s defense. Both Elliot and Clark are ascending players.
The cornerback room is one of the best in the NFL. It consists of the aggressive Marcus Peters, the long and effective Jimmy Smith, and the all-around star cornerback Marlon Humphrey. Jimmy Smith has been dealing with injuries, and Davontae Harris, who has only been in Baltimore for a few weeks, has had to fill in for him in a few games.
Harris can be attacked, and the Giants have to target him if he’s in the game. Humphrey has played mostly in the slot but has started games on both the right and left sides.
The Giants will have to scheme some receivers open and create traffic in man coverage to help receivers create separation. Against zone, the Giants have to utilize better route spacing to create the voids the need to attack the defense and put defenders into conflict.
