Ravens Noted for Elite Success in Critical Area

Great teams take advantage of their scoring chances. That usually requires big, drive-extending plays to turn attempts to march down the field into arduous defensive stands for their opponents, good decision-making that results in point-blank shots on the enemy end zone.

The Baltimore Ravens statistically flourished at this skill, not much of a surprise for those who've been watching the contenders dominate the regular season over much of the 2020s. Lamar Jackson is one of the best quarterbacks in the league, evidenced in his two MVP awards and three First Team All-Pro finishes, and he's blossomed into an elite offensive director who's utilized his vast assortment of weapons into one of the more impressive scoring units in the league.

PFF took some time to analyze last season's most proficient third down offenses, and came away with how the Ravens handled situations that involved little gains against defenses that knew what Baltimore was planning and still couldn't stop the attack.

They led the league in conversion rate from third-and-short with 79.7% success, repeatedly finding their way to fresh sets of downs.

"The Ravens' offense was one of the best in the NFL across the board in 2024, and their success on third-and-short, especially relative to the rest of the league, is just one reminder," Thomas Valentine wrote. "Defenses knew what was coming if the Ravens got into a third-and-short scenario, but they weren’t equipped to stop it. Led by the dynamic backfield of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, the Ravens made rushing in short-yardage situations their calling card.

Baltimore Ravens Quarterback Lamar Jackson and Running Back Derrick Henry — Led by quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry, the Baltimore Ravens have the NFL's best offense through 12 weeks, averaging 426.7 yards per game. | Sam Greene / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Only the Chargers ran more on third-and-short than the Ravens (77.6%), who found the third-most success in the NFL on those plays (79.1%). Baltimore's success on third-and-short passing plays was at 75%, which led the league by a healthy margin. Todd Monken's play-calling was effective, but the Ravens often found ways to get Jackson under center and hand the ball off to Henry, who ran for 17 first-down conversions in 2024, earning a 90.0 PFF overall grade in the process."

The Ravens didn't top the list of third down performers, bested by the "play-calling masterclass" that was the Baker Mayfield/Liam Coen-led Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the formidability of Baltimore's partnership between quarterback and running back manifested in their unparalleled ability to get past the chains when they needed to the most.

Henry is a relentless snowplow who regularly needs multiple coordinated men to bring him down, while Jackson's evasive running still flummoxes teams after years of highlight accumulation. Those two have spearheaded another year of championship expectations, with statistics like those accumulated by PFF backing up the hype.

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