A Breakdown Of Ravens Offense In The Playoffs
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — While the Ravens have been one of the league's highest-scoring teams during the regular season, they've endured some challenges in the playoffs.
Baltimore has averaged 13 points and 375 yards per game in the postseason over the past three years.
As a result, the Ravens have not advanced past the divisional round.
Much of the issue remains with the offense.
Baltimore has managed 228.5 yards passing in the four games against the Chargers, Titans (twice) and Bills. The Ravens record-setting running attack managed 165.3 yards per game over the same span.
Overall, Baltimore has managed to amass significant yardage in the postseason. The problem has been scoring points.
In comparison, here's a breakdown of the playoff performance for each of the Super-Bowl champions compared to the Ravens over the past three seasons (statistics are per game.) All three teams that won the Super Bowl had the No. 1-ranked offense in the playoffs.
- 2018-19: New England Patriots (three games): 30.3 points, 476.3 yards (314.7 passing, 161.7 rushing); Ravens (one game): 17 points, 229 yards (139 passing, 90 rushing)
- 2019-20: Kansas City Chiefs (three games: 39 points, 411.7 yards (292 passing, 119.7 rushing); Ravens (one game): 12 points, 530 yards (345 passing, 185 rushing)
- 2020-21: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (four games): 30.8 points, 378.5 yards (256 passing, 122.5 rushing); Ravens (two games): 11.5 points, 370.5 yards (177.5 passing, 193 rushing).
The Ravens need to develop a more balanced offense to make the same type of run moving forward.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson is 1-3 as a starter in the postseason, but he has been hindered by an offensive line that has struggled with pass-blocking and critical drops by his wide receivers and running backs.
Here's a look at those postseason performances:
2018-19 Wild Card: Chargers 23, Ravens 17
- Jackson completed 14 of 29 passes for 194 yards with two touchdowns and an interception (78.8 quarterback rating). Jackson was also held to 54 yards on nine carries. The Chargers utilized extra defensive backs to chase down Jackson when he scrambled out of the pocket and their zone defense forced him to throw outside the hash marks — an area where he struggled that season.
2019-20 Divisional Round: Titans 28, Ravens 12
- Baltimore had no answer for Titans running back Derrick Henry, who finished with 195 yards on 30 carries. Henry also threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Corey Davis. Jackson was 31 of 59 for 365 yards with the two interceptions. He also ran for 143 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. That's 508 yards of total offense; the Ravens had a total of 530 yards.
2020-21 Wild Card: Ravens 20, Titans, 13
- Jackson ran for 136 yards with a long touchdown to earn the first postseason victory of his young career. He completed 17 of 24 pass attempts for 179 yards with an interception. The Ravens managed to contain Titans running back Derrick Henry, who led the NFL with 2,027 yards. Henry finished with just 40 yards on 18 carries.
Divisional Round: Bills 17, Ravens 3
- The Ravens could not overcome several miscues and costly penalties. Jackson threw a critical interception on a third-and-goal to Buffalo cornerback Taron Johnson, who ran 101 yards for the score. Baltimore never recovered and Jackson was later forced from the game with a concussion. The usually reliable Justin Tucker missed two field-goal attempts in the first half amid a swirling wind. San Koch shanked a punt that led to a Buffalo field goal.
