Key to Ravens Running Game: 'Everyone Is Blocking Their Absolute Butt Off'
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens have imposed their will against opponents with their dominant ground attack.
Teams know the Baltimore is going to run the ball and they stack the line of scrimmage to shut down potential gaps in their defense.
The Ravens still find a way to run over the opposition.
Baltimore led the NFL with 191..9 yards per game. Baltimore has also run for over 200 yards in five of its past six games.
The key to that success has been a total team effort.
"I think the biggest key is everyone is blocking their absolute butt off," offensive lineman Bradley Bozeman said. "Lamar is selling the run. He’s doing his play-action, he’s doing everything. [Offensive coordinator] Coach [Greg] Roman is having great play-calls, great schemes going into the games. And something that’s not really talked about is how well our receivers are blocking.
"Our receivers are blocking their butts off. They’re flying under the box, they’re knocking people’s heads off, they’re getting into the nitty-gritty of it. Our O-line is playing pretty well. We have some things to clean up, but we love the challenge. We love to get out there and see what we can do, regardless of what the defense does.”
The Ravens ran for 236 yards in a 20-13 victory over the Titans in the wild-card round against the Titans last week. Quarterback Lamar Jackson led the way with a 133 yards on the ground that included a 48-yard score.
Baltimore will look to keep the same strategy against the Bills this week in the divisional round. Buffalo is ranked 17th in the NFL, allowing 119.6 yards per game and the Ravens will look to dominate the time of possession with their ground attack.
The Ravens have been able to keep teams off-balance with the ability of quarterback Lamar Jackson to scramble out of the pocket when a play breaks down.
Baltimore also been able to wear teams down late in the game by rotating rookie J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, who have different running styles. Dobbins can pick up yardage with his speed to get outside, while Edwards is more of a punishing, downhill runner.
“We’ve been in the playoff mindset for the last six weeks," Bozeman said. "Basically, if we lose one game, we’re out of the playoffs; that’s been our mindset this whole time. So, we’ve been playing playoff football for six weeks now, and this is no different. You lose and you’re out; you win, you go on.
"And we just have that mindset that we want to execute at the highest level we possibly can; control what we can control, minimize the stupid mistakes, the pre-snap penalties, the alignments, whatever it is, and just make sure we put ourselves in a good situation to come out with a win that day.”
