Greg Roman Breaks Down Ravens Offense

Baltimore has struggled to score points recently.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens offense is looking to snap out of its recent doldrums.

While the Ravens are still ranked fourth in the NFL averaging 387.9 yards per game, they've had some recent struggles.

In their last four games, they have managed 10 (Miami), 16 (Bears), 16 (Browns), and 19 (Steelers) points, going 2-2 over that stretch. 

Quarterback Lamar Jackson has dealt with a heavy blitz over those games. He has completed 96 of 153 pass attempts (62.8%) for 922 yards with six touchdowns and eight interceptions (70.8 rating) over that stretch.  

“We’re seeing pressure, but we’re also seeing very not pressure," Roman said. "Everybody is a mile deep, go ahead and throw the ball underneath type of defense, too, so it’s not just … It’s really never just one thing. We’re going to get a mix. A little bit of man [to man coverage] jumps out there. So, there’s a lot of things coming at us, a lot of different things. So, we just take it day by day and focus on one play at a time execution. 

"When Lamar [Jackson] does that, it’s a beautiful thing. But it really goes well beyond him; it’s really us as an offensive unit, starting with me trying to put them in the best positions possible, as much as possible. You’re never going to be 100% right, but we want to be as right as we can possibly be as coaches and as players.”

Jackson has taken a league-high 37 sacks so far this season and he's missed a game because of an illness. One criticism is that Jackson is holding onto the ball too long. Jackson said sometimes it's necessary to just take the sack.

Roman said the team needs to do a better job getting Jackson into a "rhythm" so he can attack teams quicker. 

"We comb through the film together, all of us, and there are definitely some things in that area that we have to do better in, and he knows it," Roman said. "There are times, though, when there is a smart sack. Like if you try to throw the ball and somebody is in a position where they can swat at your arm, now you’re putting the team in jeopardy. The bottom line, though, is we want to play on time and in rhythm. So, that’s something that we have to work on, especially with these teams that are playing way off and are just giving us stuff underneath.”

Some of the issues are also with the wide receivers, who sometimes find themselves just a yard or two from each other when running routes. The receivers have to do a better job having field awareness. 

“When that happens, it’s generally somebody did something that they shouldn’t have done," Roman said. "Sometimes, it can happen where you’re really trying to clear a guy out and bring a guy underneath as a form of a shield. So, sometimes, that may be the case. Sometimes, guys are in the wrong spot. So, it’s either one of those, really.”