Ravens Red Zone Report: What’s Working And Failing And What Must Change in Week 8

There is so much going on with the Ravens at a macro level right now between coaches and general managers getting exposed and all the second-half collapses and blaming fans for not being loud enough and with team legends excoriating this current edition on social media, it’s easy to gloss over specific micro issues.

And, with two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson coming back from a three-week absence due to a high-ankle sprain, it’s also easy to fall into the trap that he’s going to just solve everything. Indeed, he is the ultimate deodorant that covers up Eric DeCosta’s nasty work as an evaluator and negotiator and “steward” of the franchise, and they need him desperately. They need him to save the offense and therefore provide an even greater safety net to a defense that’s on fraud alert.

The Ravens especially need him to find ways to finish drives in the second half of games after Baltimore has failed to score after the half in two straight games with “genius” offensive coordinator Declan Doyle at the helm, stalling out in the redzone when they manage to get there. Jackson can’t do much to help the Ravens defensive redzone woes, but the more points the better ahead of what could be a shootout with the Bills in Buffalo on Sunday.

The Ravens rank 20th in the NFL in redzone TD% differential (-4.2%) and 25th in redzone scoring differential (-8.3%) and no one in the media is even bringing it up because of all the other chaos and noise. But if they don’t fix it soon, this season will spiral into the abyss like last year’s and they’ll keep getting Decosta-ed (blowing second-half, double-digit leads to lose) week after week.

RedZone Offense

May 10, 2025; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle answers questions after rookie minicamp at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

RedZone TD Efficiency: 62.5% (13th) 3rd-and-1/4th-and-1 Rush Conv: 25% (27th)

Total Pass EPA/Game: 0.50 (14th) Total Run EPA/G: -.27 (21st)

The issues with the offensive line are getting compounded as the field compresses and the play book constricts, and as the rookie play caller gets into clutch situations in the second half of games. Doyle spoke about wanting to script even more of the game as he explained his self-scout this week; um, yeah I am not sure thinking you can have even more of the game called a day before it starts is the answer, but whatever.

“I would say I probably haven't stuck to that second-half script enough,”’ Doyle offered this week, “and I probably have to stick with my guns a little more at times, and that would be kind of my own self-evaluation of that.”

I would say Jackson is the only thing keeping this from being a bottom-eight offense, and you’d best defer to his true genius in the redzone and let him do what he wants and follow what he sees. Stay out of the way. And lean into him doing what he wants at the line of scrimmage.

The best offensive lineman on the team – rookie Vega Ioane – is out with a knee injury it will be yet another new offensive line combination (the sixth unique one to start a game). Doyle also needs to change his play calling trends now that Snoop Huntley is making way for Jackson. The Ravens are throwing the ball just 39% of the time in the RZ – 30th in the NFL – and with tight end Mark Andrews fully cooked and this team’s only big-play threat quite small to go real damage in the redzone (Zay Flowers) Doyle better start flooding this area with his rookie tight ends.

The short-yardage game with Derrick Henry (who looks like a 32-year old back and needs help in the backfield by the deadline) hasn’t been good for over a year now, this line stinks inside (paying a ridiculous ransom of a struggling offensive lineman will go down as another DeCosta FAIL, and Doyle better lean into the option game and RPOs in this part of the field.

RedZone Defense

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) fights off a tackle from Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey (44) on a catch in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 7 game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. The Bengals scored 35 points in the second half to win 35-13 on the road. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

RedZone TD Efficiency: 66.7% (T-20th) Opposing Passer Rating: 111.7 (25th)

Pressure Rate: 30% (20th) Third Down Conv: 46.3% (T-20th)

Total Pass D EPA: -1.61 (23rd) Total Rush D EPA: -0.84 (29th)

Rookie head coach in Jesse Minter, no former head coaches on staff (just the way DeCosta designed it), trying to manage a defense through an entire game and run a sideline and coach an entire team for the first time on an alleged Super Bowl contender, was a big ask. Of course it’s manifesting more profoundly in the second half of games as injuries mount and adjustments are demanded in all three phases. And of course that nativity shows up most in special situations: RZ is everything in this modern game (with defensive coordinator often willing to bleed out yards between the 20s playing soft zone – and that’s all Minter does).

His defensive backs are a tragedy right now, they don’t seem connected or comfortable with his zone assignments and longtime head coach Marvin Lewis pointed out on “The Daily Flock” the obvious communication issues and bad fits in key moments. Minter best get that fixed first.

“It just starts with us putting them in a better position,” Minter said Monday. “Always starts with the coaching, in my opinion, and I'll leave it at that."

As always, we have suggestions (and they read everything, trust me).

Start with what Wink Martindale, the guy who created this defense with some help from Minter and Seahawks Super Bowl winning coach Mike McDonald, who agreed with me that Minter “needs to blitz more.” Let’s start there. DeCosta’s secondary lacks anything close to a play maker on the back end (Kyle Hamilton is a linebacker).

He also needs to get Marlon Humphrey into the slot in these tight-field situations, he should have him blitzing more from the slot and getting Roquan Smith off the field in some of these dime looks – yeah I get it he wears the green dot – is something I called for way back in the summer when defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver guaranteed an impact season.

This chart would say otherwise.

The sooner DeCosta’s made men start seeing more of the bench, the better the chances of actually keeping this from being another total disaster.

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