Pittsburgh Steelers Meet The Opponent: Baltimore Ravens

Offense

Rankings Through Week Three:
Overall offense: 13th (378.7 ypg)
Rushing offense: 26th (86.7 ypg)
Passing offense: 9th (292 ypg)
Points per game: 5th (32.2 ppg)

Baltimore’s offense is currently led by Joe Flacco, a man Steelers fans are extremely familiar with. Flacco currently sits at a 63.6 completion percentage, throwing for 889 yards to go along with 6 touchdowns to 2 interceptions. Many in the Ravens camp are expecting big things out of Lamar Jackson, the versatile mobile rookie quarterback out of Louisville. Jackson, the favorite to un-seat Flacco following 2018, has seen some action on the field (30 snaps in week one before 6 the week before and a mere 2 last week) and is just 1/4 on passing attempts, yet is the team’s second-leading rusher behind Alex Collins.

Despite ranking in the bottom quarter of the league in rushing, Baltimore features one of the more impressive backfields in the league. Duties are split between Alex Collins, Javorius “Buck” Allen and Kenneth Dixon. Collins appears to be the team’s go-to guy on the ground, as his attempts (34) are more than both Allen’s and Dixon’s combined (29, but Dixon is on injured reserve with a knee injury). Collins reminds a lot of people of Marshawn Lynch due to his hard-nosed running style (the dreads help too), as he averaged 6.7 yards per carry in the Ravens last duel with the Steelers, going for 120 yards and a touchdown.

Baltimore added Michael Crabtree via free agency in the off-season, giving a boost to a Ravens wide receiver corps that surely needed it. Yet the team’s best receiver thus far came from Arizona, as John Brown currently leads the team in yards (222) and touchdowns (2) on the season thus far. Brown is a speedster, posing a threat to make splash plays down the field with four receptions of at least 20+ yards. Crabtree offers a big body, red-zone target for Flacco to throw to, and has been the team’s most targeted receiver (26) through three weeks of play. Besides the two main threats in Crabtree/Brown, Willie Snead remains the team’s third option at receiver.

The Ravens love their tight ends, and now that I type that, it feels like an understatement. Baltimore likes to utilize multiple tight-end sets. Nick Boyle has seen the most snaps out of the group, but is used heavily in run-blocking scenarios. Mark Andrews is the team’s primary target at the position, despite little variances between the three’s receiving numbers. Baltimore hopes to have first round pick Hayden Hurst make his debut on Sunday, which would add another dynamic threat to the already heavily used position.

The Ravens offensive line has allowed eight sacks through three games, yet shut down elite pass-rusher Von Miller in last week’s victory. Baltimore’s line features the following from left to right:  LT Ronnie Stanley, LG Alex Lewis, C Matt Skura, RG Marshall Yanda, RT James Hurst. Already in week three, these guys have already seen the rollercoaster on an NFL season with their performance.

Baltimore’s offense has been ran by Marty Mornhinweg since 2016, and was chosen to return in 2018 despite many supporting the Ravens wanting to axe him. As previously stated, Baltimore likes to use double tight-end sets when at all possible. Despite his past, Ravens fans have to be satisfied with Mornhinweg’s red-zone play-calling, as the Ravens are a perfect 12-12 inside the 20 yard-line, becoming the first team in NFL history to score touchdowns on its first 12 trips according to ESPN.

The Ravens have a fairly balanced offense, ranking 4th in pass attempts and tied for 10th in rushing attempts. Baltimore converts 45.7% of their third downs, and is 2/4 on fourth downs as well. Look for a healthy dose of Collins on the ground, some deep shots to Brown, and heavy tight end sets.