Over the course of the Lamar Jackson era, the passing game has been at its best when the Ravens haven’t really needed to throw the ball and could use it as the complement to a record-setting rushing attack.
That’s not a knock on the star quarterback who led the NFL in touchdown passes on the way to becoming the unanimous league MVP two years ago, which should have forever silenced any ridiculous assertions that Jackson couldn’t throw. It’s merely a tribute to a historic running game anchored by Jackson as both its leading rusher and the force making every offensive player on the field better by leaving all 11 defenders in conflict on a given play.
But to see the Ravens succeed without the running game being much of a factor in Sunday’s 23-7 win in Denver reflects the ongoing growth and evolution of an offense that’s faced more than its share of challenges early in 2021.
For the second straight week, a running back position devastated by the season-ending injuries to J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards struggled to find daylight or show much explosiveness as players not named Jackson rushed for a combined 132 yards on 31 carries against Detroit and Denver, a 3.47 yards per carry average. It certainly didn’t help that the Ravens were without former Pro Bowl left tackle Ronnie Stanley for the third straight game or replacement Alejandro Villanueva for most of the second half on Sunday as the Broncos contained Greg Roman’s ground attack.
Coaches and players have pointed to defenses prioritizing stopping the run, but it’s not as though teams haven’t been attempting to do that all along against the run-first Ravens. As anticipated after losing Dobbins and Edwards and not having Stanley for the time being, the running game remains a work in progress, which is pretty impressive considering Baltimore entered Monday still ranked third in the league in both rushing yards per game and yards per carry.
What the Ravens are discovering in the meantime is of much greater consequence to their aspirations in 2021 and beyond as Jackson recorded the second 300-yard passing game of his regular-season career a week after being a couple Marquise Brown drops away from a monster passing output in Detroit. Yes, it was the passing game leading the way once again for the Ravens as 14 of their 20 first downs on Sunday came via the air after 10 of 15 first downs were on completions against the Lions in Week 3.
Torching the underwhelming Detroit defense through the air is one thing, but the Broncos secondary — even currently without Ronald Darby — is regarded as one of the most talented in the league. You wouldn’t know it watching Jackson pick apart Denver by going 22-for-37 for 316 yards and a highlight 49-yard touchdown pass to a diving Brown as the Ravens took the lead midway through the second quarter and kept it.
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Not only did Brown find redemption after last week, but Jackson kept Mark Andrews and Sammy Watkins heavily involved with a combined 15 targets while also turning to second-year receivers James Proche and Devin Duvernay. In all, five Ravens made three or more catches for at least 31 yards with Proche finishing with a career-best and game-high 74 yards on five catches, four going for first downs.
Knowing the Ravens will soon welcome first-round rookie Rashod Bateman to that receiver mix, it’s exciting to see such growth potential as Baltimore entered Monday ranked 13th in the NFL in passing yards per game (255.5) and — more importantly and impressively — sixth in yards per pass attempt at 8.7. Showing a stronger ability to push the ball downfield, Jackson continues to lead the league in yards per completion (14.4) and sports an average depth of target (11.5 yards) nearly three full yards longer than any of his first three seasons.
Even with the Ravens’ injuries along the offensive line and summer absences at wide receiver, this is the kind of passing growth everyone had hoped to see, especially in the wake of the major disruption to the running back position just a couple weeks before the season opener. As opposing defenses continue to learn they can no longer stack the box as dramatically to dare Jackson to beat them with his arm, there will be a correction with lighter fronts that will only help the running game as the season progresses. It’s the ultimate give-take relationship that could make Jackson and this offense even more unstoppable than it’s looked at its best these last few years, a frightening thought for the rest of the AFC.
To be perfectly clear, none of this suggests the Ravens are becoming a pass-first offense that will throw 35-plus times per game moving forward. It’s just encouraging to see them be able to pivot to such a successful degree when opponents have managed to contain their perceived biggest strength these last two weeks. Despite the Ravens going a remarkable 34-9 in the regular season since Jackson took over at quarterback midway through 2018, their fatal flaw in the playoffs has been the difficulty in playing off-schedule and stepping outside their comfort zone — including throwing outside the numbers and downfield — when having their cage rattled.
Averaging 3.4 yards per carry against an undefeated team on the road previously would have led many to anticipate the Ravens being in trouble, but it was quite the opposite Sunday as Jackson averaged 8.5 yards per pass attempt and the defense shut out the Broncos over the game’s final 44 minutes. The ground game was mostly along for the ride as the coaching staff continues to sort through the running back room and offensive line to find the right formula, a process that will now continue with John Harbaugh’s team home until the second week of November.
The Ravens may not be dominating teams like they did two years ago, but the growth we’re seeing should pay off later in the regular season and beyond.
