After a dominating performance in Week One, the Baltimore Ravens fell back down to earth on Thursday Night Football. Baltimore seemingly had their way against the Buffalo Bills in the season opener. But many people are already labeling the Bills as one of the worst teams in the league. It was a different story for the Ravens on the road a week later. Marvin Lewis and the Cincinnati Bengals easily took care of their AFC North foes. Lewis now holds a 12-4 home record against the Ravens since becoming head coach of the Bengals in 2003.
The Ravens will get their shot at revenge when the Bengals come to Baltimore in Week 11. For this upcoming week, however, the 2-0 Denver Broncos will be coming into town. The Broncos are coming off an impressive comeback win against the Oakland Raiders. The Ravens will be looking to give the Broncos their first blemish of the season. The Ravens have to utilize the running game more in Week Three if they plan on taking down this tough AFC West opponent.
The Baltimore Ravens Running Game Must Get Utilized More Against the Denver Broncos
Fewer Throws for Joe Flacco Is a Recipe for Success
Joe Flacco attempted a whopping 55 passes against the Bengals. Yes, Cincinnati did jump out to an early 21-0 lead but 55 pass attempts is never a recipe for success. History proves this to be true as well. Since 2008, the Ravens are 13-29 when Flacco has attempted more than 40 passes in a game. This is even further proof that Flacco is a much better quarterback when the offense is balanced.
Flacco has all the arm talent in the world but he’s always been aided with an effective running game. Since Flacco entered the league in 2008, the Ravens have only led the league in pass attempts twice. In 2015 and 2016, Baltimore finished first in the entire NFL in pass attempts per game and missed the playoffs both of those years. Last season, they finished the year ranked 11th in total pass attempts per game and missed the postseason. Baltimore needs a serviceable running game to truly be an elite offense.
More rush attempts will also be extremely beneficial to Flacco’s health because he won’t take as many hits. Last week against the Bengals, Flacco was sacked four times and lost a fumble. Geno Atkins, Carlos Dunlap, and company were all over him the entire game. The offensive line struggled to keep a clean pocket around Flacco and he often had just a limited time to throw. Baltimore will keep defenses honest by running the ball more.
Alex Collins Deserves More Touches
The Ravens need to find a way to get Alex Collins more carries. Through two games, Collins has only carried the ball 16 times for 48 yards and one touchdown. That averages out to about 3.0 yards per carry. As a team, the Baltimore Ravens are only averaging 3.3 yards per carry, which is third worst in the NFL. Baltimore needs to make it a point of emphasis to run the ball more. History shows that their team is more successful when they have a strong rushing attack.
In the John Harbaugh era, the Ravens have ranked in the top-15 in total rush yards per game approximately six times. Baltimore made it to the playoffs five out of those six times. Last season, Collins ran the ball 212 times for 973 total yards even though he didn’t become a full-time starter until Week Six. According to Pro Football Focus data, Collins has already avoided 10 tackles on 20 touches in the first two games. The Ravens need to take advantage of his elusiveness by giving him the rock more.
Baltimore should come up with more creative ways to get the ball in Collins’ hands early and often. The Ravens need to strongly consider using Collins as more of a threat out of the backfield. Designed screens to Collins would be smart because he rarely goes down from first contact and always fights for extra yards. Baltimore should feed the ball to Collins as much as possible because his tough running style can wear down a defense.
The Denver Broncos Have a Pretty Good Run Defense
The Broncos are currently ranked seventh in the entire NFL in run defense. This past Sunday, the Raiders ran the ball 27 times for 92 yards. They averaged 3.4 yards per carry, which is not very good. However, it’s still a good sign for the Ravens that the Raiders nearly eclipsed the century mark against the Broncos. This proves that Baltimore can run the ball on Denver’s defense. The Ravens just need to stay committed to it for the whole game and they’re bound to break open some long runs.
By establishing the run game early, Baltimore will be able to take more deep shots off play-action. Joe Flacco loves to show off his big arm. But it’s hard to throw down the field when a defense doesn’t respect the run. If the Ravens want to slow down the pass rush from Von Miller, Bradley Chubb, Derek Wolfe, etc. then they need to run the ball. A potent run game can keep these deadly pass rushers at bay. Alex Collins and Javorious “Buck” Allen must be at the forefront of the offensive game plan this week. This will ensure that the Ravens emerge victorious on Sunday.
