As Lamar Jackson, John Harbaugh, and the rest of the Baltimore Ravens begin training camp, the 2023 season looks to be one of the most important in team history. Not only because they are looking to rebound from a tough Wild Card loss to the Cincinnati Bengals last year, but after an eventful offseason.
The Ravens parted ways with former offensive coordinator Greg Roman and hired Todd Monken in the hopes Monken will jolt up a stagnant offense. They signed Odell Beckham Jr and Nelson Agholor in free agency and drafted Boston College wide receiver Zay Flowers with their first-round selection. Plus, they get 2021 first-round pick Rashod Bateman back from injury. Of course, the big story was the Ravens finally locking up Lamar Jackson long term. It was a long two-year process, but the two sides came to an agreement. Now, he and head coach John Harbaugh enter their most crucial year together.
Lamar Jackson, John Harbaugh Enter Their Biggest Season
Reinvigorating the Offense
Back in 2019, the Ravens featured the best and most dominant offense in team history. For a franchise built on defense, this was the first time they’ve really identified as an offensive team. Jackson won the NFL MVP award, and Harbaugh took home Coach of the Year. With the job Harbaugh has done over the years in Baltimore, it’s hard to believe that was the first time he won the award.
Since then, however, the offense has mostly sputtered. The passing game never evolved as they’ve ranked 32nd and 30th in passing yards in two of the last three seasons (2020, 2022). It didn’t help that they never truly found an answer at wide receiver.
Guys such as James Proche, Devin Duvernay, and Myles Boykin were asked to step up while calling upon veterans Dez Bryant and DeSean Jackson to see if they had anything left. The team’s quarterback, meanwhile, still showed flashes of brilliance but has struggled with inconsistencies over the last three seasons.
The past two seasons, in particular, followed a clear trend. Lamar Jackson set the world on fire early before struggling late while battling through injury. Jackson threw eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions with a 73.5 rating in his last seven games of 2021, as well as seven touchdowns and five interceptions with an 80.7 rating in his last nine games of 2022. Jackson also missed each of the last two Decembers with injuries.
The majority of the blame went to Roman. However, Harbaugh also took his fair share of criticism due to holding on to Roman longer than he probably should have. Despite his success, this loyalty to his staff has been something of an Achilles heel with disappointing offensive coordinators from years past. With Monken now at the helm, and new blood in at wide receiver, there are no more excuses for the passing attack on offense. John Harbaugh and Lamar Jackson have to make it work.
Harbaugh and Jackson Must Cement Themselves in January
Under his former quarterback Joe Flacco, Harbaugh saw a lot of playoff success with ten playoff wins and a Super Bowl title. January football in Baltimore has been a different story for the duo of Harbaugh and Jackson.
In Harbaugh’s first six playoff appearances from 2008-2012 and 2014, he never got bounced out of the first round. In his last four playoff appearances from 2018-2020 and 2022, he’s been one and done three times. Two of those happened at the confines of M&T Bank Stadium.
Jackson didn’t play in the Wild Card loss to the Bengals in Cincinnati last year due to injury. Jackson is 1-3 in his four playoff games, throwing for three touchdowns and five interceptions with a 68.3 passer rating. This year is Super Bowl or bust, but they must at least get to the AFC Championship game – a place they haven’t been to since January of 2013. There is no more Greg Roman to point the finger at if things go wrong. The Ravens have a top-tier coach and a top-tier quarterback, so it’s time for the two to finally put it all together in their sixth year as a duo.
Main Photo: Brent Skeen – USA Today Sports
