Street Talk

BEHIND THE NUMBERS: Ravens aerial slide continues

by Scot Kleinfeld

December 11, 2009
4:00 am

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Joe Flacco’s sophomore slump was late in arriving, but is now in full swoon after 12 games. In the six games since the bye week, Flacco has thrown 3 touchdowns compared to 6 interceptions and has a completion percentage of 62%.

A solid passing game can take advantage of any spot on the field. If you watch the Ravens closely you see very few passes are between the numbers. By using the middle of the field more with slants, crossing patterns and seam routes, Cam Cameron can help give Flacco more confidence while adding a new dimension to the aerial attack.

The next two games are against low ranked defenses and hopefully Flacco and the passing game can improve for a stretch run to the playoffs.

Check BTN next week to see where Joe Flacco and the passing game stand.

Ravens Passing Game

Statistic	2008 Rank	2008 Avg. / total	2009 Rank (thru week 13)	2009 Avg. / total (thru week 13)
Yards per game	27^th	192.8	13^th	226.6
Comp. %	18^th	60.3%	11^th	63.2%
Yards per comp.	T-12^th	7.1	15^th	7.0
Att. Per game	30^th	27.1	14^th	34.2
Total Completions	29^th	261	11^th	259
Touchdowns	T-22^nd	16	T-21^st	14
Interceptions	T-9^th	12	T-14^th	11
Sacks	18^th	33	T-15^th	26
QB Rating	16^th	82.8	19^th	84.6

2009 Pass Distribution

Position	2008 %	2009 % (thru week 13)
WR	52.5%	46.0% (119 / 259)
RB	31.8%	37.1% (96 / 259)
TE	15.7%	16.9% (44 / 259)

Ravens Next Three Games

Opponent	Record	Offensive Rank*	Defensive Rank*
Detroit	2-10	25^th	32^nd
Chicago	5-7	22^nd	21^st
Pittsburgh	6-6	14^th	9^th

*Rankings are based on points per game

Scot Kleinfeld

Scot is a Baltimore native, a Towson University graduate, and has followed sports since the early 1980's. Scot likes to go inside the numbers and get the real "411" on the wins and losses, hence his Behind The Numbers column. Besides being an avid sports fan, Scot has been involved with televison sports production as an Associate Producer since 1993 for WMAR, ESPN, ESPNU,ESPN2, and the former Home Team Sports network. In addition to his television work Scot has written articles for Baltimore Magazine, Lacrosse Magazine and Patuxent Publishing. These experiences make him a natural as the creator of the Media Watchdog, another of SK's fine contributions.