Currently, Joe Flacco finds himself trailing only Peyton Manning for the most passing plays over 25 yards in the NFL. Any statistic where Manning is the only guy ahead of Joe is something for Ravens fans to hang their hat on, but an issue over pass distribution does arise.
The Ravens offense has been known to stall and usually it happens when Flacco and wide receiver Torrey Smith aren’t on the same page. Smith has had a breakout season but many fans would like to see him catch more short passes that give him a chance to use his speed after the catch.
In terms of passing, having to rely on big plays is an easy way to find your team punting more often than not. While watching games, I was under the impression that the Ravens don’t utilize the short middle part of the field as much as they should and strongly rely on passes outside the numbers.
The stats I found backed up that claim, and it showed me some positive and negative aspects to the Ravens passing attack.
Of the 304 short passing attempts (defined as under 15 yards by the NFL) the Ravens have this season, they’ve only targeted the middle of the field 59 times (19.4% of short passes), which is 26th most in the league.
The problem with only utilizing the short middle of the field 19.4 percent of the time is that they’ve had some of the best success in the NFL when they do decide to throw there. The Ravens complete 84.75 percent of their passes over the middle (best in the NFL) and have an average gain of 8.86 yards per completion, which is second best in the league.
A desire to have the Ravens target the middle of the field becomes even more glaring when you identify the struggles the Ravens have when they attempt a pass to the short left side of the field.
The Ravens find themselves ranked DEAD LAST in the NFL in average gain (4.26 yards) and completion percentage (54.72%) when targeting the short left side of the field. However, through their first eleven games, the Ravens have targeted the short left 106 times, which is 34.8 percent of their short passes. It doesn’t work, yet they keep doing it.
Throughout his career, Flacco has been interception-prone (as many quarterbacks are) when throwing over the middle of the field. This season, Flacco has only thrown seven interceptions, which ties him for third-best for quarterbacks that have played every game this season.
When it comes to targeting the middle of the field, it’s going to have to be risk-reward with Flacco. Now that his defense has become more reliable, the Ravens may be able to afford an extra interception from time to time in order to attempt to extend drives and build momentum instead of always playing it safe and punting.
As the Ravens prepare to take on the NFL’s top-ranked defense once again this Sunday, keep a close eye on Flacco’s pass distribution. Stats show that he’ll struggle short left and rarely throw to the middle, but when he does, it’s successful.
