During their 23-20 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, the Ravens offensive game plan was evident from the start- pass, pass and pass some more.
Joe Flacco passed on the Ravens first six plays, ultimately resulting in an opening-drive punt. Seven minutes had already ran off the clock before Ray Rice or Bernard Pierce would carry the ball for the Ravens.
Rice and Pierce were effective against the NFL’s top-ranked defense, averaging a combined 5.6 yards per carry.
Once again, time of possession became an issue, largely due to the fact that Flacco couldn’t get into a rhythm with his receivers, as most of the Steelers were able to see the Ravens were forcing many passes. The Steelers won the TOP battle 34:21 to 24:39.
Most of the clock management woes can be blamed on the fact that the Ravens still strongly relied on the pass, even though their run game was effective.
Of Rice and Pierce’s combined 20 rushing attempts on the afternoon, seven gained five or more yards. Of those seven rushes, a pass followed five of them on the very next play…instead of continuing to run and consume the clock.
The fourth quarter was a disaster for the Ravens as they only possessed the ball for 2:46 of the 15 total minutes. They ran just eight offensive plays (excluding punts) and their biggest playmaker – Rice – never touched the ball.
The Ravens’ final possession would be much like their first – all passes.
Until the Ravens offense is more balanced, they’ll continue to face these issues and second-guessing at the hands of the fan base. Given how dynamic their backfield is, many would consider their strength to be the run but it seems the offense is working to the opposite of their strength.
There wasn’t a problem with the Ravens running game against Pittsburgh – their average yards per carry tells the story. At some point, you’ve got to put the ball in the hands of your playmakers and let them make plays, and for the Ravens, no one can make plays like Rice.
So what’s with all the pass-happy offense?
