Offense
1. Control the Edges
The rush end rotation of Paul Kruger, Barkevious Mingo, and Jabaal Sheard were dominant against the New Orleans offensive tackles last week. Kruger in particular had his way with right tackle Zach Strief, notching one sack and two QB hits.
This group was even more dangerous because the Saints didn’t make much of an attempt to slow them down. They were able to pin their ears back on the rush, as New Orleans opened up their formations and gave little blocking help to the line.
For the Ravens to have success moving the ball, they will need to keep the Cleveland rushers from wrecking the game.
A big key to slowing down Kruger and his running mates is to run the ball off-tackle. In fact, when the New Orleans backs hit the edges, they were able to gobble up yards in chunks. Tailback Justin Forsett should be involved in the stretch game and as the primary off-tackle runner.
In addition, dump-offs and flare routes need to be in play to exploit the vacated flat areas the rushers leave behind. This could be the game in which fullback Kyle Juszczyk finally gets loose.
2. Diagnostic Exam
When former Baltimore defensive coach Mike Pettine took the job with the Browns, you knew he was going to bring a more aggressive, creative style of defense to Cleveland. As a Rex Ryan disciple, he was going to bring his own brand of organized chaos.
Last Sunday, Pettine kept future Hall of Famer Drew Brees guessing with an assortment of exotic looks in obvious passing situations.
Although the Browns typically rushed just four and five rushers, they disguised their looks to show blitz. When they brought extra rushers, they came from different directions. On one particular play, the Browns front displayed a double-sided overload blitz, with only two linemen rushing from a two-point stance.
Suffice it to say, Joe Flacco will need to be dialed in on his pre-snap and post-snap reads to discern the signal from the noise. Pre-snap, he’ll have to determine how the blocking assignments and routes should be adjusted when the blitz comes. Post-snap, he’ll need to stay patient in case the blitz is a smoke screen and hang in the pocket.
There will also be opportunities for the offense to run the ball against these lopsided fronts. Flacco should check to the run if the safeties are back and there are clear creases to exploit.
3. Cracking the Zone
What makes dealing with the shape-shifting Cleveland defense even more difficult is they play zone on the back end. That means that the front can stay aggressive knowing that the secondary will keep plays in front of them.
In anticipating zone coverage, Flacco needs to have more active pocket movement and buy time for his receivers to get open. If he’s able to slide and shift inside or outside the pocket, he’ll be able to get the safeties and linebackers to move out of position and create openings downfield. This is something quarterback Matt Ryan did to perfection last night against the Tampa Bay zone.
Defense
1. Maintain Gap Integrity
The defense should be plenty familiar with the Cleveland offense. After all, it’s the same offense they practice against every day. The Kyle Shanahan version is very similar, with a little more mix of misdirection and read-option plays. The ground game is also based on the zone-stretch scheme.
Shanahan has the backs to execute the scheme in rookies Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell. West is especially good at setting up defenders with false jab steps inside to get them to overextend, only to bounce it outside once they are caught in the wash.
It’ll be imperative for the front seven to play with controlled aggressiveness in defending the run. If the linebackers don’t stick to their gap assignments, they’ll get exposed backside.
2. Space Jam
With receiver Josh Gordon suspended for the first 12 games of the season, the Browns have turned to two smaller replacements – Andrew Hawkins and Taylor Gabriel. Both receivers are about 5’7”, 180 pounds, and extremely elusive.
Last week, the Saints let the duo slip through their coverage to make plays in the intermediate spaces. Although the New Orleans defensive backs played close to the line, they didn’t use their hands to redirect the receivers, and they were able to get free releases at the line.
The Baltimore defensive backs have to jam the receivers at the line and force them to work around their hands to get open. They also need to play physical and find a way to corral the slot receivers in the open field.
3. Play the Sticks
Quarterback Brian Hoyer is a smart and decisive quarterback who gets rid of the ball on time. He does most of his damage on quick-hitting three and five step drops plays. And against the softer underneath coverage that the Saints played, he was able to consistently move the chains on crossers, outs, and short curl routes.
The Ravens have to be aware of Hoyer’s quick release, and they should be sitting on all underneath routes. The coverage needs to be tight on these inside and outside patterns to force Hoyer to air it out downfield – which is not his strength.
One-on-One Matchup to Watch
Terrell Suggs versus Joe Thomas
Suggs is not showing up on the stat sheet, but his impact as a rusher and a run stuffer has been felt early this season. There are times when he has been over-aggressive setting the edge, but for the most part, he has been a force making key stops in the backfield. Pro Football Focus (PFF) gave Suggs a +2.2 score for his run defense against the Steelers. Conversely, Thomas remains at the top of his game. The Browns like to run short screens and pitches to his side. Suggs will need to play with great timing and anticipation to knife past his blocks to contain these plays.
