Offense
1. Bring the Ground Game to the Air
Running back Matt Forte had a field day against the Falcons last week – but he did most of his damage through the air. The leading pass-catching back in the NFL caught 10 passes against Atlanta, and was a constant bailout option underneath for Jay Cutler. Back in Week 2, Giovani Bernard victimized the Falcons, snagging five catches for 79 yards, with a long of 45 yards. Pierre Thomas also had his way against the Falcons with six catches for 58 yards in Week One.
If you dig beneath the numbers, you’ll find a running theme – these runners are dangerous pass catchers against a defense that is slow to react. In particular, ILB Paul Worrilow has graded in the red as a pass defender (according to Pro Football Focus), and struggles to keep up with quicker backs.
This game is perfectly set up for Justin Forsett and Kyle Juszczyk to attack the Atlanta linebackers. In particular, Forsett should be used early and often on iso pass patterns – whether that means having him run wheel routes or option routes over the middle (an area that Forte gobbled up in his matchup).
2. Pick Up the Loose Change
Not only will the backs have some space to work with, but the receivers should have some room too, especially on the outside. In the past two games, the Giants and the Bears did a great job of using their tight ends and slot receivers to occupy the Atlanta safeties and backers. With inside routes used to “hold” those intermediate defenders, corners Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford were left on islands. Alford in particular has been targeted often.
Alford will often use “bail” technique to cover his man. What that means is he’ll show press coverage at the line, but he won’t use his hands to jam; instead he’ll start backpedaling immediately and give up a slight cushion.
Both corners are susceptible to losing their spacing in man coverage, especially on comebacks and curl routes. This is the type of game in which a steady diet of those types of routes could set up double moves for deeper gains downfield. Look for Steve Smith Sr. and Torrey Smith to go to work outside the numbers.
3. Don’t Let the Movement Fool You
The Ravens are all too familiar with the Falcons’ defensive coordinator, Mike Nolan. He was the defensive coordinator in Baltimore from 2002-2004 before taking the head coaching job in San Francisco.
The most consistent calling card of a Nolan defense throughout the years is his amoeba front. Right before the snap, you’ll see the front seven defenders move back-and-forth in their stances. They won’t stay static. The movement is geared to keep the QB and center guessing on who’s coming on the rush.
One way to combat the confusion is for the offense to line up quickly and run a quick count. If Joe Flacco has the offense in hurry-up mode, it’ll prevent the Falcons from dancing around before the snap. Instead, they’ll be forced to get in their stances quickly, and Flacco could catch them off guard.
Defense
1. Dropping Dimes
With the return of safety Will Hill from a six-game suspension, it’ll be interesting to see if he is active and gets playing time. And if so, how many snaps. Hill’s return has been greatly anticipated since the preseason, as he brings a playmaking element to the secondary that has been sorely missing.
Working Hill into the rotation will require the defensive coaches to be creative (whether it’s this game or in the future). As it stands, the team has already been using a five-safety rotation.
The Ravens could line up in more dime packages to keep three safeties on the field with three cornerbacks. In the dime package, Matt Elam can be the rover to slide in the slot, the box, or even as the second ILB next to C.J. Mosely.
The likelihood that the defense uses more dime personnel isn’t very high. Dean Pees usually likes to keep linebacker Daryl Smith on the field to call the defense. And the nickel formation is their staple look.
But against an Atlanta offense that shows a lot of four-receiver formations to create mismatches for their third and fourth receivers, this could be the week to diversify their coverage packages.
2. Blitz the Edges
When the Falcons do spread out their formation and bring four receivers into the game, Baltimore needs to be in attack mode. Specifically, they should continue to use a mix of overloads (as they did against Tampa Bay) off the left and the right sides of the line and test the vulnerable Atlanta OTs.
Baltimore should also borrow a page from Chicago. The Bears employed the zone blitz, but used their edge rushers to alternate as the “drop” defenders, causing the Falcons to shift to the wrong side.
By combining the zone blitz with overload action, the Ravens should be able to bring heat around the corner and force Matt Ryan to move out of the pocket.
3. Recognize Mr. Smith
There is an amazing trend that has taken place for the Atlanta offense. Running back Antone Smith has caught three TD passes covering 40 yards or more. When he’s come into the game, the explosive tailback has been able to leak out freely and torch secondaries down the sideline.
The Falcons do a nice of freeing Smith by running deep patterns to clear out room for him to work underneath. In addition, because Atlanta uses a four-back rotation, it’s tough for defenses to keep track of when he enters the game.
Either way, the Ravens have to put an end to Smith’s big-play spree. Ideally, they should shift a defensive back to his side. And whoever covers him needs to get a hit on him before he releases into his route.
One-on-One Matchup to Watch
Roddy White versus Lardarius Webb
With White lining up often on inside routes, and being Ryan’s favorite target on third down, he should see plenty of Webb. Webb appears to have regained the lateral quickness and fluid hip movement he was missing while battling a back injury. He’ll need to be able to stick close to White. Although the veteran receiver has lost a step, he is still a crafty route runner, and he’ll use his hands to break free of press coverage.
