Solving The Blitz!
Offense
1. Take Control of the Offense
In dealing with the Pittsburgh blitz, quarterback Joe Flacco and his offensive line were beaten to the punch all night long. No matter how many times the Steelers clearly declared their pre-snap blitz intentions, the offense wasn’t able to counter – whether the line wasn’t able to coordinate their assignments properly in picking up the Steelers’ stunting action or the right hot routes weren’t called. The team simply didn’t account for this aggressive attack and it showed.
This is a copycat league and the odds of the Titans trying to employ the same rush patterns are about as high as their chances for getting a top five pick this year.
The biggest adjustment offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak needs to make is to give Flacco more freedom and options to adjust plays at the pre-snap phase. That also means incorporating some run audibles to rush away from where the blitz comes, and run toward the more open spaces. Not every blitz counter has to come from the passing game.
Flacco also needs to get to the line quicker to get an immediate look at the Titans’ defensive look. Overall, the offense needs to get in and out of the huddle more purposefully to have a chance to make the necessary adjustments before the ball is snapped.
2. Chip and Extend into Space
Another key deficiency in the Ravens’ ability to deal with the blitz could be found in their formation and play selection. While the Steelers scaled back their spread attack and turned to max protection to keep Roethlisberger protected, Baltimore opened up their formations even more, even going to the empty look pretty consistently. The idea was to get more pass catchers out on routes than the coverage could account for, but the plan didn’t work.
The team needs to get back to the basics and think protection first. While the Titans’ pass rush hasn’t been anything special, defensive coordinator Ray Horton is a creative play-caller, and he’ll bring some funky blitzes to attack an offense. In fact, he is fond of bringing defensive backs as extra rushers and using exotic zone blitzes to disrupt the rhythm and timing of an offense.
The offense should predominantly be in two tight end and two back looks on early downs to be better prepared for the blitz. When it comes to the two tight end looks, the “ace” formation (two tight ends aligned to the outside of the left and right tackle respectively) should be employed to help the line block the OLBs and clutter their rush paths.
In addition, the rush ends (Shaun Phillips and Kamerion Wimbley) are liabilities in pass coverage and should be tested early and often off of chip blocks and engage/leak out pass plays to the TEs and RBs.
3. Screen Action
The Ravens have been a much better screen team this year under Kubiak, as the linemen have done a nice job of getting out into space and blocking downfield. But the screen game was barely utilized against the Steelers, even though there were two clear instances in which it proved effective when Kyle Juszczyk and Justin Forsett were targeted.
The offense needs to sprinkle in some screens to not only spring their backs and receivers loose in open space, but to exploit the Titans when they bring their DBs on blitzes from the perimeter. These plays can be particularly effective in third-down passing situations against a defense that doesn’t run well sideline-to-sideline.
Defense
The Michael Oher experience has been a mess so far in Tennessee. The former Raven has played just as poorly as he did in Baltimore last season. As a run blocker, he continues to miss blocks and give up penetration. And as a pass blocker, he still struggles to maintain consistent footwork. Pro Football Focus has graded Oher at a total negative score of -6.8 as a pass blocker and -13.2 as a run blocker.
Oher leads an offensive line that has collectively taken a beating in pass pro situations. The Titans have struggled to deal with the blitz all season, especially when they face more exotic fronts.
The agenda for the Ravens will be to move around before the snap and mix up their rush alignments to create confusion.
2. Bait the Rookie
In rookie Zach Mettenberger, the Titans have a quarterback that has a rifle for an arm and he’s always looking to rip the ball downfield. He’s not afraid to test the deep waters, no matter how muddy those waters may be. And he certainly doesn’t lack for confidence.
The Ravens have to be sound in their deep coverage technique against the former LSU QB. They can’t underestimate his ability to fit the ball into some tight spots or he will burn them.
By the same token, if Mettenberger wants to attack vertically, the defense should try to disguise their coverages and invite him to test them deep. They should show single coverage on the outside before the snap, only to have the safeties float back into double coverage support at the last second.
If the coverages are disguised properly by the DBs, they could force a few ill-advised throws.
3. Lay the Lumber
The Tennessee receivers are a talented group, but they haven’t lived up to expectations this season. This is a group that has experienced some dropped passes and has lost the physical battle against hard-hitting secondaries.
On the opposing side, the Baltimore defensive back end has hardly been a collection of intimidators. But they need to assert themselves against the Titans on Sunday.
In particular, the safeties have to be in better position to not only make a play on the deep ball, but to lay out the receivers to separate them from the football. Receivers Justin Hunter and Nate Washington (who is questionable but expected to play) are dangerous deep threats. But if they’re going to make contested catches, they at least need to pay the price.
One-on-One Matchup to Watch
Taylor Lewan versus Terrell Suggs
The rookie LT has been the lone bright spot on an otherwise disappointing offensive line. He is a physical mauler at the point of attack who is a better athlete than meets the eye. Suggs has had moments of brilliance coupled with moments of frustration this season. He is still a force at times, especially in pass-rushing situations. But there have also been times when he’s been handled pretty easily on the speed rush. It’ll be interesting to see how Suggs stands up to Lewan’s brawling approach. 
