Ravens vs. Cardinals
Offense
1. Closed Formations
In the last two weeks, the offense has shown a lot more spread on early downs, using a combination of three and four-wide looks to open up the passing game. However, a lot of those looks also came from a base formation when quarterback Joe Flacco was under center as opposed to in the gun. Offensive coordinator Marc Trestman wanted to use the illusion of run to set up play-action, bait the inside linebackers to cheat up, and exploit the space behind them.
That approach may work from time to time against the Arizona Cardinals, especially given their linebackers’ tendencies to play the run aggressively. But there will also be plenty of times when the Cardinals get quick penetration and blow those plays up in the backfield.
Trestman should dial down the frequency of open looks on early downs and instead pack in the formations to slow down the Arizona rush. And if Flacco does throw out of the spread sets, he should operate from the gun instead of dropping back from under center.
2. Keep the Offense on Schedule
How the offense executes on first and second down will also have a major impact on their third-down efficiency. Which, in the last couple of games, has been ugly. It’ll get even worse if the Ravens are caught in too many third-and-obvious conversion situations against one of the most aggressive defenses in the league.
Overall, the Cardinals aren’t blitzing quite as much as they did under former defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. BUT, they are still bringing the heat at a high rate. According to Pro Football Focus, the Cardinals have blitzed 43.5% of the time in passing situations, which is higher than the league average of 30.2%.
The Ravens have to stay out of those situations as much as possible. And if they do face the blitz, Flacco needs to be ready to get rid of the ball quicker. Under Trestman, it appears that Flacco isn’t releasing the ball as often off of three and five step drops. His footwork has been sloppier and the short-step drops have been underutilized.
If Flacco is given more chances to get in rhythm on shorter drops, the offense will have a chance to stay in third-and-manageable situations. Being able to convert on third down will also be crucial to win the time of possession battle and keep the Arizona offense off the field.
3. Double Moves and Pump Fakes
When is the last time Flacco used a pump fake to set up a double move or to bait defensive backs out of position? I can’t remember the last time either.
However, against an Arizona secondary that is all about jumping routes to create interceptions, using pump fakes and having the receivers run double moves could work to set up big plays downfield.
If the Ravens can set up these plays with some extra protection (keeping extra blockers in), they’ll have a chance, especially when the Arizona front is in blitz mode.
On the other hand, Flacco needs to be careful when throwing the outs and other quick throws that the Cardinal corners and defensive backs can sit on. They’ll be looking to undercut those throws to create turnovers.
Defense
1. Moving Palmer Off the Spot
Carson Palmer should be called the Renaissance Man. The former Bengals quarterback (or Ravens killer if you prefer) has found the perfect match in Arizona after looking like a lost cause in Oakland. Moreover, Palmer has been able to battle back from a devastating ACL tear last season to lead one of the most prolific pass offenses in the league. Nothing has been able to break him.
It’s not likely that the Ravens rush will break him either. But there will be some opportunities to make him sweat depending on how the pass-rush packages are coordinated and executed.
Defensive coordinator Dean Pees made a nice adjustment in the rush scheme by using more delayed blitz movement after the snap to get inside pressure against Colin Kaepernick. At times, Kaepernick was able to bounce out of the pocket to buy some time, but the rush was effective enough to disrupt his timing in some key passing situations.
Palmer is more mobile than you would think. He has the ability to throw while on the move. But given the frequency of deep balls that the Cardinals dial up, he needs to time to set up in the pocket to deliver.
If defensive front can time their inside rush (which they did well against the 49ers), they’ll be able to split the A gaps and force Palmer to move laterally. The key is getting enough quick pressure to prevent Palmer from stepping up in the pocket consistently.
2. Cover 2 Coverage Disguise
Given Palmer’s penchant for throwing the ball up for his receivers to make a play, the back end defenders need to be aware that any type of single coverage is fair game in his eyes. The Cardinals are always looking for the big play. And with targets like Larry Fitzgerald, John Brown, and Michael Floyd, Palmer knows he has the weapons to go get the football on 50-50 opportunities.
The only way Baltimore can stay in this game is to limit the amount of deep strikes from Arizona. This suggests that the Ravens to start play more Cover 2 and keep the safeties back to protect against the deep ball and try to steer clear of the 1-on-1 matchups downfield.
However, just playing a vanilla style of Cover 2 won’t cut it. The safeties should shift around before the snap to give the illusion of Cover 0 or Cover 1 only to drop into zone after the snap.
Considering that the 49ers exploited Cover 0 last week on a bomb to Torrey Smith, Palmer is probably licking his chops for the chance to do the same.
But if the safeties can disguise their looks, Palmer will have the illusion of single coverage before the snap and he’ll take his chances, which could lead to a mistake or two.
3. Open Field Tackling
On the whole, the Ravens tackling has been atrocious all season, especially in space. The 49ers game was no exception, as former Raven Anquan Boldin made a mockery out of the entire defense on a screen pass and an intermediate catch-and-run play. Both plays netted way more YAC than they should have.
The Cardinals not only have the firepower to hit on big plays down the field (which has been the Ravens’ kryptonite) but they also have the pass-catching backs to take advantage of sloppy tackling on the edges. In particular, rookie back David Johnson has made huge plays in the passing game this season, and Andre Ellington is the type of scat back that can exploit linebackers in coverage situations.
The linebackers have to step up and play a better game in coverage. And the defense as a whole needs to rally to the ball to minimize the cheap gains.
One-on-One Matchup to Watch
Steve Smith versus Patrick Peterson
There seems to be no one that can stop the 36-year-old receiver who seems to bathe in the fountain of youth every week. Even with broken bones in his back, Smith made an acrobatic snare on a TD catch last week. It’ll be fun to watch the veteran tussle with Peterson, who is arguably the best corner in the game that doesn’t have his own island. Peterson has shut down everyone he’s faced. He has the size and length to shut Smith down, too. But Peterson gets sloppy at times with his technique, and he can let his emotions get the best of him. If Smith can tap into those areas on Monday Night, he’ll have his chances to make plays.
