The Baltimore Ravens aren’t afraid to take their shots on first down & ten in 2015 under new offensive coordinator Marc Trestman.
Throughout the first eight games of the season, the offensive has run 213 plays on the aforementioned down. Of those plays on first down with ten yards to go, Joe Flacco and company have amassed 1237 of their 2858 total net yards, more than any other down and distance (1621 yards on all other downs) combined.
For years, the Ravens offense has been predictable when it came to to their play calls on first down. Under Cam Cameron, all too often we saw Flacco just hand the football off to Ray Rice, often forcing the offense into second and third downs with an abundance of yards to go to move the chains.
Under Offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, the Ravens saw a successful transformation on first down, mixing runs vs. passes and in 2015, the trend has continued.
On first and ten, Trestman has provided a steady balance of runs and passes to keep opposing defenses guessing. The Ravens have ran the ball 90 times for 378 yards compared to 121 passing attempts, completing 84 (69.4 %) for a total of 859 yards. The result: 44 total first downs (12 rushing/32 passing) and one touchdown.
Along with the positives of not being afraid to “let it rip” in the passing game on first down, of course come the negatives. Of Flacco’s eight interceptions, three have come on first and ten (tied for most with 3rd & 4-6 to go) despite having solid pass protection. The offensive line has given up just two sacks on first and ten in 2015.
Last week, the Ravens totaled 365 total yards of offense against a porous Chargers defense. Of those 365 yards, 213 came on 31 first down plays (16 runs vs. 15 passes). Three first downs were achieved by penalties.
38 total rushing yards (2.4 averaged yards) were gained on first down compared to 176 yards on 11 completions (11.7 averaged yards) gained on first down. The good news is the Ravens were able to move the ball on first down; the bad news is the Trestman-led offense managed just 152 total yards of offense on downs beside first & ten.
As the Ravens offensive coaching staff huddles up over the bye week to prepare for the second half of their season, they must find a way to continually produce not just on first down but all downs and distance, especially without Steve Smith Sr. in the passing game. Against San Diego, wide receiver Kamar Aiken was their chain-mover with six total first downs.
While it’s a forgone conclusion opposing defenses will attack the run game and force the likes of Aiken, Chris Givens, Jeremy Ross, Jeremy Butler, and newly signed Joe Morgan to beat them, the Ravens certainly have their work cut out for them in the weeks ahead, on any down and any distance.
**Stats via ProFootballReference.com and Ravens official press box stats)
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