The Ravens have a blueprint for a dominant offense.
In 2019, the team ran roughshod over opponents before hitting a wall in the playoffs.
The Ravens finished that season with 3,296 yards rushing — the most by any team in NFL history during a season — and ranked first in the league with 33.2 points per game.
Some of that success carried over to 2020 when they led the league in rushing again with 191..9 yards per game and were seventh in points scored with 29.3 ppg despite dealing with numerous COVID issues. Baltimore also managed to win a playoff game for the first time since 2015.
Last year, injuries decimated the roster and the team finished 8-9.
The Ravens are confident they can get back to having a dynamic offense with a healthy roster.
“I think with just having all these guys, we’re going to have the ability … I think [when] you look at last year, we got a little thin at times,” tight end Mark Andrews said. “There’s a lot of guys in our room that can play football, and we’re only going to get better and better, learn the offense more.”
Out to Lunch w/@nmehtaUR2022 & @Royal_Farms: Lamar fires back at Chris Simms' criticism of his missing this OTA, Co-Cap LOVES him some JAD, "fluky" 🙄 Super Bowl runs, & more. #RavensFlock https://t.co/PVKky8AlZR
— Russell St. Report (@RussellStReport) May 27, 2022
The Ravens had to deal with almost immediate adversity in 2021 when running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards suffered season-ending knee injuries in training camp. The running game never got revved up, which led to some of the team’s struggles. A dominant running attack is vital to the Ravens’ offense and while Devonta Freeman and Latavius Murray played hard, they could not equal the production of previous years. The Ravens are hopeful Dobbins and Edwards will be ready for the regular seasons and a solid running attack will take some of the pressure off Lamar Jackson.
“Let’s face it, we run the ball more than most teams do,” GM Eric DeCosta said. “We saw this year what happens and what can happen when all three of your running backs get hurt with season-ending injuries in the span of, what, 10 days, maybe? We’re a team that wants to be balanced on offense; we want to have a strong passing game and also a very strong running game.
“Coach [Harbaugh] has been saying that for eight years now. We have to have the strongest running game. We have to have [running] backs. We need big, physical backs [and] explosive backs who can do a lot of different things.”
The Ravens are also hopeful they’ll get a better performance from the offensive line. The team is optimistic Ronnie Stanley will be healthy enough to resume his role at left tackle and they signed veteran Morgan Moses to help anchor the right side.
Tight end Nick Boyle was limited to five games after still dealing with a knee injury he sustained the previous year. Boyle is one of the best blocking tight ends in the NFL and his presence will make a huge difference for the offense.
“Nick was in Arizona for a lot of the offseason,” Andrews said. “I saw how hard he worked. … I saw how hungry he was. And if you see him right now, he looks like a different person. He’s ready to go.”
Harbaugh and his staff have already taken steps to ensure the team does not have the same amount of injuries as in previous years. The team hired Adrian Dixon from the Titans as the new head athletic trainer. Dixon has extensive NFL experience and he is expected to help with not only preventing injuries but helping rehab sidelined players so they can get back on the field faster.
Andrews already sees a difference.’
“I think they’re making an effort to do certain things – make extra warmups, stretch more, just the schedule throughout the day,” Andrews said. “[They’re] just being mindful of how we’re feeling, where we’re at in the year. There’s a long season ahead; there’s a long year ahead. It’s not a race, it’s a marathon. So, I think they’re doing a great job of being mindful of that, which is awesome to see.”
