The Ravens trenches deserve a ton of credit for the lopsided defeat of the Detroit Lions last week.
The Lions pass rush currently leads the NFL in total pressures, as charted by PFF.
Teams that have generated the most pressures heading into Week 8 pic.twitter.com/NunsSFTW4Q
— PFF (@PFF) October 26, 2023
However, against the Ravens, they had one of their worst outputs.
Week 7 Pressures allowed by the #Ravens OL:
5 – Morgan Moses (all hurries)
2 – Gus Edwards & Kevin Zeitler
1 – Tyler Linderbaum & Ronnie Stanley#RavensFlock— Cole Jackson (@ColeJacksonFB) October 23, 2023
There was certainly pressure, but the context is that it came while pass catchers were getting open, which I spent some time breaking down earlier this week:
Now we move to the Arizona Cardinals, in a game that they should resume their dominance. Let’s break it down.
Getting After Dobbs
Kyler Murray is practicing this week, but it’s unclear if he could take rapid steps to playing on Sunday. As such, I’m moving forward with the assumption that Joshua Dobbs will continue to start for the Cardinals.
Like most mobile backup QBs, Dobbs is able to mask some of the inconsistencies in the Cardinals pass protection, and add a threat as a runner.
The Cardinals offensive line is an improved unit, but still ranks just 22nd in the NFL in pass blocking efficiency. The left side of the OL is the most exploitable. D.J. Humphries has allowed 15 pressures, including three sacks, at the LT spot.
Former Raven Trystan Colon is expected to start at LG. Colon was solid last year, but his lack of footspeed in a more spread out offense could be a matchup that Justin Madubuike and Travis Jones take advantage of.
The right side is where the bulk of improvement has happened in pass protection, as Paris Johnson is a top rookie at RT and Will Hernandez is rebounding his career in Arizona. They’ve combined for 30 pressures allowed in seven games, but just three sacks.
From a run blocking perspective, it is going to be a tough day of sledding for this group. They haven’t been overly proficient at moving bodies and should struggle to do so against the stout group that the Ravens put together in their front seven.
The key to victory will be limiting yardage on early downs and setting up 3rd and 6+, which will allow the pass rush to hunt and Mike MacDonald to do what he does best in creatively deploying a pass rush that leads the NFL in sacks.
Ravens lead the NFL with 29 sacks, beating the second place team (Bills) by four.
Sack Leaders
• Justin M🤑dubuike: 5.5
• Jadeveon Clowney: 3.5
• Patrick Queen: 3.5
• Kyle Van Noy: 3
• Kyle Hamilton: 3📸: @Ravens pic.twitter.com/lxs2xWQ4G1
— Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) October 23, 2023
Chasing Consistency on the OL
Lamar Jackson dropped one of my favorite football phrases when he was asked about the offense’s improvement in recent weeks.
Lamar Jackson: “Right now, we’re just trying to chase consistency.” pic.twitter.com/fFKc3hvKhc
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) October 25, 2023
The OL is one of the units chasing consistency. They’re coming off a very strong performance and this is the definition of a momentum game for the Ravens.
When comparing to the rest of the NFL, Arizona’s most productive pass rusher ranks t89th in the NFL with 14 pressures. The Cardinals also have just 93 total team pressures in seven weeks.
To compare, the Ravens have put together 158 in the same time span.
The Cardinals feature a shallow group that contains big powerful NT Leki Fotu in the middle with former Titan Kevin Strong as their top DT. On the outside, Victor Dimukeje and Zaven Collins will pace the group.
Arizona has also been poor against the run, and I don’t think they match up particularly well with the Ravens, who have been utilizing more zone concepts.
I’ll be pretty blunt with you guys. It’s a Sunday, and Any Given Sunday applies, but as far as the trenches there’s zero reason the Ravens shouldn’t dominate the Cardinals DL. Anything less will be a disappointment.
They’ll be chasing consistency, but to be honest, I think they’re going to be chasing dominance in this one.
