Last season, the Baltimore Ravens showcased one of the NFL's most formidable offenses.
Offensive Prowess
The team racked up the sixth-most yards and the fourth-most points in the league. Their offensive efficiency was further underscored by a fourth-place ranking in FTN's DVOA. Additionally, the Ravens finished tied for eighth in TruMedia's version of EPA per play. These statistics paint a clear picture of a highly effective offensive unit.
Lamar Jackson's Standout Season
Lamar Jackson had a standout season last year, earning the second MVP award of his career. In his 16 starts, Jackson led the Ravens to an impressive 13-3 record. He completed 67.2% of his passes and averaged 8.0 yards per attempt. Jackson threw for 24 touchdowns against just 7 interceptions, and also rushed 148 times for 821 yards and 5 touchdowns. His dual-threat capability was instrumental in the team’s offensive success.
Increased Responsibility on Jackson
The Ravens are poised to place even more responsibility on Jackson’s shoulders this season. Jackson has expressed his desire to take on more duties, particularly in audibling at the line of scrimmage. Quarterbacks coach Tee Martin sees expanding Jackson's role as a natural progression, believing that giving Jackson more autonomy will enhance the Ravens' offensive dynamism.
One area where the Ravens see room for improvement is in drawing offsides penalties from opponents. Last season, the Ravens' offense only managed to induce an opponent offsides once. Martin aims to change that this season by having Jackson vary his cadence more often. This tactic is expected to keep defenses on their toes and potentially draw more offsides penalties.
Quotes from the Team
"From us watching film and getting into games, teams changing things up on us, we just want to add extra layers to all of our calls," Jackson said, via ESPN. Martin echoed this sentiment, adding, "It's like that smart kid in the classroom, you can't allow them to get bored, right?" He continued, "You have to constantly add things, tweaks and things of that nature and responsibilities."
Martin believes that these adjustments will take the Ravens' offense to the next level. "It has been a tool in the past, and we're just going to continue to take it to the next level," he said. "Lamar is outstanding at it, whether we're going non-verbal on the road or whether we're going verbal at home."
Martin detailed their strategy further, explaining, "We have a lot of different ones (cadences) that give us an advantage so that people don't know when we're snapping the ball and slowing them down a little bit."
Aiming for the Super Bowl
The Ravens hope these adjustments will help them make the leap to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. Their success hinges on Lamar Jackson’s ability to adapt and thrive with his expanded role. The combination of Jackson's individual talent and increased responsibility could make the Ravens formidable in the coming seasons. By tweaking their approach and giving Jackson more control, the Ravens position themselves as strong AFC contenders.
The Ravens have high aspirations for this season and are focused on finally breaking through to the Super Bowl. With Jackson at the helm and the offense poised to innovate and improve, the Ravens' chances look promising.