Even because the Ravens’ offense emerged as an outlier over the previous three seasons, working extra usually and extra effectively than any NFL workforce in that span, it by no means strayed too removed from the pack earlier than the snap.
Under coordinator Greg Roman, the Ravens’ most typical personnel grouping had at all times been the NFL’s most typical personnel grouping: “11,” that includes one working again, one tight finish and three extensive receivers. In 2019 and 2020, quarterback Lamar Jackson’s first two seasons as a full-time starter, the Ravens lined up with three wideouts and one tight finish on practically half of their performs, in line with Sharp Football Stats. Last 12 months, they did so much less usually, and much under the league common, but it surely was nonetheless Roman’s go-to setup.
In Sunday’s season-opening win towards the New York Jets, nonetheless, Roman and the Ravens signaled a possible philosophical change: They lived largely in a two-wide-receiver world. According to TruMedia, their utilization price of 11 personnel (6.3%) was by far the bottom of any Week 1 offense coming into Monday night time. The Atlanta Falcons have been subsequent closest, at 27.3%.
Here’s how the Ravens lined up towards the Jets, and the way efficient they have been in these groupings, in line with the play index website nflfastR. Expected factors added mirror the relative effectivity of a play, accounting for situational components:
- 21 personnel (two backs — on this case, fullback Patrick Ricard at all times amongst them — one tight finish, two extensive receivers): 19 performs, 0.32 anticipated factors added per play. Wide receiver Rashod Bateman’s 55-yard landing catch within the third quarter got here in 21 personnel.
- 12 personnel (one again, two tight ends, two extensive receivers): 15 performs, -0.20 EPA per play. Wide receiver Devin Duvernay’s 25-yard landing catch within the second quarter got here in 12 personnel.
- 22 personnel (two backs — once more, Ricard at all times included — one tight finish, two extensive receivers): 11 performs, 0.03 EPA per play
- 11 personnel: 5 performs, 0.34 EPA per play. Duvernay’s 17-yard landing catch within the third quarter got here in 11 personnel.
- 13 personnel (one again, three tight ends, one extensive receiver): three performs, -0.97 EPA per play. Jackson’s fourth-quarter interception got here in 13 personnel.
- 02 personnel (no backs, two tight ends, three extensive receivers): one play, 0.41 EPA
It’s too early within the season to inform which packages would be the offense’s greatest or most used. But in Week 1, the Ravens made clear their intentions to make use of their tight ends extra like extensive receivers. Mark Andrews led all Ravens receivers in snaps (47), and rookie Isaiah Likely earned as a lot taking part in time as extensive receiver Demarcus Robinson (25 snaps) and nearly as a lot as Duvernay (29).
“Those guys are going to be on the field as much as we can put them out there, because they’re also receivers — they’re just bigger receivers. But they’re good blockers, too,” coach John Harbaugh stated Monday of Andrews and Likely, each of whom can line up exterior or within the slot. “That’s good for us. So I think you’ll see those guys out there quite a bit.”
With Ricard’s outsize function within the Ravens’ working and play-action schemes, snaps for the workforce’s complementary extensive receivers may very well be onerous to come back by this season. Ricard performed 36 snaps Sunday, nearly as many as Bateman (37), and equal to the mixed whole of extensive receivers Tylan Wallace (six snaps), James Proche II (5) and Robinson.
Dime and once more
As the Ravens sacrificed pace for dimension on offense in Week 1, they went the other method on protection.
Mike Macdonald, in his first recreation coordinating the Ravens’ protection, used dime personnel (six defensive backs) on 47.6% of the workforce’s snaps Sunday, according to TruMedia, excess of any protection had coming into Monday night time. The Chargers completed with the second-highest price, at simply 28.6%.
Macdonald’s reliance on cornerbacks and safeties didn’t symbolize an excessive departure from the leaguewide norm. As three-wide-receiver formations and unfold assaults have taken maintain throughout the NFL over the previous decade, defensive constructions have modified. According to Football Outsiders, nickel defenses (5 defensive backs) first turned extra prevalent than conventional “base” defenses (4 defensive backs) in 2012, earlier than lastly getting used on a majority of all performs in 2015.
Dime-heavy seems to be aren’t uncharted territory for Harbaugh, or for Macdonald, a former defensive assistant in Baltimore. In 2019, the Ravens had two complementary safeties, Chuck Clark and Earl Thomas, who as a pairing nearly by no means left the sphere. They had Brandon Carr, who toggled between cornerback and security and completed fourth on the protection in snaps. And at cornerback, they’d two stalwarts in Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters, a midseason commerce acquisition, plus Jimmy Smith and Anthony Averett.
That 12 months, the Ravens used nickel seems to be on 46% of their snaps (twenty sixth most within the NFL) and dime seems to be on 41% of their snaps (third most), in line with Football Outsiders. They additionally completed fifth within the NFL in general defensive effectivity, bolstered by their fourth-ranked move protection.
When the Ravens took Notre Dame star Kyle Hamilton with their high decide in April’s NFL draft, including him to a security group that already had high free-agent signing Marcus Williams and Clark, their defensive chief, Harbaugh acknowledged that the Ravens would lean much more on their secondary. A standout preseason for the workforce’s line of defense, which needs to be among the many NFL’s greatest run-stopping teams, may need solely emboldened that strategy.
“We’re going to run multiple personnel groups, and three safeties has been a big part of what we like to do,” Harbaugh stated in April. “So, yes, we’ve got three really good safeties right now. We can play the extra safety at nickel, we can play safety at dime, we can play them at mike [middle linebacker]. All of those guys are going to be on the field, for sure.”
Hamilton didn’t supplant Williams or Clark as a starter within the preseason, however that didn’t maintain him from the sphere Sunday. He performed half of the protection’s snaps in Week 1 (42), greater than beginning defensive lineman Calais Campbell (41) and beginning inside linebacker Josh Bynes (32). In all, six Ravens defensive backs performed not less than half of the snaps inside MetLife Stadium: safeties Clark, Williams and Hamilton, and cornerbacks Kyle Fuller, Brandon Stephens and Humphrey.
Circumstances considerably dictated their utilization. After the Ravens took a commanding lead within the third quarter, Macdonald might fear much less about stopping the Jets’ working recreation and dedicate extra assets to stopping quarterback Joe Flacco. The Jets had simply 4 carries after halftime, in contrast with 40 drop-backs.
Fuller’s season-ending knee damage will check the Ravens’ depth Sunday towards the Miami Dolphins, particularly if Peters (knee) stays unavailable. But Macdonald stated final week that he trusts rookie cornerbacks Jalyn Armour-Davis and Damarion “Pepe” Williams sufficient to play them early this season. Both noticed restricted time Sunday.
“Shoot, everybody on our defense can play,” Marcus Williams stated Sunday. “One guy goes in, one guy goes out, this is what we do. You can see it out there. If it’s giving you guys a hard time [tracking the defensive backs], it’s probably giving the quarterback a hard time, too.”
Week 2
DOLPHINS@RAVENS
Sunday, 1 p.m.
TV: Chs. 13, 9
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
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Source: www.bostonherald.com