Last Season's Offensive Prowess
Last season, the Baltimore Ravens showcased one of the NFL's most formidable offenses. The team racked up the sixth-most yards and the fourth-most points in the league. The Ravens' offensive efficiency was highlighted by their fourth-place ranking in FTN's DVOA. Moreover, the Ravens finished tied for eighth in Tru Media's version of EPA per play.
Lamar Jackson’s Outstanding Performance
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, averaged 8.0 yards per attempt, and threw for 24 touchdowns against just 7 interceptions. Additionally, Jackson rushed 148 times for 821 yards and 5 touchdowns.
In many ways, Jackson exemplified the dual-threat quarterback role, balancing his responsibilities as both a passer and a rusher. His ability to generate offense with both his arm and legs made the Ravens' attack incredibly difficult to defend.
A Larger Role for Jackson
The Ravens are poised to place even more responsibility on Jackson’s shoulders this coming season. Jackson himself welcomes the expanded role, particularly in terms of audibling at the line of scrimmage. According to quarterbacks coach Tee Martin, expanding Jackson's role is a natural progression. Martin believes that giving Jackson more autonomy will further enhance the Ravens' offensive dynamism.
Room for Improvement
While the Ravens' offense was potent last season, there are still areas they aim to improve. One such area is 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 Ravens
Jackson discussed the importance of adding extra layers to their calls to keep defenses guessing. "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 also emphasized the necessity of continually challenging Jackson to prevent complacency. "It's like that smart kid in the classroom, you can't allow them to get bored, right?" Martin said. "You have to constantly add things, tweaks and things of that nature and responsibilities."
Taking Cadence to the Next Level
Martin believes that cadence has been an effective tool in the past and sees even more potential moving forward. "It has been a tool in the past, and we're just going to continue to take it to the next level," Martin said. "Lamar is outstanding at it, whether we're going non-verbal on the road or whether we're going verbal at home. We have a lot of different ones 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 to make the leap to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl this season. 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 contenders in the coming seasons. By tweaking their approach and giving Jackson more control, the Ravens position themselves as strong AFC contenders with hopes of finally breaking through to the Super Bowl.