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. Their offensive efficiency was highlighted by a fourth-place ranking in FTN's DVOA and a tie for eighth place in Tru Media's version of EPA per play.
Lamar Jackson's Stellar Performance
Lamar Jackson had a standout season last year. Jackson earned the second MVP award of his career, leading the Ravens to an impressive 13-3 record in his 16 starts. Jackson's passing game was particularly noteworthy; he completed 67.2% of his passes, averaged 8.0 yards per attempt, and threw for 24 touchdowns against just 7 interceptions. On the ground, Jackson was just as dynamic, rushing 148 times for 821 yards and scoring 5 touchdowns.
A New Level of Responsibility for Jackson
The Ravens are poised to place even more responsibility on Jackson’s shoulders this coming season. Jackson has expressed a desire to take on more duties, particularly in audibling at the line of scrimmage. Quarterbacks coach Tee Martin sees this as a natural progression in Jackson's development. Martin believes that giving Jackson more autonomy will enhance the Ravens' offensive dynamism.
One specific area the Ravens are looking to improve is drawing offsides penalties from opponents. Last season, the Ravens' offense managed to induce an opponent offsides only 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.
The Path to the Super Bowl
The Ravens hope to 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.
Jackson and the Ravens' coaching staff believe that these adjustments can make a significant difference. "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 these sentiments: "It's like that smart kid in the classroom, you can't allow them to get bored, right? You have to constantly add things, tweaks and things of that nature and responsibilities."
Strategic Adjustments
One particular facet of their strategy that Martin highlighted is the use of varying cadences to keep defenses guessing. "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."
Martin elaborated on the importance of this strategy: "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."
With these new tactics, the Ravens hope to finally break through to the Super Bowl. The entire organization's belief in Jackson's capabilities is evident, and his continued growth and adaptability will be crucial to their success.