As we’ve been doing for a few years now, we break down the Pittsburgh Steelers’ opponent every week, telling you what to anticipate from a scheme and particular person participant standpoint. Like final 12 months, Josh Carney and I’ll cowl the opposing crew’s offense. I’ll deal with the scheme, Josh on the gamers.
Right now, our scouting report on the Baltimore Ravens’ offense for Week 18’s regular-season finale in opposition to Pittsburgh.
Alex’s Scheme Report
Ravens’ Run Recreation
It’s the bread and butter of the offense, and the Ravens have rediscovered their floor recreation within the nick of time. During the last two weeks, Baltimore has led the NFL with 86 dashing makes an attempt. No different crew has greater than 70. Derrick Henry is the lead again in each sense. He’s coming off an elite efficiency, posting a career-high 36 carries for greater than 200 yards and 4 touchdowns in Week 17’s win over the Inexperienced Bay Packers.
It was the NFL’s first 35/200/4 efficiency since one-hit surprise Jonas Grey in 2014 and solely the fifth efficiency in league historical past.
Henry has 1,469 yards and 16 touchdowns this season, and it’s hardly being mentioned. He’s rushed for 100-plus yards in three-straight video games.
On the season, Baltimore ranks No. 1 league-wide with a mean of 157.8 dashing yards per recreation. The Ravens posted 307 versus Inexperienced Bay and have 120-plus in five-straight video games. Baltimore leads the league with 68 runs of 10-plus yards. Henry ranks fifth league-wide with practically half, 33, of them. He’s scored on six of these carries. Regardless of accidents, Lamar Jackson nonetheless has 15 whereas backup RB Keaton Mitchell has 10.
Mitchell can’t be forgotten about, both. His position has elevated, and he’s averaging between 12-20 offensive snaps per recreation. A speedster, he’s averaging 5.9 yards per carry. It’s solely on 57 carries, but it surely’s additionally the best common of any working again with 50-plus carries this season.
Although Henry has been the focus of gamers the Ravens have used correctly, FB Patrick Ricard can’t be forgotten. He’s logged 75 complete offensive snaps during the last two weeks and has his highest snap share in these final two video games. He’s been enjoying greater than half the snaps, and it’s powering the working recreation.
Jackson has been extra restricted than in years previous. Accidents have hampered him, and his again harm received’t assist him, even when he’s wholesome sufficient to play (as of this writing, the crew hasn’t introduced a starter). He has lower than 50 yards in all however one recreation this 12 months, Week 1 in opposition to Buffalo, when he was wholesome, and has underneath 30 in 5 of his final six video games. Nonetheless, he rushed for 43 yards versus Pittsburgh in Week 14 due to a Steelers’ plan that targeted extra on Henry than Jackson. Jackson has simply two dashing scores this season.
Tyler “Snoop” Huntley rushed for 60 yards final week, and the Ravens used extra designed runs for him.
Schematically, there’s a number of big-people soccer. A number of tight ends and Ricard at fullback. Baltimore is loving working energy into the boundary, both with one puller (principally utilized in brief yardage)…
Or two with the BSG/BST pulling throughout on this counter motion.
Tons of lead runs and a few Lead Weak runs behind Ricard. The advantage of a lead blocker with out working into the power of the protection. Ricard is used on a number of late movement to cover which aspect he’s going. And on the aim line, rely on them working behind No. 42.
In opposition to Inexperienced Bay, particularly, the brief/crack toss recreation received going, together with on the game-sealing rating.
Another offensive stats: Baltimore ranks eleventh in scoring, averaging 25 factors per recreation. The Ravens have 30 or extra in 5 contests this season and 24-plus in every of their final three. In Week 17, they posted 41 on Inexperienced Bay. The Ravens rank sixteenth in yards at 330.5 per contest.
Situationally, they’re twelfth on third down (41.4 %) and twenty ninth within the purple zone (47.5 %). Pink zone offense is surprisingly poor. One other space of alarm is taking good care of the ball. Baltimore is minus-2 in turnover differential with eight turnovers of their final 5 video games, although they had been clear in opposition to Inexperienced Bay. On the season, they’ve turned it over 22 instances. Henry and Mitchell have had points defending the soccer, even when Henry has cleaned up some main early-year fumbles.
Ravens’ Go Recreation
Lamar Jackson cleared himself to play for the weekend and is anticipated to start out. Jackson’s numbers haven’t been dangerous, however have clearly dropped off from a season in the past: 18 touchdowns to 6 interceptions, whereas his ANY/A, completion price, TD price, and interception price are all worse than 2024. He additionally has only one fourth-quarter comeback.
If he can’t end, backup Tyler Huntley has been environment friendly with a particularly excessive 77.6 completion share, two touchdowns, and nil interceptions. He hasn’t been requested to do a lot, and that’s helped him play sound.
WR Zay Flowers is the crew’s high goal. He has an 82/1033/3 line and is hard to deal with after the catch. Slippery participant who makes gamers miss; his 9 damaged tackles are tied most for any receiver, which Josh will element extra beneath. Like Pittsburgh, Baltimore has only one participant over 500 receiving yards. TE Mark Andrews is second on the crew with barely greater than 400. Nonetheless, he has 3-plus targets in all however one recreation this season. Isaiah Doubtless has had a quiet 12 months with simply 52 yards in his final 4 video games. Nonetheless, each gamers are proficient and in a position to make a giant play at a second’s discover.
The Ravens are additionally spreading the soccer round. Six totally different gamers have at the least two receiving scores this 12 months.
Conceptually, there’s some early down/P & 10 play-action. They like going 3×1 in key moments and isolating the bottom receiver, whether or not it’s Flowers, Andrews from a lowered break up, or DeAndre Hopkins.
Alert Dragon ideas (slant/flat) and No. 2 out on third down, particularly third and brief.
Baltimore additionally needs quick-hitters down close to the aim line. Throws to the flat, QB nakeds, and the offense likes working ranges ideas in open grass. However the focus of the offense as of late has been the run recreation, with the go recreation coming off play-pass and excessive share throws in house.
Josh’s Particular person Report
It’s Ravens week, Steelers followers!
With it comes AFC North championship week, with the winner claiming the division title and punching a ticket to the AFC playoffs because the No. 4 seed. The loser? Effectively, they’ll head into an offseason full of critical uncertainty, each at head coach and at quarterback.
Not an excellent spot to be in.
Thankfully for the Pittsburgh Steelers, they’ve already had success in opposition to the Baltimore Ravens this season, selecting up a hard-fought 27-22 win over the Ravens on the street. Now, they welcome them to Acrisure Stadium for Sunday Night time Soccer.
The Ravens are getting wholesome on the proper time and will have quarterback Lamar Jackson again within the lineup after he missed the second half of the Week 16 recreation in opposition to the New England Patriots after which all of Week 17 in opposition to the Inexperienced Bay Packers.
With Jackson again within the combine and comparatively wholesome, he provides one other dimension to the Ravens’ offense. Although he won’t be a lot of a runner whereas nonetheless coping with the again harm, he’s a major improve over Tyler Huntley as a passer.
Jackson has good accuracy and might work the ball down the sector with ease. He’s established an excellent reference to huge receiver Zay Flowers, a man who has emerged as a legit No. 1 choice in Baltimore.
Flowers is an elite route runner on the place and has actually began to faucet into his suddenness each as a route runner and a man who works after the catch. He’s at all times creating separation and finds himself open to do harm.
In Week 14 in opposition to the Steelers, Flowers went off for eight receptions for 124 yards, discovering himself huge open a couple of instances, creating vital splash performs.
Outdoors of Flowers, although, the Ravens don’t have a lot within the passing recreation, at the least at receiver. DeAndre Hopkins is extra of a giant identify than participant at this level. He nonetheless has nice palms, however he creates nearly no separation and isn’t a lot of a thought for the likes of Jackson or Huntley within the passing recreation.
Rashod Bateman and Devontez Walker stay critical deep threats, however the alternatives for them have been few and much between.
Tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Doubtless are key cogs within the offense, particularly by means of the air. Andrews is the franchise’s all-time chief in receiving yards, and for good cause. He’s a really good go catcher, one who understands leverage and spacing, and has an excellent rapport with Jackson, at all times on the identical web page and capable of finding a solution to make a play when issues break down.
He’s a powerful blocker, too, and might play in all phases of the sport. The Steelers understand how harmful he’s and have had a pleasant plan for him in current matchups.
As for Doubtless, he had a powerful recreation in Week 14 and was a part of that controversial non-touchdown that finally value the Ravens the sport. Misplaced in that dialogue was the route run by Doubtless and the way he beat Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
He’s had some success in current matchups in opposition to the Steelers and will play a pivotal position Sunday evening within the winner-take-all matchup.
Make no mistake about it, although: This Ravens offense goes as working again Derrick Henry goes.
The Ravens lastly realized that in Week 17 in opposition to the Packers, after barely utilizing him in Week 16 in opposition to the Patriots within the second half as Baltimore blew an 11-point lead. That then led to the Ravens working Henry 36 instances for 216 yards and 4 touchdowns in opposition to the Packers.
It was one in all Henry’s greatest video games ever, and he solely received stronger and stronger as the sport progressed. He nonetheless has good velocity and might flip the nook and rip off explosive runs. However like a prepare rolling down the tracks, it’s vital to maintain him from getting rolling downhill early and build up steam as the sport progresses.
Keaton Mitchell is a pleasant complementary piece behind Henry. He’s somebody who brings critical velocity and explosion to the desk. He had a 55-yarder within the final matchup in opposition to the Steelers and might present an excellent change-of-pace to Henry.
Up entrance, the Ravens look good total. Right here’s how I anticipate them to look Sunday evening, left to proper:
LT — Ronnie StanleyLG — Andrew VorheesC — Tyler LinderbaumRG — Daniel FaaleleRT — Roger Rosengarten
It’s group left to proper on paper. They’ve began to do some superb issues within the run recreation in current weeks, too, which bodes effectively shifting ahead.
Henry has had some monster lanes to run by means of, which has helped the Ravens put on down defenses. And so they’ve finished a pleasant job of defending the passer, whether or not it’s Jackson or Huntley underneath heart.
On particular groups, rookie kicker Tyler Loop has had some good moments this season. He’s 29-for-32 on the season, which is an effective quantity changing Justin Tucker. He’s additionally 41-of-43 on additional factors, too, however this can be his first time kicking inside Acrisure Stadium. He’ll do it at evening and in early January, which might be very difficult.
Punter Jordan Stout had a powerful 12 months for the Ravens, averaging 50.3 yards per punt on 49 punts. He has a protracted of 74 yards and had 21 of his 49 punts downed contained in the 20-yard line. He can actually flip the sector.
Within the return recreation, working again Rasheen Ali handles the kickoff return duties, whereas rookie LaJohntay Wester handles the punt return duties. Wester has a 35-yard punt return on the season, whereas Ali has a 43-yard kick return underneath his belt on the season.
