A week ago, the Ravens looked like a team ready to lean hard into 11 personnel, get Lamar Jackson involved early with his legs and let Derrick Henry grind out carries under center in a high-scoring win over the Colts.
This week feels a lot trickier.
With the injury report piling up and the margin for error shrinking, the Ravens’ approach against the Saints may matter even more than the matchup itself. Rookie head coach Jesse Minter’s home debut could come down to a handful of numbers that point toward how Baltimore wants to survive Sunday.
Start with under-center runs. Jahmyr Gibbs took 16 snaps under center against the Saints in Week 1, which was 50% more than anyone else in the league.
That’s the kind of usage the Ravens should be chasing, not just with Derrick Henry, age 32, but with Jackson and even Justice Hill mixed in. Zay Flowers would have been part of that conversation too, but he is among the many Ravens who will miss the game.
That ground-game emphasis makes even more sense given how shaky Baltimore’s pass protection looked last week, especially inside. If Ronnie Stanley is limited by a toe issue and John Simson also sits, the Ravens could be staring at a real problem in the trenches.
Under-center runs help cover for that. And if the offensive line gets any thinner, the case for pounding the ball gets even louder.
The Saints, meanwhile, are built to force Baltimore to defend the whole field. Tyler Shough drops back 32 times per game in his 10 starts, and New Orleans is not shy about taking shots.
That matters even more if the Ravens are again short on pass rush help. All-Pro defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike is out after neck surgery, and top edge rusher Trey Hendrickson could miss as well because of a finger injury.
Without that kind of pressure, even Baltimore’s best strength - the secondary - gets stressed. The Saints have no issue testing defenses vertically, and Chris Olave is the kind of target who can turn that into trouble fast. New Orleans posted a +4 explosive-play differential last week, tied for best in the NFL, and that kind of big-play edge can tilt a game in a hurry.
Then there’s Durham Smythe, Baltimore’s “Joker.” He played 14 snaps last week, and the Ravens probably need more than that if they want to win.
Smythe gives them blocking help that resembles some of what Pat Ricard used to provide, but his role is broader than that. He lined up as a wide receiver once in Week 1, spent a bunch of time in the slot, and also got work in the backfield.
His job description in this offense is all over the place, and the Ravens need that flexibility.
That need is even sharper because the young tight ends haven’t done much in pass protection. Last week, Smythe and an extra tackle shared the field for seven snaps, and it would not be surprising if that number climbs into double digits on Sunday.
On the defensive side, Minter appears ready to keep leaning on dime. Daniel Jones posted a passer rating of 79.8 last week when the Ravens were in dime personnel, and Shough has a 129 career rating against dime compared with 75 against nickel. Even so, Baltimore may still choose to flood the field with defensive backs, especially with coverage linebackers in short supply.
Minter used dime on nearly 45% of the snaps last week, almost twice as much as any other team. The Colts managed just 97 yards on 23 plays against it, a 4.2-yard average, and the Saints are a more dangerous offense than that. But dime is part of Minter’s identity, and how Baltimore handles it on Sunday could go a long way toward deciding the game.
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Ravens Home Opener Comes With One Early Concern Fans Can't Ignore
The Ravens return to Baltimore for their home opener with plenty of momentum and a chance to move to 2-0, but the early part of the week has brought a familiar kind of unease. Zay Flowers and Ronnie Stanley are both dealing with injury concerns, and that kind of uncertainty can matter just as much in September as it does later in the season, especially when a team is trying to settle into a rhythm on offense.
Baltimore has spent the week working through how to handle those absences if they linger, and that could mean some adjustments to the way the offense is built against the Saints. It is still early enough for the Ravens to lean on coaching flexibility and depth, but the opener also has a way of exposing where the margin for error really sits, which is why the status of key pieces will be worth watching right up to kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Suddenly Have One Big Week 2 Concern Fans Will Feel
The Ravens are heading into Week 2 with more health questions than they probably wanted after opening the season. A handful of key starters have been working through injuries in practice, and the list includes Zay Flowers, Trey Hendrickson, John Simpson and Ronnie Stanley, leaving Baltimore in a tricky spot as it turns its attention to the New Orleans Saints.
For a team that expects to lean on its core early, the timing is less than ideal. Limited participation this week has put several important pieces in questionable territory, and the Ravens are now balancing preparation for Sunday with the reality that their lineup may not look as settled as it usually does this time of year. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Home Opener Could Turn On One Major Matchup Problem
The Ravens are getting ready for their Week 2 home opener against the Saints, and the game already has the feel of one that could swing on a handful of critical matchups. New Orleans is set to get wide receiver Chris Olave and defensive end Cam Jordan back from injury, which adds some extra pop on both sides of the ball, while Baltimore is still sorting through its own questions up front with Ronnie Stanley listed as questionable.
That uncertainty matters because the Ravens know how quickly a game can change when protection breaks down or an offense gets forced off schedule. Alvin Kamara will be central to what the Saints try to do, and Roquan Smith figures to be right in the middle of Baltimores response, leaving both teams with star power in place and one major area of the field that could decide everything. [Read more 🡒]