With Lamar Jackson back in the lineup, the Ravens are getting the one thing that can cover a lot of sins. But the problems that have been hanging over this team don’t disappear just because the quarterback does. The red zone has been one of the biggest ones, and it’s staring Baltimore right in the face heading into Week 8.
The Ravens have gone two straight games without scoring after halftime, and the offense has bogged down when it gets close. That’s a bad combination in any week.
It gets even more dangerous with a trip to Buffalo on Sunday, where the game could turn into a shootout. Jackson can’t fix everything, but the more points Baltimore puts on the board, the better chance it has to survive what’s happening on the other side of the ball.
The numbers show the gap. Baltimore sits 20th in the NFL in red zone TD% differential at -4.2% and 25th in red zone scoring differential at -8.3%.
The offense has been good enough in some areas, but not where it matters most once the field shrinks. The Ravens are scoring touchdowns on 62.5% of red zone trips, which ranks 13th, but they’re only converting 25% of their third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 runs, a brutal 27th in the league.
That’s where the play-calling comes into focus. Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle said this week he wants to lean even more on the second-half script, and he admitted, “I would say I probably haven't stuck to that second-half script enough,”’ Doyle offered this week, “and I probably have to stick with my guns a little more at times, and that would be kind of my own self-evaluation of that.”
The issue is that the field is tightening, the playbook is shrinking, and the offensive line is getting squeezed harder in those moments. Rookie guard Vega Ioane is out with a knee injury, which means Baltimore will use yet another different starting line combination - the sixth unique one to open a game. That only makes the red zone work more fragile.
Jackson’s return should also change how the Ravens attack near the goal line. Baltimore has thrown the ball just 39% of the time in the red zone, which ranks 30th, and with Mark Andrews fully cooked and Zay Flowers the only real big-play threat in that space, Doyle needs to get more creative.
The suggestion here is simple: lean into the rookie tight ends, use the option game, and get more RPOs into the mix. Derrick Henry hasn’t solved the short-yardage issues, and the line hasn’t helped.
The defense has its own red zone mess, and it’s just as glaring. Baltimore ranks 20th in red zone TD% allowed at 66.7%, 25th in opposing passer rating at 111.7, 20th in pressure rate at 30%, tied for 20th in third-down conversion rate allowed at 46.3%, 23rd in total pass defense EPA at -1.61 and 29th in total rush defense EPA at -0.84.
That’s a lot of leakage for a team trying to hold itself together. Rookie head coach Jesse Minter is trying to manage the whole operation for the first time, and the strain is showing up in the second half as injuries pile up and adjustments become more important. The red zone is where it’s easiest to see it.
Minter said Monday, “It just starts with us putting them in a better position,” Minter said Monday. “Always starts with the coaching, in my opinion, and I'll leave it at that."
The communication issues in the secondary have been obvious, and longtime head coach Marvin Lewis pointed them out on “The Daily Flock.” The back end has looked disconnected in zone coverage, and that has to be cleaned up fast.
The fixes being pushed are pretty direct. Wink Martindale, who helped build this defense with Minter and Seahawks Super Bowl winning coach Mike McDonald, agreed that Minter “needs to blitz more.” The idea is to get more pressure and stop relying so heavily on soft zone looks that bleed yards between the 20s.
There’s also a personnel angle. Marlon Humphrey needs to spend more time in the slot in tight-field situations, and there’s a case for blitzing him more from there.
Roquan Smith, meanwhile, should come off the field in some dime looks despite wearing the green dot. The bigger point is that Baltimore’s made men need to be used differently if the Ravens want to keep this from turning into another disaster.
In Other News...
Eli Manning Just Reminded Ravens Fans What Made Ed Reed Special
Eli Manning recently took Ravens fans back to a familiar kind of nightmare for opposing quarterbacks, recalling what it was like to face Ed Reed when the Hall of Fame safety was at his peak. Manning said the early film study could create the wrong impression, but Reeds intelligence and ball skills quickly made him look like anything but a target, which is exactly what separated him from so many other defensive backs of that era.
The memory that stood out most came from a 2004 meeting in Baltimore, when Manning had one of the roughest outings of his career against the Ravens and Reed helped make sure of it. Reeds season that year ended with Defensive Player of the Year honors and First-Team All-Pro recognition, a reminder of how often he turned preparation into production and why quarterbacks still talk about him with a mix of respect and regret. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Playmakers Could Feast In Buffalo For One Big Reason
The Ravens head to Buffalo with playoff stakes hanging over the matchup, and the timing could be just right for Baltimores passing game to make noise. Lamar Jackson is expected back after missing three games with an ankle injury, which changes the complexion of the offense immediately and gives the Ravens a much different look than theyve had lately. Against a Bills defense that has had trouble holding up against the pass, Baltimore has reason to believe its playmakers can find space in the red zone.
Zay Flowers is among the names to watch most closely, especially with the Ravens likely needing efficient production through the air to keep pace in a game that should matter deep into the AFC race. Dalton Kincaid and JaKobi Lane also fit into the broader picture of a matchup where touchdown opportunities could come from several directions. For Baltimore, the appeal is simple: if the passing game is clicking and Buffalo keeps leaking yardage through the air, the Ravens have multiple ways to turn that into points. [Read more 🡒]