When the Pittsburgh Steelers prepare to take on the Baltimore Ravens, they’re cognizant of two major parts of the Ravens’ offense. First, there’s QB Lamar Jackson with the ability to make plays with both his legs and his feet. And then there’s the main part of the run game. That’s headlined by RB Derrick Henry this year. But he’s not alone because the Ravens use FB Patrick Ricard.
The fullback position may be more of a dying breed in today’s pass-happy NFL. But the Ravens are more than happy to line Ricard up in front of Henry and pound the rock against defenses. And that just feels like traditional AFC North football.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin knows that his team will have its hands full with the Ravens’ rushing attack.
“I like to call it the 2242 combo,” Tomlin said on Friday’s episode of the Mike Tomlin Show on the Steelers’ YouTube channel. “Because their fullback man, that lead blocker or tight end or whatever you want to describe him as. He’s a 300-pound former defensive lineman. He’s often times at the point of attack man and they work in tandem. So you got a big runner to deal with. You got a big lead blocker to deal with, somebody that relishes that component of the game. And they’re the risk reduction crew. You stay on schedule when they’re doing what it is that they do. You’re in manageable possession downs, you take care of the ball, you absorb very little risk. And so we got some real challenges, obviously, in the running game.”
Ricard is one of the few offensive players not on the offensive line that isn’t some sort of an individual threat for the Ravens. Jackson has targeted him in the passing game three times this season. And Ricard hasn’t carried the ball once. He did manage to score a three-yard touchdown against the Denver Broncos earlier this season, though.
But Patrick Ricard is there for one reason and one reason only – to pave holes for Derrick Henry and anyone else running the ball. As Tomlin said, he’s a former defensive lineman. Physical battles come with the territory, and he applies that experience to his run blocking. And it’s working for the Ravens.
Henry is averaging 5.8 yards per carry on 254 rushing attempts this year. If that number stays put, it will be a career-high for him by nearly half a yard. It would be only the third time he’s averaged at least five yards per carry in a season. He’s also ran for 13 touchdowns this season, tied for his third-most in a season.
No wonder Tomlin has a nickname for the duo of Patrick Ricard and Derrick Henry. Now, when the Steelers and Ravens faced off in Pittsburgh in Week 11, the Ravens’ demolishing duo did not have a noticeable impact. Henry only carried the ball 13 times for 65 yards and a touchdown.
But Steelers Depot’s Alex Kozora doesn’t think that will be the case this time around. In the scouting report for the Ravens game, Kozora wrote that he expects the Ravens to focus on getting Henry involved much more than in Week 11. And if that occurs on Saturday, expect Patrick Ricard to be a big part of that effort.
