As we’ve been doing for many years now, we’ll break down the Pittsburgh Steelers’ opponent each week, telling you what to expect from a scheme and individual player standpoint. Like last year, Josh Carney and I will cover the opposing team’s offense. I will focus on the scheme, Josh on the players. Today, our scouting report on the Baltimore Ravens’ offense.
Alex’s Scheme Report
Ravens’ Run Game
The Ravens’ running game is the best in show, no change from their previous two meetings against the Steelers. Baltimore ran over Pittsburgh in the rematch, 220 total yards. For the season, they finished first league-wide averaging 187.6 yards per game. Not only was that No. 1 in the NFL, but that was also the best output by a team since the 2020 Ravens. Their 554 rushing attempts are second in the league, their 5.8 YPC are first, and their 21 touchdowns rank sixth.
Baltimore ranks first in runs of 10-plus yards with 89. RB Derrick Henry is second in the league with 45, only behind Saquon Barkley. The Ravens also lead in runs of 20-plus yards with 29. There, Henry is the outright leader.
Jackson, of course, is a big-time running threat himself. His rushing production has increased down the stretch and the team has leaned on his legs more often. Over the Ravens’ first 12 games, he rushed for at least 60 yards just twice. Over his last five games, Jackson has rushed for more than 60 yards four times.
The run game is basically unchanged. Still a variety of schemes. Power/counter, zone read, BASH. Like we noted in a previous report, in gotta-have-it moments in short yardage, they lean on zone/reads to give Jackson options and stress the defense when Baltimore only needs a couple feet. Against Cleveland, here they are using it on 3rd and 2 and 4th and 1, the former with a Y-slice having TE Isaiah Likely arc around.
QB draws have become a bigger part of their playbook. Has to be an alert out of empty or on fast motion by the back into the flat.
Without Zay Flowers, their jet runs could be limited or taken out of the playbook. He had nine carries on the regular season. They also used a Tush Push with TE Mark Andrews on an attempted short-yardage conversion last week. It was unsuccessful.
Some Ravens’ offensive stats. Baltimore’s ranked third in points per game averaging 30.5 on the season. They’ve scored 30-plus in four-straight games. Situationally, they’re excellent. Third-best on third-down at 48.2-percent and the No. 1 red zone offense at 74.2-percent.
Ravens’ Pass Game
Jackson is having another MVP season and could win it for the third time in his career. He’s completing two-thirds of his passes for over 4,100 yards, 41 touchdowns, and four interceptions. Only the second quarterback to throw for 40-plus touchdowns and no more than five picks, joining Aaron Rodgers in 2020.
Baltimore is 31st in passing attempts because of their run-minded approach and ability to play with the lead. But they are effective. First in YPA (8.8) with their touchdowns tied-second most in the NFL. Jackson has also hardly been sacked this year, just 23 times all season with the lowest sack rate of his career. Over his final three games of the regular season, he’s been taken down just twice.
The Ravens will be without top WR Zay Flowers, their Pro Bowl and lone 1,000-yard player. But there’s still plenty of options for Jackson to target, including his two tight ends in Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely. Andrews is white-hot with a 55/673/11 line on the year. He’s found the end zone in six-straight games, and all 11 of his touchdowns this season have come in the red zone. Not only is that No. 1 in football but it’s the most by a player, tight end or not, since WR Cooper Kupp had 13 in 2021.
Replacing Flowers will be Rashod Bateman in the No. 1 role. He’s flown under the radar with nine receiving touchdowns on the season, one every five receptions. And RB Justice Hill is healthy and will play, a key third down and pass-game back who can’t be forgotten. Pittsburgh will counter with Payton Wilson when Hill is on the field.
Schematically, they’ve used plenty of 10 to 15-yard dig routes.
On 1st and 2nd-and-long, they’ll use RPOs. They can lighten the box and create more running lanes for Henry or get the ball out on the perimeter.
And they rely on man-beaters in big moments.
Josh’s Individual Report
It’s Ravens week, Steelers fans! This time, it’s in the AFC Wild Card round on Saturday night at M&T Bank Stadium.
Saturday’s matchup will mark the third time in nine weeks that the Steelers and Ravens will meet, this time with everything on the line in the playoffs. These two teams know each other very well, so there’s no real secret in the preparation process.
However, it has been a couple of weeks since the Steelers and Ravens matched up, dating back to Week 16. In that game, the Ravens ran all over the Steelers on the way to a 34-17 game that was realistically much closer than the final score indicated.
Entering the playoffs, the Ravens are once again led by star quarterback Lamar Jackson, who should have his third MVP delivered to him in short order.
Jackson has been outstanding all season long, specifically as a passer. He’s taken another significant step forward as a passer, continuing to show off his arm strength, accuracy and made a number of great decisions with the football. He’s thrown just four interceptions on the season compared to 41 touchdowns through the air and 4,172 yards.
What makes Jackson so dangerous is his ability to extend plays with his legs and create explosive plays out of nothing in the passing game.
He did that a few times against the Houston Texans on Christmas night.
His ability to slide around in the backfield, avoid defenders and buy time, all while being able to keep his eyes downfield and throw accurately on the move is a cheat code.
Jackson can also stand in the pocket, scan the field, stare down pressure and throw darts all over the field.
Check out this rep against the Browns in the regular season finale. Heck of a throw while changing his arm angle to fire a dart to TE Isaiah Likely for a big gain.
Make no mistake about it though, the scariest thing about Jackson is his ability to carve up defenses with his legs.
Fortunately for the Steelers, they haven’t had to deal with his rushing abilities much this season because they’ve kept him hemmed in the pocket and bottled up. But if it’s going to be cold, windy and maybe some snow in Baltimore on Saturday, Jackson could lean on his legs a bit more.
That could be a real problem for the Steelers.
Look at the burst he has with the football in his hands. That’s running back-like from Jackson, and his ability to hit the home run here on Christmas against the Texans from 48 yards out is nightmare fuel for defensive coordinators.
Ravens’ offensive coordinator Todd Monken does a great job, too, of spreading defenses out and getting Jackson into a rhythm with the read-option, getting him on the perimeter for big plays with his legs.
While the Ravens’ offense runs through Jackson, the addition of Derrick Henry into the fold this offseason has made the offense a major problem.
Henry rushed for 1,921 yards on the season, dominating from start to finish. He remains a great running back with impressive vision, great strength and an underrated ability to rip off home runs.
The future Hall of Fame running back does a great job of getting the ball and going in the run game. There’s no hesitation behind the line of scrimmage with his size and strength.
He’s shot out of a cannon with the football in his hands and does a good job of continuing to work downhill. His vision can take over from there, allowing him to pick and choose lanes to run through for big gains.
Henry can still hit the home run, too. It’s rather impressive to see time and time again. He doesn’t look like he’s moving all that quickly, but he’s a long strider and just easily runs away from people.
In the passing game, the Ravens will be without standout wide receiver Zay Flowers on Saturday night, which is a big blow to Baltimore.
However, they still have big-play threat Rashod Bateman, who has a knack for getting behind defenders and creating huge splash plays for the offense.
Guys like Nelson Agholor and Tylan Wallace will have to step up in the passing game, too.
Fortunately for Baltimore, tight end Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely are playing some great football though, giving Jackson two huge components to work with in the passing game.
Andrews has hauled in a touchdown pass in six straight games and looks like his old self once again. He’s a good route runner, has great hands and is very dependable in all situations as a receiver.
Likely has emerged as a legitimate No. 2 weapon for the Ravens at the position. He’s more athletic than Andrews, and can be a real handful for defenses if he’s in advantageous matchups. The Steelers played well against the two in Week 11, but in Week 16, both hauled in wide-open touchdowns in the red zone.
Fortunately for the Steelers, safety DeShon Elliott is back, which should give the Steelers a boost in dealing with the TEs.
Up front, the Ravens have a stout offensive line that is playing well down the stretch. Here’s how I expect them to line up, left to right, on Saturday.
LT — Ronnie Stanley
LG — Patrick Mekari
C — Tyler Linderbaum
RG — Daniel Faalele
RT — Roger Rosengarten
The bookend tackle duo of Stanley and Rosengarten is outstanding. Both are playing some very good football, which bodes well for them going into the matchup against the Steelers.
On the interior, Linderbaum is stout, but the Ravens have some issues at guard with Mekari and Faalele. They’re good in the run game but have issues in pass protection, which is an area the Steelers will need to attack the Ravens.
On special teams, Justin Tucker has found his game again at kicker and is back to being Justin Tucker, which will be huge in the playoffs, particularly in this Wild Card matchup. Punter Jordan Stout has had a strong year and will be crucial in attempting to flip the field in a game that should be tight.
Tylan Wallace and Desmond King will likely handle the kick and punt return duties, though Deonte Harty could be activated from IR ahead of the Wild Card game, which could give the Ravens a boost as he was once an All-Pro returner in the NFL.
