Ravens‘ Red Zone Struggles Raise Concerns Despite Dominant Run Game
Baltimore’s offensive woes near the goal line, compounded by critical turnovers, cast a shadow over their 17-3 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, raising questions about the team’s ability to capitalize in crucial moments.
The Ravens’ latest defeat highlighted a troubling pattern of inefficiency in the red zone,a problem that persists even without the presence of two-time MVP Lamar Jackson. In a surprising turn of events, Baltimore attempted to utilize the “tush push” play – a strategy typically reserved for situations with Jackson under center – during Sunday’s contest.
As head coach John Harbaugh explained earlier this year, “Well, we don’t do it with Lamar.” Typically, when Jackson is healthy, the Ravens deploy tight end Mark Andrews as the ball carrier, with center tyler Linderbaum providing the initial push and running back Derrick Henry and fullback Patrick Ricard driving from behind. Despite Ricard’s absence due to a calf injury, the Ravens still featured a lineup of Pro Bowl-caliber players attempting the play, with zaire Mitchell-Paden stepping in to fill the void.
“You’ve got to get pad under pad, and you have to get push,” Harbaugh emphasized. “We’re a big, physical offensive line with big, physical guys. Mark is a big, physical guy, and he’s pushing, so that should happen.”
though,the Ravens were repeatedly stopped at the 1-yard line,forcing them to abandon the strategy. Last season, Henry scored on nine of 15 attempts from 3 yards out. This season, though, he has only managed to score on one of four opportunities. Sunday’s game saw both “tush push” attempts fail, and a subsequent handoff to Henry was also stuffed.
Despite the offensive line’s strong performance in the run game – Henry averaged 5.1 yards per carry for a total of 122 yards – they couldn’t generate enough force to get Andrews across the goal line.
“We had two instances were we have not gotten it in, so that kind of pisses me off, but I can’t change anything about it now,” Henry admitted. “All you can do is, when you get another opportunity to try to get it in there, but we have to be better. I mean,that’s just unacceptable. That’s not good enough, as far as us as a whole, and on myself as well. I need to get it in there. So,[we’ll] watch the film and try to get better. But, like I said, it just seems like a repetitive thing, which is kind of frustrating, but it is indeed over now.”
Further compounding the Ravens’ issues, penalties stalled a promising drive that reached the Rams’ 11-yard line, forcing them to settle for a field goal – their only points of the day. The Ravens are now 8-for-18 on red-zone attempts this season, and went 0-for-3 against the Rams.
the errors weren’t limited to the red zone. Receivers struggled with limited passing opportunities, and Flowers fumbled the ball, even being involved in a second potential fumble. Tight end Isaiah Likely also fumbled, though he was able to recover it.
“Once you have self-inflicted wounds, it’s hard to overcome, especially in this league,” Henry acknowledged, taking responsibility for his own fumbles.
The Ravens also struggled on third downs, converting only 3 of 8 attempts of 2 yards or shorter.
While Harbaugh anticipates Jackson’s return after the bye week, he cautioned that it won’t solve the team’s fundamental issues. “The good news is Harbaugh expects Jackson to be back after the bye. The bad news is, that won’t make much difference if the team can’t figure out how to make plays in critical moments.” The Ravens must address their recurring issues with execution and mental fortitude if they hope to contend for a championship.
