Last Season's Success
Last season, the Baltimore Ravens showcased one of the NFL's most formidable offenses. The team racked up the sixth-most yards and the fourth-most points in the league. Their offensive efficiency was highlighted by their fourth-place ranking in FTN's DVOA. The Ravens also finished tied for eighth in Tru Media's version of EPA per play, further showcasing their offensive prowess.
Lamar Jackson's Stellar Performance
Lamar Jackson had a standout season last year. Jackson earned the second MVP award of his career and led the Ravens to an impressive 13-3 record in his 16 starts. He completed 67.2% of his passes, averaging 8.0 yards per attempt, and threw for 24 touchdowns against just 7 interceptions. Additionally, Jackson rushed 148 times for 821 yards and 5 touchdowns. His dual-threat capability was a key factor in the Ravens' offensive success.
New Responsibilities for Jackson
The Ravens are poised to place even more responsibility on Jackson’s shoulders this coming season. Jackson himself is eager to take on more duties, particularly in audibling at the line of scrimmage. Quarterbacks coach Tee Martin sees expanding Jackson's role as a natural progression, believing that giving Jackson more autonomy will enhance the Ravens' offensive dynamism. According to Martin, "It's like that smart kid in the classroom, you can't allow them to get bored, right? You have to constantly add things, tweaks and things of that nature and responsibilities."
Improving Situational Football
The Ravens see room for improvement in drawing offsides penalties from opponents. Last season, their offense only managed to induce an opponent offsides once. Martin aims to change that this season by having Jackson vary his cadence more often. This tactic is expected to keep defenses on their toes and potentially draw more offsides penalties. Martin elaborated, "We have a lot of different ones that give us an advantage so that people don't know when we're snapping the ball and slowing them down a little bit." By tweaking their approach and giving Jackson more control, the Ravens hope to make their offense more unpredictable and effective.
Super Bowl Aspirations
The Ravens aspire to make the leap to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. Their success hinges on Lamar Jackson’s ability to adapt and thrive with his expanded role. The combination of Jackson's individual talent and increased responsibility could make the Ravens formidable in the coming seasons. Martin emphasized that constant adaptation is key, "It has been a tool in the past, and we're just going to continue to take it to the next level. Lamar is outstanding at it, whether we're going non-verbal on the road or whether we're going verbal at home."
Future Outlook
With their sights set on the Super Bowl, the Baltimore Ravens are banking on Lamar Jackson's ability to lead and innovate on the field. By adding new dimensions to their offensive strategy and giving Jackson more control, the Ravens position themselves as strong AFC contenders. As Jackson stated, "From us watching film and getting into games, teams changing things up on us, we just want to add extra layers to all of our calls."
The Ravens hope that these adjustments will finally break through to the Super Bowl, turning their potential into championship reality. With Jackson at the helm, Baltimore's future looks promising.