Ravens Must Avoid Needing to Chase Chase

Dev Panchwagh contributed to this article.

Offense

Adapt the Cowboys/Bills game plan for Cincy

A depleted Bengals defensive line struggled to stop the run to start the season, allowing the seventh-most yards on the ground in the NFL with bottom-five marks in several advanced statistics. Cincinnati has allowed 0.08 EPA/rush (fifth-highest) and +115 rushing yards over expected (second-highest), with a 12.9% stuff rate (fifth-lowest).

That bodes well for a Ravens rushing attack that has dominated their last two opponents with 545 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. Sunday in Cincinnati should be more of the same with specific wrinkles to Baltimore’s recent game plans that target the Bengals’ weaknesses.

For example, the Bills’ defensive line focused on penetration up front to offset their DB-heavy personnel, allowing Todd Monken to deploy blocking schemes that took advantage of that aggressiveness for explosive runs. The Bengals, meanwhile, have held opposing offenses to just 11 runs of 10+ yards this season (tied for the seventh-fewest) while struggling to make splash plays in the backfield.

How can Todd Monken Exploit the Bengals Run Defense?

Monken should adjust accordingly with heavy use of pulling blockers to force the Bengals’ DL to move laterally instead of maintaining their gaps. Some bread-and-butter Power and Counter concepts will be in store, but using Pin-Pull schemes and motion to create lead blockers will help create mismatches on the second level. That will effectively target Dax Hill, who will likely slide inside with Mike Hilton missing practice all week.

Hill is a solid player, but he’s only played a handful of snaps in the slot this year. He’ll already be worried about expanded duties in run defense, so the Ravens should further complicate his game with PA flood concepts that force Hill to choose between an open underneath receiver and Lamar Jackson threatening to take off on a bootleg.

Establish a rhythm through the air

The Ravens should and will take advantage of the Bengals’ weakness against the run to establish a foothold in Sunday’s game, but they should also take the opportunity to fine-tune their dropback passing game.

Cincinnati ranks in the bottom-five in pressure and sack rate, but defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo hasn’t dialed up blitzes in response, with a bottom-10 blitz rate. That should allow Baltimore to improve a passing attack that has leaned heavily on play action so far this season to aid in pass protection.

It’s no secret that Monken is working towards a passing offense with a five-man protection unit that can maximize open receivers and explosive potential downfield. Weeks 1 and 2 showed that his offensive line wasn’t ready for that yet, and Monken wisely schemed away from five-man protections in Weeks 3 and 4 against strong pass rushes.

But the Bengals have just one true pass rusher in Trey Hendrickson, who leads the team with 15 pressures, per Pro Football Focus. Sam Hubbard is second with seven pressures, and no other Bengal has more than five. While Monken should be ready and willing to adjust if necessary, he should give his guys a chance to settle in and operate a spread passing game from the shotgun.

That doesn’t mean that the Ravens have to go away from the heavy personnel that has led to so much of their success this season. Two tight-end sets with Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely will keep Baltimore’s top receiving threats on the field and allow them to draw favorable matchups against linebackers, especially if the Bengals move to more base personnel like the Bills did.

Jackson has been decisive and efficient when passing the ball this year, avoiding tight windows and consistently finding wide open receivers. If he can continue that trend at a higher volume as part of a more traditional dropback passing game, the Ravens will continue to add to the different ways they can beat defenses.

Attack the edges of the field

Passing out of heavy formations will also be an effective change-up to a Bengals defense that will load up around the line of scrimmage, expecting the run. The more the Ravens can force the Bengals to commit to run defense, the more they can target 1-on-1 matchups in the passing game.

Hill sliding into the slot means rookie D.J. Turner will likely get his first career start, with Cam Taylor-Britt coming back into the lineup after being benched in Week 4 after allowing five receptions on six targets for 84 yards and a touchdown to Diontae Johnson.

That’s an exploitable outside cornerback duo that will already have their hands full trying to help out against the run. The Ravens should look to turn up the heat on Taylor-Britt by isolating him in man coverage against Rashod Bateman and Zay Flowers while scheming outside hi-lo concepts against Turner using corners and deep crossers to force him to sort through traffic.

The Ravens also have a functioning screen game for the first time…ever? That’s another easy way to run plays right at the Bengals’ boundary cornerbacks and lean on the impressive blocking of Baltimore’s pass-catchers so far this season.

Baltimore should be more than content running a similar version of their offense from the past two weeks, but their comfort and consistency doing so could allow Monken to add in some more complexity. Using backside screens and working Zay Flowers into the run game are two wrinkles that will serve the Ravens well in future matchups. If Baltimore is in need of an explosive play through the air, Monken should also bring back some of the run-pass concepts that have pass-catchers feint a block before releasing upfield to catch a surging Bengals defense out of position.

Defense

Move Burrow off the Spot

In a season that has been a major struggle for the Bengals, the lone bright spot has been Joe Burrow, who is proving that he is completely over any concerns from the wrist injury he suffered last season. Although Burrow has been playing lights out, the Baltimore defense has been his kryptonite as of late. But that was with former defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald.

Despite the transition to Zach Orr, the blueprint should remain the same. The main priority is to get Burrow uncomfortable operating from the pocket to move laterally, much like how Orr was able to flush Josh Allen out of the pocket. Although Burrow can throw on the move, he’s not nearly as effective. Burrow is 7 of 19 (36.8%) for 66 yards (3.5 YPA) and an interception when passing from outside the tackle box this season, per NextGen Stats. His -12.6% completion percentage over expected outside the tackles is a stark contrast to his +15.9 CPOE in the same situation last year.

The Buffalo interior front was overwhelmed by the Baltimore interior pass rush headed by Nnamdi Madubuike and Travis Jones. Orr did a nice job of also mixing in some stunt action, which he had been doing sparingly, to create mismatch opportunities.

Between the use of line games up front and some fire zone blitzes, getting Burrow moving backward is going to be a big key for Orr and the front line.

The Bengals have allowed a pressure rate of just 19.5% this year, the lowest in the NFL, largely due to strong tackle play from Orlando Brown and Amarius Mims. Mims is still exploitable by the wily veteran play of Kyle Van Noy, but the Ravens will need to generate more pressure on the interior to collapse the pocket and get Burrow on the move. Travis Jones has emerged as a game-wrecker in the middle, but Madubuike has still quietly generated more QB pressures, per Pro Football Focus. With Michael Pierce back in the fold, the Ravens should be able to dominate in the trenches an consistently move Burrow off his spot.

Sustain man coverage & change coverage looks post snap

Along with dialing up more simulated pressures and slot blitzes – a nod to how Macdonald operated last season – Orr also got back to a more aggressive approach on the back end. With rookie Nate Wiggins back in action, the fellow rookie DC leaned on his corners to play more man-to-man coverage and challenge the Buffalo wideouts. He also had the flexibility to slide corner Marlon Humphrey to the slot. That move was a checkmate to the Bills’ offensive approach and their receivers simply couldn’t separate all night.

Against the Bengals, the task will be much tougher. Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are the best wide receiver tandem in the league.

However, Baltimore has had success playing a physical style against these two as of late. Challenging them to win against press man might be risky, but it’s the best way to throw Burrow’s timing off at times, especially given his quick trigger.

Ultimately, though, Orr needs to stay nimble with his coverage approaches. Whether it’s a blend between press/man, off coverage or some match principals, the coverage looks need to change from pre to post snap. Corners and safeties need to be able to move quickly from their stances and get back in position to keep the Cincinnati QB guessing and potentially hold the ball longer.

That was extremely effective against Josh Allen, who had to sort through pressure looks and post-snap rotations before he could attempt a pass. Burrow, however, will be more likely to trust his receivers in 1-on-1 matchups outside and give his guys a chance to make a play. Press coverage is one response to this, preventing the Bengals’ wideouts from getting separation off the line of scrimmage. Orr’s post-snap rotations should also bring help to the outside to try to make some plays on Burrow’s jump balls, and, at the very least, prevent the kind of YAC from Chase that has killed the Ravens in the past.

Tackle in space

Over the first two games of the season, the Baltimore defense tackling technique was pretty ragged. That has changed dramatically over the last two games. The front, backers and back end have been way more cohesive to funnel ball carriers to their help. They’ve been minimizing extra yards and that’s led to some better results in the open field. As usual, more live reps have helped the Ravens shore up their tackling across the board.

The Bengals have also stressed defenses on their ability to keep those YAC plays in check. Chase is so dynamic and physical with the ball in his hand – and he’s got a highlight reel against the Ravens specifically. Chase’s +87 YAC over expected is the main reason the Bengals rank 10th in the NFL in that stat. He is so dominant at the catch point that fighting for the ball in the air is an especially risky proposition. He can secure a catch with one hand while putting down a defender with the other. Chase also has a tendency to bounce off his coverage defender after the catch before launching upfield, so the Ravens’ CBs need to get a grip (literally) and slow him down while help arrives. They should still try to break up passes, but they must avoid getting greedy and recognize when Chase has them boxed out to keep him from breaking away for a big gain.

The other Chase – Chase Brown – is no slouch either. He’s an explosive piece in the offense who has been especially hard to deal with on outlets and underneath throws from Burrow. Keeping both Chases from creating big plays from broken tackles will go a long way in forcing Cincinnati to go the long way on their drives.

The Bengals’ rushing attack also ranks fifth in yards after contact per attempt (3.47), so the Ravens will need to focus on team defense and gang tackling against the run as well. That should be less of a concern for the NFL’s best rushing defense (by far) this season, which has allowed a league-low 57.8 yards per game and 3.0 yards per carry along with just one explosive rush all year.

One on One Matchup

Ronnie Stanley versus Trey Hendrickson

In the past, this was a matchup that has largely favored Hendrickson. That might not be the case this time around, as Ronnie Stanley is playing his best football since the 2019 season. His 88.3 PFF pass blocking grade ranked second among NFL tackles entering Week 5, with just four pressures allowed on the year.

Hendrickson, meanwhile, got off to a blazing start with six pressures in each of his first two games, but just four since. He’s been limited in practice with a neck/back injury, but he’ll still bring his all in an AFC North matchup.

If the Ravens want to run five-man pass protections, Stanley will have to dig in against Hendrickson, who has generated almost one-third of the Bengals’ total pressures this season. If the veteran OT can put the clamps on Cincy’s star pass rusher, Lamar Jackson will be comfortable in the pocket all afternoon, allowing him to continue finding wide open targets for chunk plays downfield.

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