Baltimore Ravens: Important Stats From First Two Games

Sep 11, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta (88) gets tackled by Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback William Gay (22) in the first quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

For all the concern about the way the Baltimore Ravens started the season’s first two quarters, most people have to admit, the team has looked pretty good. Not great, necessarily, but pretty good.

The stats vouch for that. Let’s start with two general ones: ninth in total offense and fifth in points allowed. Yes, I cherry picked those stats. They don’t tell the whole story, as the Ravens also rank 18th in total defense and 22nd in points per game offensively.

Through two games, those stats don’t tell us much. But here are a few that do.

150 plays from scrimmage, First in the NFL

Thank Gary Kubiak for the Ravens ability to control the ball so effectively through two games, as his ball control scheme has paid immediate dividends. The combination of zone runs and short, high percentage passes has kept the Ravens offense on the field consistently, something that was a problem on last year’s three-and-out prone squad.

Where last year, the bend-but-don’t-break defense would be gassed by the fourth quarter, this year the defense has actually strengthened in the second half. The offense stringing together drives is a big reason for that.

Further, Kubiak is establishing the offense’s ability to consistently pick up small chunks of yardage through a conservative game plan. As time goes on, those short passes and runs should start to really open up the defense. Kubiak isn’t afraid to call for shots downfield. He just wants to open them up first, and the offense has been doing that.

Though the Ravens are just 24th in the league, averaging 5.0 yards per play, the consistency has been a welcome sight.

This is a positive trend for the Ravens, and they have to be hoping to keep it going as the season continues.

4.5 yards per carry

Everyone wants to forget the catastrophe that was the Ravens’ 2013 rushing attack, so one stat should sum up that disaster quite nicely: 3.1 yards per carry. That’s an embarrassingly low number that needed to change this season.

So far, it has.

Justin Forsett has consistently ripped off chunks of yardage, going for 6.6 yards per carry. Obviously that number won’t hold up, but Forsett has shown the vision and burst to be an excellent change-of-pace in this offense. An average above five yards per carry isn’t out of the question for the veteran.

As for Bernard Pierce, his struggles last season are not completely behind him. He struggles with vision, often trying to force runs outside or ignoring cutback lanes. That said, with better blocking and his excellent physical skills, Pierce has managed four yards per carry. That’s not great, but it should go up as Pierce grows more comfortable with the zone blocking scheme.

Of course, the offensive line deserves the bulk of the credit here. Rick Wagner has played well to this point as the biggest question mark heading into the season, while the addition of Jeremy Zuttah has done wonders for the whole line. Eugene Monroe, Kelechi Osemele and Marshal Yanda were not question marks, but all three have exceeded expectations anyway.

Keep this excellent 4.5 yard average in the ground game, and the Ravens will continue to control the ball, give their defense rest and win football games.

149 snaps for Dennis Pitta, 81 snaps for Owen Daniels

Believe it or not, no Ravens pass catcher has seen the field more than Dennis Pitta, which falls in line with Kubiak’s tight end oriented offense. Further, second tight end Owen Daniels has seen the field more than third receiver Jacoby Jones.

Kubiak has already used both tight ends to great effect, as the duo has combined for 22 catches, 175 yards and two touchdowns, excellent production from the tight end position.

Pitta has excelled at catching short passes over the middle of the field, consistently churning out solid yardage on his targets.

Daniels, meanwhile, had a great game against the Steelers last week as the Ravens used misdirection to slip him open for two touchdowns.

Both have been surprisingly decent blockers as well. If they can keep that up, Daniels and Pitta offer a degree of flexibility that Kubiak will continue to use effectively.

62.67 percent completion percentage allowed

If there is one stat most concerning regarding the Ravens, it’s this: Opponents are completing passes against the Ravens’ defense with near impunity. Part of that is a struggling pass rush, but issues in the secondary and playcalling are just as big of issues.

The Ravens defense has made a habit of making stops in the red zone, and admittedly the defense was better against Pittsburgh than Cincinnati, but both the Steelers and the Bengals marched up and down the field at times against the Ravens.

In both games, there were too many times the opposing quarterback was able to read the soft coverage and make an easy completion. This resulted in plenty of big drives for the Bengals and a few for the Steelers as well.

Teams with a consistent short passing game and a quarterback who excels at reading coverages (which isn’t hard because the Ravens don’t often disguise their coverages) might just be unbeatable for the Ravens right now. That needs to change for the Ravens to be anything more than a borderline playoff team.