Baltimore Ravens Suddenly an Offensive Force in the NFL
By Ben Palmer
For most of the year, the Baltimore Ravens weakness has been their subpar offense, but in the second half of the season, the team has been scoring a lot.
For most of the year, one of the biggest weakness the Baltimore Ravens have had has been their subpar offense. For a while, they were last in the league in just about every passing stat, and their running game left a lot to be desired.
But now, all of a sudden, the Baltimore Ravens are an offensive force to be reckoned with in the NFL. In the first half of the year (from Week 1 to Week 7), the Ravens were 23rd in the league in points scored per game with 18.6.
Since then, the Baltimore Ravens have all of a sudden jumped up to third in the league in average points scored per game with 30.7, behind only the Philadelphia Eagles and the Los Angeles Rams. That makes them the highest-scoring team in the entire AFC since Week 8.
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So what happened? What changed in the Ravens’ offense? Well, one of the biggest changes has been running back Alex Collins, who has firmly placed himself in the number one running back role.
I thought the Ravens would keep Collins as their between-the-tackles back while using Danny Woodhead as a receiving option, and while Woodhead has gotten work, Collins has been featured much more than I expected (especially in the passing game).
Collins has been excellent in the work he’s been given. He’s currently 10th in the league in total rushing yards with 844, ahead of Devonta Freeman and Lamar Miller and behind C.J. Anderson. He’s also sixth in the league in yards per attempt with 4.9, behind Kareem Hunt and Mark Ingram and ahead of, among others, notable names like Todd Gurley, Jordan Howard, and Ezekiel Elliott.
The other reason for the Ravens’ offensive prowess has been the poor defenses they’ve been facing. In the second half of the year, the Ravens have faced four defenses that were in the bottom half of the league. During the first half, they played four defenses that were top-10 in the league.
The Ravens are getting hot at the right time too, as they make a playoff push. In their past five games, the Baltimore Ravens have scored at least 21 points, the longest streak since 2006.
Next: The Ravens' Road to the NFL Playoffs
“It just takes a while to get everybody meshing,” said wide receiver Mike Wallace. “You just have to believe in yourself. If you have confidence, in your training, your coaching and the things you do all the time, you’re going to be fine no matter what. It’s a game of waves. Sometimes you’re going to be up, sometimes you’re going to be down, but you just have to be you and stay the course — no matter what it is.”