Last Season Highlights
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. The Ravens' offensive efficiency was highlighted by their fourth-place ranking in FTN's DVOA. Additionally, they finished tied for eighth in Tru Media's version of EPA per play.
Jackson's Standout Performance
Lamar Jackson had a standout season last year. The exceptional quarterback earned the second MVP award of his career and led the Ravens to an impressive 13-3 record in his 16 starts. Jackson completed 67.2% of his passes, averaged 8.0 yards per attempt, and threw for 24 touchdowns against just 7 interceptions. Further adding to his stellar performance, Jackson rushed 148 times for 821 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Increased Responsibility for Jackson
With such an exceptional performance under his belt, the Ravens are poised to place even more responsibility on Jackson’s shoulders. Jackson has expressed a desire to take on more duties, particularly in audibling at the line of scrimmage. His quarterbacks coach, Tee Martin, sees this expansion of Jackson's role as a natural progression. Martin believes that giving Jackson more autonomy will enhance the Ravens' offensive dynamism.
According to Martin, "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." He likened this approach to keeping a smart kid in the classroom engaged by constantly adding new challenges and responsibilities.
Opportunities for Improvement
The Ravens see room for improvement in their ability to draw offsides penalties from opponents. Last season, the Ravens' 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.
According to Martin, "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 verbal at home. We have a lot of different [cadences] that give us an advantage so that people don't know when we're snapping the ball and slowing them down a little bit."
Eyes on the Super Bowl
The Ravens hope 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.
By tweaking their approach and giving Jackson more control, the Ravens position themselves as strong AFC contenders. As Martin pointed out, "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."
If Jackson can continue to evolve and the team can effectively execute their strategies, the Ravens have a real shot at finally breaking through to the Super Bowl. The upcoming season will be crucial in determining how Jackson’s expanded role impacts the team’s overall performance and their chances of success on the biggest stage in football.