After a sloppy 0-2 start, the Baltimore Ravens have reversed course and won four straight games. The Ravens are certainly a Super Bowl title contender, and always will be as long as they have Lamar Jackson, but they’re winning in a different manner than last season, when they finished as the AFC’s No. 1 seed and hosted the conference title game.
As Baltimore’s defense still tries to get used to life under new coordinator Zach Orr, the Ravens’ offense has taken over and turned into one of the elite units in the league. Jackson is playing arguably the best football of his career, Derrick Henry is still a premier back and the pieces around Baltimore’s superstar duo have greatly improved over the course of the young season. The Ravens’ 30-23 win over the Washington Commanders showcased an offense that’s ready to try and win it all.
Over the past four weeks, Baltimore’s offense has taken off. According to TruMedia, the Ravens are tied for second in expected points added per play (0.24) and fourth in success rate (54.3%) since their winning streak began. Jackson has been efficient and productive on his dropbacks during this streak, ranking second in expected points added per dropback over the past month (0.42), behind only Joe Burrow. Jackson’s proficiency in the passing game, combined with the running game he and Henry have created, has this offense playing overwhelming football.
Jackson, for his part, stopped shy of saying it’s the best offense in the NFL.
“No,” Jackson said in response to the question after the game. “Just proving we can win games. Just playing Raven football right now. I don’t think that really proves anything like we’re the best offense. There’s always room for improvement.”
Henry, meanwhile, repeatedly emphasized the Ravens’ offense is trying to stay humble despite the way it’s trending.
Baltimore is in a very rare situation where its quarterback and running back are two of the most dangerous runners in the league. Henry ranks ninth in first downs per rushing attempt over the past month (31.8%) while Jackson ranks 16th (27.9%) in the same stat. The Ravens are one of the few teams in the league where their running game is just as credible an option as their passing game when it comes to moving the ball. Their ability to run the ball in just about any situation has given them more possibilities in terms of how they can operate their entire offense, much to the benefit of their young playmakers.
Zay Flowers has continued to be dynamic at wide receiver with his ability to make things happen after the catch — and now they’ve been a bit better at unlocking Rashod Bateman’s ability as a downfield threat. They’re still figuring out how to best utilize their tight end tandem of Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, but these are good problems to have, especially when they’re still having so much success.
“When you’re putting up 30 points a week in the NFL, that’s hard to do,” Flowers said of the Ravens, who are averaging 33.5 points per game during their four-game win streak.
Offensive coordinator Todd Monken has done a great job orchestrating this unit in his second year with the team. None of this would be possible without much-improved play from an offensive line that struggled out the gate this season.
The line that got its teeth kicked in by the Chiefs in Week 1 has come a long way. The unit has paved the way for the Ravens to rush for at least 175 yards in each of their past four games, including two games with over 270 rushing yards. It doesn’t matter how good Jackson and Henry are together, that level of production and ability to close out games isn’t possible without a massively improved effort from the offensive line. The Ravemns still have their hiccups, particularly in pass protection, but they’re playing good football and have just as much a role in the offensive success as the skill players.
If the Ravens’ defense can ever get back to looking like the unit it was last year, Baltimore will be an overwhelming team on both sides of the ball. For now, the Ravens will have to settle for Jackson playing like an MVP quarterback (again) and Henry trampling any poor defender who steps in his way. They’ll need defense in the playoffs, but with the way the offense is performing they’ll at least have a strong shot at hosting a playoff game in January.
Jackson and Henry together is everything football fans thought it would be — they have a chance to put up some absurd numbers by the time this season is over.
“Coach was dialing it up the first half,” Flowers said, “and we let [Henry] take over the second.”