Cowboys fans’ worst fears were realized this past week when the run defense, briefly appearing to have been repaired in a Week 1 win over the Browns, was utterly obliterated by the Saints. Now, they welcome in a Ravens team that already featured a great running game and will be extra motivated to get the win coming into this matchup with an 0-2 record.
So where does Mike Zimmer start in trying to bottle up this Ravens attack? Baltimore may be winless right now, but their offense isn’t bad by any stretch; they lead the league in total yards and are fourth in offensive DVOA. But what makes this unit tick?
The Ravens are in just their second season with Todd Monken as the offensive coordinator. He joined the team last season after winning a national championship at Georgia with Stetson Bennett under center. Monken’s predecessor, current Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman, had once created offensive fireworks with Lamar Jackson; the quarterback won the MVP award in his second season as a pro, which was Roman’s first full season running the offense in Baltimore. But Roman’s scheme became stale over time, and his run-heavy approach made it harder for the Ravens to surround Jackson with high caliber receiving options.
Monken brought a more diverse passing attack to the table. A coaching veteran of nearly four decades, most of Monken’s experience came at the college level. He grew up the son of a high school football coaching legend in Illinois, and his family tree is littered with coaches. In total, the Monken family has 13 football coaches between the high school, college, and professional level; his cousin, Jeff Monken, has been the head coach at Army for 11 seasons and counting.
To say that Monken lives and breathes football is an understatement, but it doesn’t just come from his family ties. Monken has served under a wide variety of offensive minds throughout his career, including the likes of Tom Beck, Lou Holtz, Les Miles, Mike Gundy, and Dirk Koetter. In short, Monken has forgotten more about football than most of us will ever learn.
So when Monken arrived in Baltimore a year ago, he was tasked with tweaking and revamping the passing game but not making wholesale changes to the scheme. Jackson’s ability as a dual-threat made him one of one, and the Ravens’ power running scheme was a perfect fit for that talent. But the passing game needed to consist of more than just targeting tight end Mark Andrews over and over.
Monken did exactly that. He introduced a greater use of three receiver sets, as seen in the chart below, that best highlighted the Ravens’ group of skill players. Rookie receiver Zay Flowers saw 108 targets and led the team in catches and yards. Andrews was on his way to another strong season before a leg injury ended his regular season. And Jackson easily set a career high for pass attempts (and completion percentage) without compromising the run game that’s worked so well: Baltimore led the league in rushing attempts, yards, and rushing DVOA. Jackson also won his second MVP award as a result.
Ravens Personnel Groupings from Roman to Monken
| 11 Personnel | 12 Personnel | 21 Personnel | 22 Personnel | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Personnel | 12 Personnel | 21 Personnel | 22 Personnel | |
| 2022 | 13% | 23% | 25% | 32% |
| 2023 | 48% | 12% | 24% | 4% |
Going into Year 2, though, Monken wanted more. With a full season’s worth of chemistry under their belts, Monken and Jackson are taking a more collaborative approach this season. That means more freedom for Jackson to make adjustments at the line of scrimmage, and more plays designed to put the ball in his hands and let Lamar be Lamar.
So far, that’s led to more passing plays for Jackson. His chemistry with Flowers has blossomed (pun intended), with only three other players seeing more targets through two games. Backup tight end Isaiah Likely, who filled in for Andrews late last year, has seen a major uptick in usage; he’s actually second among all tight ends in both targets and catches.
The run game is still chugging along well, though it’s been less relied upon through two games. Baltimore brought in veteran Derrick Henry in the offseason, and the downhill runner has snapped up the lion’s share of the running back reps in this offense. The Ravens are tied for second in yards per carry, though they’re 11th in total rushing attempts.
The biggest challenge for the offense, though, is an offensive line that features three new starters. Things aren’t terrible – Baltimore has the eighth-best pressure rate and third-best adjusted sack rate – but there have been some especially bad miscues in crucial moments. It also doesn’t help that Jackson is holding the ball an average of 3.01 seconds – eighth-longest in the NFL – which in turn has led to Jackson ranking second in quarterback scrambles through two games.
Those trends will need to change this week. The Cowboys defense was particularly vulnerable against the run a week ago, and two of their defensive tackles (Jordan Phillips and Mazi Smith) are dealing with injuries. But their pass rush is one of the best in the league, led by Micah Parsons, and would likely feast on Jackson in traditional passing situations, likely using speedy linebacker DeMarvion Overshown as a spy on Jackson.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Ravens hunker down and commit to the run more this week for that very reason. The version of this offense that we’ve seen so far this season would be at a disadvantage against the Cowboys’ pass rush, but they have the capabilities to run the ball at a high and effective rate. The Cowboys will certainly hope they stick to the script, though, especially with how thin they are along the interior of the defensive line.
