The Baltimore Ravens Have Struggled On Third Down

This season, the Baltimore Ravens have been one of the best offenses in the league. They showed flashes of that ability in their 24-18 victory over the Tennessee Titans, although the unit slowed down considerably in the second half after Lamar Jackson exited with an ankle injury. One issue has persisted regardless of Jackson’s presence, however: Baltimore has struggled to convert on third down. The Ravens went just 2-for-10 in those situations against Tennessee, but were still able to find other ways to sustain enough offense and secure the victory.

Over the past two games, Baltimore has gone just 5-for-19 on third down. One way the Ravens have compensated for those struggles is by creating enough explosive plays to avoid third down altogether.

Jackson was dominant against Tennessee before leaving the game, completing 15 of 20 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns while posting a 144.2 passer rating. Third-down efficiency matters far less when an offense is consistently carving up a defense and moving the chains before ever reaching that situation.

However, that sort of brute-force approach has its limits. Once Tyler Huntley entered the game, Baltimore was no longer generating explosive plays at the same rate and leaned more heavily on Derrick Henry to drain the clock. That made the Ravens’ struggles on third down more noticeable as drives began to stall. Granted, it would be unfair to expect Huntley to fill Jackson’s shoes. Still, the second half showed how heavily Baltimore relies on its superstar quarterback to keep the offense ahead of schedule and prevent third down from becoming a major factor.

The Ravens still won at the end of the day, but it is worth wondering how the offense will respond against better defenses that are capable of forcing more third-down situations. Baltimore’s explosive ability has helped mask the issue so far, but improving in those situations could become important as the season progresses.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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