Film Review: How Ravens' Defense Rattled Jared Goff

The Ravens sacked Jared Goff five times Sunday.

From the very first possession of Sunday's game, the Detroit Lions' offense was uncomfortable. 

Quarterback Jared Goff entered the game thriving, to the point where there were whispers of his MVP candidacy. However, the Baltimore Ravens rattled the passer throughout a 38-6 beatdown in Week 7. 

The Lions struggled to adjust offensively, going three-and-out on each of their first three possessions. Meanwhile, the defense had no answers for the Ravens' offense, as it scored on each of its first four possessions.

A big reason for Detroit's offensive struggles was the fact that the Lions were out of sync for most of the afternoon. Baltimore sent a variety of rushes at the offensive line, making it difficult to adapt. 

Goff was sacked five times Sunday, and was forced into several throwaways as the pass rush kept him on edge. Here's a look at each of the Ravens' five sacks, as well as an intentional grounding penalty the passer took in the second quarter.

First sack

First quarter, 9:56 remaining

Here, Goff and the Lions face a third-and-6 from their own 42. A first down here, on their first possession of the game, would do wonders for their momentum. 

Instead, it winds up being a near disaster. Halapoulivaati Vaitai is beaten to the inside by defensive tackle Justin Madubuike. 

The Ravens deploy a stunt designed to occupy center Frank Ragnow with the tackle lined up to his left, which negates any chance of Vaitai getting help. With no leverage and a slow reaction, Vaitai can't get to Madubuike in nearly enough time. 

Goff is sacked and loses the ball, which is recovered by Penei Sewell for a short gain. The Lions are forced to punt, and would trail by two scores soon after. 

Second sack

Second quarter, 12:18 remaining

Goff appears to miss accounting for the blitzing cornerback on this play, resulting in a sack by defensive back Arthur Maulet. To Baltimore's credit, it does a solid job of disguising the pressure coming from the outside. 

Maulet is lined up head-to-head with Amon-Ra St. Brown, an indicator of man coverage. There's nothing inconspicuous about his positioning, as he makes no indication of blitzing during the pre-snap process. 

The corner also does a strong job of selling the coverage, as his head never moves and his eyes never wander into the backfield. As a result, there's no telling that the blitz is coming.

However, he takes a strong angle to the passer, as soon as the ball is snapped. Goff doesn't see him until he completes his drop, and there's no chance of any blocker stopping him. 

Third sack

Second quarter, 6:27 remaining

Baltimore nearly strikes gold once again on a cornerback blitz, as Marlon Humphrey comes free on the snap. However, Craig Reynolds does a good job of pass protection to take the blitzer out of the play. 

Goff scrambles to his right in an effort to extend the play, and Antoine Green comes open over the middle of the field. It's normally frowned upon to see a passer throw late over the middle, but the Lions face this moment down, 28-0. 

St. Brown is also open over the middle. Rather than take the chance, Goff uses his better judgement, and avoids a turnover. The passer wins the race to the sideline, and gets out of bounds with a two-yard loss. 

Intentional grounding

Second quarter, :34 remaining

The best Lions drive of the first half was their final one, as Goff piloted the unit down into Ravens territory. However, the drive ultimately stalled out, thanks to untimely mistakes. 

After facing a first-and-20, thanks to a holding penalty, the offense cuts it to a manageable third-and-3 from Baltimore's 35. Goff and company look to set up a screen to running back Jahmyr Gibbs, but the limited protection scheme breaks down. 

Jadeveon Clowney is the catalyst here, beating Sewell on a rush designed to take him inside both the guard and tackle. Justin Madubuike also gets into the backfield, splitting Vaitai and Sewell and washing Detroit's right side. 

The screen isn't blocked well enough. Goff is forced to release the ball early, and throws it to the turf well short of Gibbs.

Fourth sack

Third quarter, 13:03 remaining

The Lions operate out of play-action on this play, hoping to get at least one defensive lineman to commit to the run. Ben Johnson goes to great lengths in this effort, as offensive guard Graham Glasgow pulls across the formation in an effort to sell the run fake. 

This plan fails. Glasgow is overpowered by Clowney, while Taylor Decker can't stay in front of Odafe Oweh. Gibbs tries to step in front of Clowney, but takes a hit, while Oweh sacks and strips Goff. 

Fortunately for the Lions, the passer falls on the loose ball, allowing Detroit to maintain possession. 

Fifth sack

Third quarter, :04 remaining

The fifth and final sack falls on the passer. Baltimore's ability to get pressure with four players is somewhat halted, as all four of the Lions' engaged blockers look to be having a bit of success early in the rep. 

However, Decker is driven back by Kyle Van Noy. This forces Goff to have to make a decision with his feet. Rather than step up into the sliver of window he has in the pocket, his downfield eyes drive his feet into the back of his own blocker. 

Additionally, Glasgow begins to lose his battle, when Madubuike deploys a counter move after his initial pass rush.

Once this occurs, the play is compromised. Goff tries to spin out of the sack, but is met by Van Noy.