Ravens Have Blueprint to Beat Raiders

Thanks to an old friend, the Baltimore Ravens should have a clear game plan against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Sep 8, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins (27) breaks away from Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Divine Deablo (5) and runs for a touchdown in the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

After some time to regroup following a season-opening loss, the Baltimore Ravens look to get back on track when they face the Las Vegas Raiders in Sunday's home opener.

It's definitely a step down in difficulty compared to a road game against the back-to-back champion Kansas City Chiefs, but the Ravens would be foolish to overlook their opponent. It's easy to forget now, but the Raiders actually won the last time these two teams met in Week 1 of 2021.

Luckily, the Ravens have a clear blueprint on how to attack the Raiders' defense, all thanks to an old friend.

In last week's season opener, the Raiders allowed 176 rushing yards and 6.5 yards per carry against the Los Angeles Chargers. Former Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins led the charge (pun intended) in his L.A. debut, amassing 135 rushing yards and a touchdown on just 10 carries.

If there's one thing for the Ravens to take away from that game, it's that they should run it down the Raiders' throats at every opportunity.

Last week against Kansas City, new Baltimore running back Derrick Henry had just 13 carries for 46 yards. Although the coaching staff has repeatedly said that the plan isn't to give Henry a huge workload, this would be the game to unleash him if there ever was one.

"Derrick Henry is also capable of shredding Vegas' run defense, and the Ravens want him to be a bigger part of the offense than he was in Week 1," Ravens.com staff writer Clifton Brown wrote. "Henry (13 carries, 46 yards) scored his first touchdown as a Raven on the game's opening drive. But after the Ravens fell behind, 20-10, early in the third quarter, Henry got just four carries the rest of the game.

Baltimore's bread and butter is the ground game, possibly more so than any other team. If the Ravens want to earn their first win of the season on Sunday, then they should stick to what works against a very suspect run defense.

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