Ravens Offense Thriving in Crucial Area

The Baltimore Ravens are red-hot when it's time to punch it in.

Jul 27, 2024; Owings Mill , MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken walks the field during the afternoon session of training camp at the Under Armour Performance Center, Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Finishing promising drives can often be the difference between victory and defeat in the NFL, and luckily for the Baltimore Ravens, they're thriving in that department.

Remarkably, the Ravens have scored touchdowns on 14 of their past 15 red-zone possessions, with the lone exception being an overtime game-winning field goal last week against the Cincinnati Bengals. They've also scored touchdowns on 75 percent of their red-zone drives this season, tied for the second-best rate in the league behind the New Orleans Saints at 76.47 percent.

There's no special secret to the Ravens' red-zone success, but it is a testament to the talent they have on offense.

"[We have] good players. Good players help you score down there," offensive coordinator Todd Monken told reporters Thursday. "You have a running back that can score when it's not perfect; you have a quarterback that can score when it's not perfect; you have tight ends that you like in the red zone; you have wideouts that can separate; you have an O-line that continues to develop, so that gives us the best chance. I think our staff does a great job of being creative.

Monken, now in his second season with Baltimore, says the renewed focus on red-zone offense goes back to the Ravens' game against the Tennessee Titans in London last season. While the Ravens won that game 24-16, they did so while kicking six field goals, five of which came in the red zone (and the other was just outside of it). After that game, the Ravens knew they had some issues to address.

"Since London, where we basically tried to win a game by kicking as many field goals as we could, we've made it an emphasis to change who we were, and what we're going to be moving forward, and how we do it. It's always evolving," Monken said. "We're always sitting there going, 'OK, what's next? What can we do now?' Because we understand how important that is to winning.

"It's one of the top five reasons you win is scoring touchdowns in the red zone. I think our staff has done a great job; we have really good players. To me, that's the biggest thing – really good players and a staff that does a great job of game-planning and developing how we attack somebody."

The Ravens hope to keep their red-zone success going when they host the Washington Commanders on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

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