Raven Country

Analytics: Ravens Receivers Need to Be Better Catching the Ball

Baltimore had league's 32nd-ranked passing attack.

Todd Karpovich

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — As the Ravens focus on improving the passing attack, they should turn their attention to the group of wide receivers and tight ends on the current roster.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson needs to get more support from his teammates. Last season, 7.5% of Jackson's passes were dropped, the most in the league, according to QB Data Line. 

Baltimore also attempted the least passes in the league with 406. As a result, the Ravens were ranked in the bottom third of the NFL with a total of 16 dropped passes, according to NBC Sports.  The Dallas Cowboys were ranked first with 31 dropped passes, followed by the Pittsburgh Steelers (30). 

One year after being named NFL MVP, Jackson had another solid season. He threw for 2,757 yards with 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions (99.3 rating) over 15 games. Jackson also became the first quarterback in league history to record two 1,000 yards rushing seasons.

Overall, Baltimore had the league's 32nd-ranked passing attack, averaging 171.2 yards per game. 

Wide receiver Marquise Brown led the team with 100 targets and finished with 58 receptions for 769 yards with eight touchdowns. Tight end Mark Andrews also caught 58 passes om 88 targets for 701 yards with seven touchdowns. Willie Snead was third with 48 targets and 33 receptions for 432 yards and three touchdowns.

The Ravens will look to reach a new deal with Jackson in the short-term. 

"Absolutely, we want Lamar to sign a long-term deal and be with us," Baltimore coach John Harbaugh said. "I’m totally certain that that’s going to happen. When it happens, that’s the details, and that’s what we have to figure out. ... But that will happen either this year or next year, I’m sure."

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Todd Karpovich
TODD KARPOVICH

Twitter: @toddkarpovich Email: todd.karpovich@gmail.com Skype: todd.karpovich Todd Karpovich has been a contributor for ESPN, Forbes, the Associated Press, Lindy's, and The Baltimore Sun, among other media outlets nationwide. He is the co-author of “If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Baltimore Ravens Sideline, Locker Room, and Press Box,” “Skipper Supreme: Buck Showalter and the Baltimore Orioles,” and the author of “Manchester United (Europe's Best Soccer Clubs).” Karpovich, a Baltimore native, is a graduate of Calvert Hall College high school, Randolph-Macon College in Virginia, and has a Masters of Science from Towson University. 

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