Meet The Opponent: Baltimore Ravens

Week 5 will feature one of the league's fiercest rivalries, as the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens square off. Don't know what to expect from the Ravens? We do.

Who: Baltimore Ravens (2-2) at Pittsburgh Steelers (1-3)
When: Sunday, October 6th at 1:00 PM ET
Where: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA
Network: CBS
Commentators: Dan Fouts, Ian Eagle
Spread: Ravens (-3.5)

It's a special week in Pittsburgh, as the Steelers and Ravens will meet on Sunday for just the 51st time since Baltimore regained its NFL franchise back in 1996. The rivalry has provided a multitude of historic moments for both teams through the years, and while some of it's main proprietors will be absent due to new blood, the importance of this game still remains second to none for both sides. 

 "The Steelers are the Steelers, the Ravens are the Ravens, I don't think that will ever change" said Ravens head coach John Harbaugh in a press conference with reporters on Wednesday. "I still think it's one of the greatest rivalries in the league". 

Winning defines greatness, and both organizations have accomplished just that within the division. Since the division realignment in 2001, the Steelers/Ravens have won the AFC North all but four times (Cincinnati won in 2005, 2009, 2013 and 2015). 

Week five's duel at Heinz Field provides a handful of different storylines. From a Baltimore perspective, they were able to jump out the gates for a 2-0 start but have quickly resettled. The Steelers, on the other hand, are simply trying to gain momentum after winning their first game of 2019 on Monday Night Football. 

What should Pittsburgh expect from the Ravens come Sunday? For your viewing pleasure, a breakdown of the Ravens offense, defense, and an interview with Baltimore's FanSided page "Ebony Bird" Site Expert Richard Bradshaw. 

Injury Report

Ravens injury report for Thursday:

DID NOT PRACTICE
C Matt Skura (knee)
CB Jimmy Smith (knee)

LIMITED
TE Mark Andrews (foot)
DT Brandon Williams (knee)

Skura was added to injury report today after not practicing. He has started 29 straight games.

— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) October 3, 2019

Offense

The Ravens offense operates mostly out of shotgun/pistol formations, and a heavy usage of tight ends. Baltimore's bread and butter? Running the football, in heavy doses. The Ravens rank second in the league in rushing attempts, averaging nearly six yards per carry and over two hundred yards per game on the ground. 

I'll say that one more time, but in numerical form: Baltimore averages over 200 yards rushing per game. 

Running back Mark Ingram currently leads the team in rushing (328 yards, 6 yards per carry, 5 TD's), as the former Saint has seen his success from 2018 carry over onto his new team. To spell Ingram, Baltimore uses Gus Edwards (4.5 yards per carry) when Lamar Jackson isn't running with the ball. Edwards and Ingram are both fairly similar players in their build (both physical backs who can also be elusive), yet Edwards is slightly more agile than Ingram. 

Jackson, the leader in the QB clubhouse as far as rushing goes (238 yards, 6.6 YPC, 1 TD), currently has more rushing yards than Le'Veon Bell, David Johnson and Joe Mixon among many other notable names. 

As you can imagine, the Ravens passing attack isn't quite as successful as their rushing attack. Yet don't let the success on the ground fool you into thinking Baltimore won't pass the ball. In fact, the Ravens have attempted one more pass (140) than the Steelers through four games. Furthermore, the Ravens also outrank the Steelers in nearly every major offensive category, including points per game (33.8), yards per game (482.5) and third down conversion percentage (47.9%). 

A big proponent of Jackson's success through the air? The addition of Marquise "Hollywood" Brown, who currently leads the team in targets (34) and averages 16.9 yards per catch. In short, Brown's a deep threat that has proven to be vital to Jackson's growth already.

As previously mentioned, Baltimore loves to utilize their tight ends... All three of them. Their usage goes as follows: Nick Boyle has played 57.24% of available snaps, followed by Mark Andrews (47.7%) and Hayden Hurst (36.84%). Not sure who's responsible for what facet of offense? 

Mark Andrews: Heavy pass usage (five more catches, two less targets than Hollywood).
Nick Boyle: Great blocker first, but can catch passes if needed.
Hayden Hurst: Capable of both at a fairly high level, does not specialize in either. 

Baltimore's offensive line has allowed 10 sacks this season, as Jackson is one of thirteen quarterbacks in the league that have been brought down double-digit times. While the Ravens pass protection can somewhat be questioned, their support in the run game is superb. Baltimore's overall 5.9 yards per carry for all rushers is a testament to the Ravens' offensive line play, and their abilities to pave paths for whoever has the ball. 

Offensive personnel: 

QB- Lamar Jackson
RB- Mark Ingram, Gus Edwards, Justice Hill
FB- Patrick Ricard
WR- Marquise Brown, Willie Snead IV, Miles Boykin, Seth Roberts
LT- Ronnie Stanley, LG- Bradley Bozeman, C- Matt Skura, RG- Marshal Yanda, RT- Orlando Brown
TE- Mark Andrews, Nick Boyle, Hayden Hurst 

Defense 

Much like the Steelers, Baltimore's defense was once the anchor of great playoff runs in what feels like centuries ago. Through the first two weeks, the Ravens defense was precisely that, as the team allowed just 10 and 17 points to the Dolphins and Cardinals respectively. 

Yet after tough bouts with Kansas City and Cleveland, the Ravens quickly saw those numbers jump to 36.5 points per game over the last two weeks. Weeks 3-4 also saw the Ravens give up 500 yards of offense in back to back games for the first time in franchise history. 

So what gives for Baltimore's typical stout defense? 

The Ravens have generated just eight sacks through four games, good enough to qualify for bottom third in the league at that category. The back end of Baltimore's defense showcases talents such as Marlon Humphrey and Earl Thomas, yet the Ravens are just one of three teams to allow an average of 300+ yards per game through the air so far in 2019.  

Baltimore favors a three man rotation at safety, with Tony Jefferson (second in total tackles with 20 thus far) and Chuck Clark playing alongside Thomas. Although typically playing out of a 3-4 base defense, the Ravens typically use a nickel package than varies between different linebackers and sometimes will see all three safeties listed above on the field at the same time. 

Fresh off a forgettable performance that saw Cleveland Browns RB Nick Chubb gash the defense for 20 carries, 165 yards and 3 touchdowns, the Ravens typically stout front seven has now allowed a whopping 4.9 yards per carry, good enough to be tied for bottom five in the league. 

OLB Matthew Judon has arguably been Baltimore's best play-maker thus far, as Judon leads the team in sacks (3) and tackles for loss (4.5). MLB Patrick Onwuasor thrives in the middle of the defense, leading the team in total tackles with 23. 

Defensive personnel:

DT- Michael Pierce, DE- Brandon Williams, DE- Chris Wormley
EDGE- Pernell McPhee
OLB- Matthew Judon, Tyus Bowser
ILB- Kenny Young, Patrick Onwuasor
CB- Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Carr, Anthony Levine, Anthony Averett
S- Earl Thomas, Tony Jefferson, Chuck Clark 

Interview

Every week, we have the pleasure of linking with someone who covers the Steelers' opponent that week. For the Ravens, we welcome Richard Bradshaw, Ebony Bird site expert. For more Ravens updates, follow Richard on Twitter @RichieBradz36.

Donnie Druin: After a strong start, the Ravens have now dropped two games in a row. Besides level of competition, can you pinpoint where things have gone wrong for Baltimore the last two weeks?

Richard Bradshaw: It all starts in the defensive secondary. Safety Tony Jefferson is blowing assignments like he's trying to blow-up a bouncy house! The loss of Jimmy Smith has hurt, but corner play can only do so much. The front-seven is also to blame, as they can't stop a nose bleed vs. the run. The absence of Brandon Williams has always been a fatal blow to Baltimore's defense, and last Sunday v.s Cleveland was another example of this.

DD: Coming into 2019, the big question mark surrounding Lamar Jackson was his ability as a passer. Through a quarter of the season, what's the early return on Jackson as a passing quarterback?

RB: Jackson looks like a completely different quarterback. It's truly a night and day difference. Jackson is confident and has the pocket poise he lacked as a rookie to deliver strikes throughout the field. The addition of Marquise "Hollywood" Brown has helped a ton, as the two are practically BFFs. The established connection between Jackson and Mark Andrews has also been huge for the former's development.

DD: We head into this Steelers/Ravens rivalry week without players who have contributed to this great rivalry, Ben Roethlisberger and Terrell Suggs being a couple. Has this rivalry lost a tad of its lore?

RB: Lost, but now reloaded. Lamar Jackson and Mason Rudolph will headline the rivalry now, as the respective offenses of each team have taken over as the headline for each. We are in for shootouts now rather than classic defensive slug-fests.

DD: The Ravens have given up 500 yards in back to back weeks for the first time in franchise history. What defensively has to be better to right the ship moving forward?

RB: No. More. Blow. Assignments.

It's as simple as remaining accountable for one's assignment and committing to completing it at a high-level. There was a reason it was universally agreed that the Ravens possessed an elite secondary headed into 2019. An injury to Jimmy Smith doesn't justify poor play from everyone not named Marlon Humphrey. The pass rush needs to improve as well, and Baltimore made that clear when they cut Tim Williams for his lackluster performances.

DD: Give me a few match-ups you're highlighting this week.

RB: JuJu Smith-Schuster vs. Marlon Humphrey

Baltimore linebackers vs. Steelers offensive line (to stop the run)

Lamar Jackson vs. Devin Bush

Marquise Brown vs. Joe Haden

And as always each coaching staff respectively scheming against one-another

DD: If the Ravens are able to (blank), they will win the game.

RB: "If the Ravens are able to stop the run and control the clock, they will win the game."