However, the Detroit Lions are observing some fresh passing attack layers in Baltimore’s offense. In light of the resources the Ravens committed to the receiving room after securing Jackson’s well-deserved contract extension, it makes sense.
A new offensive coordinator is in charge of those adjustments. Greg Roman resigned following the team’s playoff defeat. And Todd Monken was snatched up by the Ravens after coach created a well-oiled machine for the Georgia Bulldogs, who won back-to-back national championships.
“Their offense differs slightly from previous offenses. It’s not exactly this Greg Roman run-game. Dan Campbell, the head coach of the Lions, stated, “I anticipate a little more of that. It’s still there in abundance, but there are more dropback passes.
“In addition to the tight end (Mark) Andrews, they have talent on the outside. There is a good team on the O-line.
Odell Beckham Jr., a seasoned wide receiver, cost the Ravens $20 million, and they also invested a first-round pick in the adaptable Zay Flowers. As was to be expected, Beckham received the most of the national press coverage. Flowers, however, has been the one to raise the ceiling of Baltimore’s revamped passing approach.
Jackson has been paying close attention to Flowers since she started to perform well. In three games, he received at least ten targets, with the final two weeks seeing a total of 19 for him. The former star athlete from Boston College has already caught 35 passes out of 48 attempts for 367 yards and one touchdown.
After beginning with a quad injury, Andrews has been demonstrating indications of regaining his form. Beckham hasn’t really changed the game because he has already missed two games this year.
But lately, Detroit’s defense has been playing at a high level. Its run defense hasn’t ever given up more than 100 yards to a squad. Additionally, the pass defense has mastered the bend without breaking belief while seizing opportunities for takeaways.
After six games, the Lions are among the top 10 teams in terms of passing and rushing yards allowed.
No matter how well his team is performing, defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is fully aware of the difficulty ahead, not to mention how Baltimore’s adjustments have made the already intimidating task even more onerous.
Glenn stated that “they’re trying to use Lamar to sit in the pocket and throw the ball.” “He possesses those skills. That run game continues to be played. Even though he can run, it’s still one of the better ones in the league. Additionally, you should be aware that he is a developing thrower in this league. He can harm you in a variety of different ways.
“Everyone is familiar with Odell. We are aware of what he brings to the table because he has been around for some time. When examining Zay Flowers. You cast a glance at (Rashod) Bateman. They obviously have Andrews, and we are aware of his contributions. He’s surrounded by a lot of players who can blow things up. And we are well aware of those participants.
Jackson has a career-high completion percentage of 69.9%, putting him on pace for another season with 1,000 rushing yards. Along with the defeat from two weeks ago, in which his receivers mishandled six catchable throws. So, with those growing pains, the new plan and faces are coming together.
The Ravens’ offense, which averages 6.2 net passing yards and 4.3 yards per carry on the ground, places them in the top half of the league. Baltimore’s offensive also ranks 10th in the league according to DVOA, indicating that something is beginning to click, and it all starts with the former MVP quarterback.
In addition, Campbell added, “they don’t expect him to do as much with his legs as they did previously, but there’s plenty of it still in there, and he’s throwing it quite well. He is throwing the ball well despite their efforts to do a little more dropback with him.
He has players creating plays for him, but if they aren’t, he will still take off, run up the middle, get the edge, and damage you. He can either get a first down and then things get interesting. He continues to be quite dangerous. That’s not going to change anytime soon, so defensively speaking, the focus will always be on him.
