Ravens Address Slow Start Concerns on Offense

When posed with the same question about why his unit hasn't been able to get going sooner in games, offensive coordinator Todd Monken couldn't reduce it to just one common denominator but pointed out that starting field position and turnovers play a factor.

In their first matchup against the Bengals two weeks ago, they marched down the field for a touchdown on their opening drive but then coughed up the ball on two of their next three drives with the first coming on a strip-sack when they were backed up inside their own 10-yard line and the second came just shy of the Cincinnati goal line and resulted in a touchback after tight end Isaiah Likely fumbled the ball through the end zone.

"On eight of the 14 games, we've scored on the first drive," Monken accurately stated. "Sometimes it's that, and sometimes we haven't started very fast. There's a number of times we defer, so you don't get the ball to start. That adds to it. And at one point, we were leading the NFL in points in the second half. Well, some of that's playing better then, and some of it is that you start the second half with the ball, all of which we certainly are looking to start fast, that's for sure."

While the Ravens' offense has struggled to open games, they've been much better on that side of the ball coming out of halftime, having scored on six of their last eight opening possessions in the third quarter. Clearly, their second-half adjustments have been working, but Jackson refused to divulge the secret sauce when asked about their second-half surges.

"I'm going to start saying, 'I don't know.' I know, but I don't want to give it away," Jackson said.

Feeding the King more could be the key

As the end of the regular season draws closer and the weather begins to turn toward winter across the country, defenders become less reluctant when it comes to tackling. That trend is especially true against ball carriers like Ravens' All Pro running back Derrick Henry, who is as powerful and as hard to stop as a locomotive when he gets going downhill.

"I think he is a threat no matter what the temperature is, but I do think that as the temperature drops, or the weather changes, the running game certainly comes to the forefront," Monken said. "I think he's a hard guy to tackle."

Both points proved to be true in last week's game, which also happened to be the coldest game in franchise history. Against the Bengals, Henry rushed for 100 yards on just 11 carries, his third-fewest of the season, and averaged nearly 10 yards per carry.

"We executed well, got the running game going, and we have to continue to do it in this upcoming game," Henry said. "Preparation is key and let it translate to the game."

In his first year with the team last season, he averaged 23.6 carries and 149 rushing yards and at least one touchdown in the Ravens' final three games. Against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wildcard round of the playoffs, he didn't slow down and racked up 186 and a pair of touchdowns on 26 carries and followed it up by averaging 5.3 yards per carry and scoring a touchdown in the divisional round loss to the Buffalo Bills.

"I think we've played well at the back end of the year, I think the statistics would back that up," Monken said. "And when you're playing well, that means you're ahead, and you're running in the third and fourth quarter, and you're wearing down the defense. I think that would hold true even in the playoffs [like] when we played the Texans or the Steelers over the last few years. You're able to get ahead, stay ahead and run the football."

Keeping the ball on the ground primarily proved to be the key to success on two of the three Ravens' opening drive touchdowns, both of which were capped off by 28-yard scoring sprints by Henry.

Following this formula has also been the driving force for their second-half surges, whether Jackson wants to admit it or not, so establishing and sticking with the running game makes too much sense not deploy during this crucial stretch of games where the teams have to win to guarantee they get into the playoffs.