Ravens Flagged for Postseason Concerns

The Baltimore Ravens' rushing attack lies at the middle of the team's identity. It wasn't enough to have 2x MVP Lamar Jackson as the most mobile dual-threat quarterback in league history, as they paired the likely Hall-of-Famer with another rushing legend in adding Derrick Henry last summer.

The fellow Offensive Player of the Year contender lived up to the billing in his debut Baltimore season, as the scoring tandem united for the sort of ground attack that few teams could stop.

Running backs and mobile quarterbacks can't do the job alone, though, usually requiring the services of a firm offensive line to insure that each handoff and designed run can initiate from a clean pocket. The Ravens have a talented roster, but even they aren't without their weak spots, and no position group stick outs quite like their spotty lineup of protectors.

ESPN's staff was quick to point out the reason for concern when discussing how well each team is set up for future success, dinging the offensive line on an otherwise-spotless scouting report.

"Last season, I was worried about the offensive line's ability to continue to drive the dominant force that is the Ravens' rushing attack. But all it did was finish top five in run block win rate (74%) and pass block win rate (69.8%), and Derrick Henry tied for the league lead in rushing touchdowns (16)," Louis Riddick wrote.

"Going forward, the concern is about the team's postseason headspace, and whether the Ravens can collectively play their best football when the stakes are the highest. Everything else is in place from a roster construction standpoint."

It goes a long way that the Ravens managed to demonstrate some of last season's regular dominance in their short playoff run, but those postseason doubts continue lingering over upcoming expectations. While pressure remains on the rushing scheme and run-blockers to come through, the team's central storyline still resides in the how they'll generally approach and execute the playoffs. They have talent under center and in the backfield, but the elimination games will fall on the stars.

It's hard to match numbers to intangible factors like expectations and how much it means to meet them. The Ravens' front office has set the team up to cut through their upcoming regular season schedule like a freshly-sharpened knife, with eyes now falling on the coaching staff and on-field talent to see their Super Bowl dreams through.