ExtremeRavens Posted 9 hours ago Posted 9 hours ago If the Ravens can’t pressure or move Cleveland quarterback Joe Flacco in the pocket on Sunday, they are in trouble. Big trouble. A week ago, Bills quarterback Josh Allen tortured the Ravens’ secondary, completing 33 of 46 passes for 394 yards and two touchdowns in Buffalo’s 41-40 come-from-behind victory. In that game, in which the Ravens had a 15-point lead with four minutes remaining, Allen was sacked only once. But the reigning NFL Most Valuable Player is part of the new wave of quarterbacks who are mobile and can improvise. Flacco, 40, is part of the old guard that has to stand in the pocket to be successful. Let’s be more specific. He’s a statue. But this is a Ravens squad that doesn’t have a dominant pass rusher. In the early days after the team moved here from Cleveland, Baltimore had outside linebacker Peter Boulware and later defensive end Michael McCrary. Outside linebacker Terrell Suggs was one of the most dominant players in the NFL from 2003 to 2018 and holds the club record with 139 sacks. So, maybe Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium, the Ravens can get to Flacco, forcing him to move in the pocket. In a 17-16 loss to Cincinnati last week, Flacco completed 31 of 45 passes for 290 yards and a touchdown. He also had two interceptions, but those were both catchable passes. “It’s crazy that he’s still playing, and he’s still playing at a high level,” Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr said. “The challenges he does pose is that he’s a veteran, so there is not a lot of stuff you’re going to be able to throw at him that he hasn’t seen. You have to make it as difficult as possible for him. And then, there is a reason why he’s still in this league. “His arm talent is still legit. He can still push the ball down the field at a very accurate and dangerous rate. So, we have to do everything we can to make him uncomfortable and get after him.” Translation: The Ravens have to mix coverages and pass-rushing responsibilities better. A week ago, they weren’t very aggressive. Actually, passive is a better word. Very seldom did the Ravens blitz safety Kyle Hamilton or nickel cornerback Marlon Humphrey. Both Orr and coach John Harbaugh talked about the Ravens being more disciplined in their rushing lanes because they allowed Allen to get outside and throw. Cornerbacks Jaire Alexander and Nate Wiggins seemed to be stuck in last year’s early season time warp as far as knowing when to go into press coverage or when to back off. Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr, left, and coach John Harbaugh watch practice last week. "You have to have good rush lanes to ‘muddy up’ the picture for the quarterback so he can't step up cleanly and get in the rhythm," Orr said. (Kevin Richardson/Staff) To be honest, this was expected. There is a difference between practice and game speed. This group didn’t play together in a preseason game, so there was going to be some miscommunication. “Yes, well that was the biggest issue,” Harbaugh said of containing Allen. “We understand Josh Allen; we have played him quite a few times. We had a little more success here at our place last year. The last two times there, not quite as much, but we had a plan, and we just didn’t get it done. We weren’t able to execute; we couldn’t keep him in the pocket.” “That’s probably the No. 1 disappointment for me,” Harbaugh added. “I think when you let him extend plays like that, he’ll run for yards, but he’ll also find receivers downfield, and they do a good job of getting open. It’s just hard to extend that coverage long enough with his arm strength and accuracy on the move. So that’s the No. 1 thing.” The Ravens have needed a dominant pass rusher for years, someone in the Lawrence Taylor or Von Miller mold, and it’s one aspect that is missing. Regardless if that player is double teamed or chipped by a tight end, his presence will cause a disturbance. Rookie outside linebacker Mike Green, the second-round draft pick from Marshall, might be that guy one day, but not in his first season. Outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy plays well and was strong against the run versus Buffalo, but the 34-year-old was not much of a factor against the Bills’ offensive line, which surrendered only 14 sacks last season. As for fifth-year outside linebacker Odafe Oweh, stories have come out of training camp every year on how he has improved, but he had only one tackle and one hurry against Allen. Green had one tackle and was a nonfactor as well. “Like I said, you have to give credit to [Buffalo], but our rush lanes — when you talk about defense — it all has to work together,” Orr said. “You have to have good rush lanes to ‘muddy up’ the picture for the quarterback so he can’t step up cleanly and get in the rhythm. At times when we did that, we were just a little bit off in the coverage. At times when the coverage was really nice and tight, what happened? He got out of the pocket and extended plays, and that was a point of emphasis that we didn’t want to allow happen.” Flacco can’t move as well as Allen. Few can. But he still has that strong arm. In 11 seasons in Baltimore, Flacco was 96-67 as a starter and was 10-5 in the playoffs before being traded to Denver in 2019. Cleveland still has a good offensive line with tackles Dawand Jones and Jack Conklin and left guard Joel Bitonio, but it’s not the same group without star running back Nick Chubb, who rushed for 6,843 yards and 51 touchdowns in seven seasons with the Browns before signing with the Houston Texans. Sunday’s outcome might come down to Flacco. The Browns don’t have a lot of weapons offensively, and their defense is ranked a respectable No. 13 overall. Some Browns fans have complained about the Ravens celebrating 30 years in Baltimore while facing the franchise that moved here for the start of the 1996 season. They are minor issues. The Ravens have to make Flacco unhappy in the pocket. If they can flush him, they’ll win. If not … Oh well, they are in trouble. Big trouble. Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article Quote
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