ExtremeRavens Posted 13 hours ago Posted 13 hours ago In the waning moments of the Ravens’ latest victory, the big screens at M&T Bank Stadium rolled through Derrick Henry’s latest career feats — his 30th multitouchdown game and his rise past Marcus Allen and Edgerrin James in all-time rushing yards — all while displaying a live close-up of the future Hall of Famer in purple. The fans roared, but Henry, seated on the home bench, didn’t look up or acknowledge his latest accomplishments. As Henry kept his head bowed, his nonresponse represented the body language of one of the team’s top playmakers measuring the offense against a higher internal standard. Sure, the Ravens keep winning. Their 23-10 victory over the Jets represented their fifth straight as they climbed above .500 for the first time this season. But the Ravens are striving for much more, especially on offense — a unit that hasn’t scored an opening-drive touchdown since Sept. 28 at Kansas City. Ask anyone about the state of the offense inside the celebratory home locker room, where Henry’s postgame interview lasted all of one minute, and you’ll receive a similar response. “Good we won. Looking forward to Thursday,” Henry said. “We’ve got to be better. We’ve got to be better on offense.” Asked to elaborate on what the offense can improve on, Henry replied: “Play better. Execute. I don’t know what else to say. We just need to play better and get all 11 to execute and play together, put drives together and put up points.” Center Tyler Linderbaum shared similar frustration to Henry’s: “We still need to improve. You’ve got to find ways to win ball games. It certainly helps when you have a good defense, they’re certainly playing at a high level. Obviously, we want to play to play at a higher level, too. We’re going to keep searching and keep trying to improve.” The Ravens failed on all five of their third-down attempts in the first half Sunday and registered just 72 total yards on 24 plays, marking their lowest yardage output in a single half this season. They eventually mustered enough key plays to crawl to victory. Quarterback Lamar Jackson completed 13 of 23 passes for just 153 yards; the Ravens now have 10 games this season with fewer than 200 passing yards, compared with just five in all of 2024. Jackson has also recorded his lowest and second-lowest passer ratings of the season in back-to-back weeks. Jackson refuses to concede that he’s slowed or that his multiple lower-body injuries are affecting him. When you watch the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player, though, it’s obvious that Jackson is playing with some sort of limitation that is affecting his feared elusiveness and speed. Said Jackson: “We just need to execute a lot better. We get in great field position, but we’re not putting points on the board.” What’s it going to take for a sluggish unit to flip the switch? With six regular-season games remaining, coordinator Todd Monken needs to adjust to personnel limitations. He doesn’t have a healthy Jackson right now and continues to work around a disappointing offensive line that ranks 27th in pass blocking, according to Pro Football Focus. Baltimore’s run blocking ranks ninth in the NFL, yet Henry averaged just 3 yards per carry against the Jets, his third-lowest mark of the season. Sunday also marked Henry’s fourth game this season with less than 4 yards per carry. In stark comparison, Henry registered a single-game rushing average lower than 4 yards just once all of last season. Woof. Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, shown during training camp, hasn't generated the same success for his unit this season as he did during an incredible 2024 campaign. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) After acquiring defensive end Dre’Mont Jones and safety Alohi Gilman before the trade deadline, general manager Eric DeCosta did not make any additions to support the offense, representing his similar approach to this past offseason. The lone reinforcement was fullback Patrick Ricard’s return from a calf injury; he made his season debut in late October, and the Ravens are 5-0 since. Even with Ricard’s impact in the run game, the offense hasn’t found a consistent rhythm. It’s especially surprising given that the Ravens have relied on continuity in the trenches. Aside from allowing Patrick Mekari to walk in free agency and swapping him with Andrew Vorhees at left guard, the Ravens continue to trot out the same returning starters in left tackle Ronnie Stanley, Linderbaum, right guard Daniel Faalele and right tackle Roger Rosengarten. “We need to be on the same page, be super efficient on first down,” Rosengarten said. “So many things go into [offensive success], but getting the play call in, doing your job and doing it with a high level of physicality.” Veteran defensive back Marlon Humphrey insists that the team’s mindset remains strong, even if the offensive execution isn’t. “Earlier in the season, the defense, we were the worst in the league, and the offense wasn’t really finger-pointing at us,” said Humphrey, who had a touchdown-saving forced fumble on Jets running back Breece Hall. “I think this team is really starting to come together. … It seems like we’re all working toward something, even when something’s not right, if offense isn’t right, we’re still building with one another. So, it’s really encouraging.” Another veteran, wideout DeAndre Hopkins, offered his perspective: “I find satisfaction in the wins still. It’s the NFL. A win is a win, so it doesn’t matter how it happens. I came here because I knew they had Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry here. Those guys are playing for something. I feel like we’re clicking enough to win and that’s all that matters, man. You look at teams around the league whose record isn’t what ours is, but they could be statistically ranked as one of the highest offenses. I’d rather be in this position than statistically the best on paper.” The Ravens’ offense, headlined by playmakers including Jackson, Henry, wide receivers Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Hopkins, and tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, right now feels unreliable. Baltimore will display flashes in spurts, but the Ravens, more often in recent weeks, have shown a sense of sloppiness that won’t disappear. It’s quite maddening, especially considering we witnessed the unit’s ceiling in Week 1. Those first three quarters in the season opener at Buffalo showed an offensive juggernaut. However, defenses have adapted to the Jackson-Henry duo. Monken must do the same. The Ravens have won five in a row, but the structural challenges of an offense that struggles in the red zone and on critical downs linger. Up next comes an ever-important closing stretch. Of its six remaining games, Baltimore has four divisional contests against the Bengals and Steelers. Which version of this offense will surface when the stakes rise in January? Will the Ravens put together a complete four-quarter performance before then? This season still holds enormous promise. But sooner than later, the offense needs to stop leaning on potential and start producing results that match the standard held by Henry and his teammates. Have a news tip? Contact Josh Tolentino at jtolentino@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200, x.com/JCTSports and instagram.com/JCTSports. View the full article Quote
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