Ravens Proving That Balanced Attack Is Key for Joe Flacco and Offensive Success

One of the true hallmarks of a dominant NFL team is its ability to defeat weaker opponents, whether at home or on the road. The Baltimore Ravens clearly demonstrated this tenet on Sunday, routing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48-17 and lifting their record to 4-2 on the season. They are now the No. 1 team in the AFC North. 

The win comes on the heels of a 20-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, a defeat marked by the Ravens offense steering away from what had been so successful in the team's previous three victories—balance. Last week, the Ravens passed the ball 38 times against just 15 runs, even when the run game was working and even when the Colts' lead was manageable. 

Team	Record
BAL	4-2
CIN	3-1-1
CLE	3-2
PIT	3-3

This week, it seems like the lack of balance returned, though with different results, especially when one looks at at the first-half box score. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco threw five touchdowns in the first half—two to slow-starter Torrey Smith, who caught less than 40 percent of the passes thrown to him against the Colts, one to Steve Smith Sr., one to Kamar Aiken and one to rookie Michael Campanaro.

The Ravens held a 35-0 lead with nearly 14 minutes left in the second quarter.  “It was really surreal, and a lot of fun at that point,” Flacco said after the game, via Fred Goodall of The Associated Press. “At that point, shoot, we were on pace for almost 16 touchdowns.”

Ultimately, Flacco attempted 22 passes in the half compared to 16 runs. However, the run game was productive, netting the team 102 yards—and 6.4 yards per carry—on those 16 runs. Fifty-two of those yards came on a single Justin Forsett rush, which set up Smith's first touchdown of the day.

The key for the Ravens offense in this win was to set up the pass using the run, just as it had against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers.

Further, with the Ravens starting two rookies on the left side of the offensive line—John Urschel in at left guard for Kelechi Osemele and James Hurst at left tackle for Eugene Monroe—running and the play-action pass were needed to keep Flacco better protected on his dropbacks.

Flacco was sacked by the Colts defense four times last week and was hit six times. On Sunday, the Buccaneers defense didn't get to Flacco once—no sacks and no hits.

Obviously, the Ravens ran more often in the second half of the game to protect their lead. They ended the game with 35 rushing attempts compared to 29 passes thrown by Flacco, 21 of them complete for 306 yards and those five touchdowns.

Game	Result	Pass Attempts	Rush Attempts
vs. CIN	L, 23-16	62	20
vs. PIT	W, 26-6	29	36
@ CLE	W, 23-21	31	33
vs. CAR	W, 38-10	31	30
@ IND	L, 20-13	38	15
vs. TB	W, 48-17	29	35

But it was refreshing to see the Ravens get back to an offensive game plan that better reflects their strengths. 

Last week, their weaknesses were amplified by the lack of the run game. This week, those weaknesses were minimized by their increased reliance on the run. Flacco saw and took the big plays the Buccaneers defense gave him and was on target with receivers both familiar to him and less-so as a result. But those big plays couldn't have happened without a rededication to the run. 

What helps, of course, is how poor of an opponent the Buccaneers are. They have just one win—over the Steelers—were giving up 31.2 points per game before hosting the Ravens on Sunday and were scoring only 20.6 points per game on average.

But that doesn't make winning any easier. This was a road game against a desperate team. The Ravens needed to keep control of the contest, and the best way for them to do that was to establish the run as the main dish, garnished with explosive passing plays.

That's the winning formula for the Baltimore offense this season. The two games the Ravens veered away from it, they lost; the four they didn't, they won. It appears that the Ravens have truly learned this lesson between Week 5's loss and Week 6's win.