Patriots Offensive Line Readies Itself for Ravens' Exotic Blitzes

Many of the players wearing the purple-and-black Baltimore Ravens jerseys may have changed, but Tom Brady and the New England Patriots offense should expect the same level of pass-rushing pressure this Saturday.

Terrell Suggs, Pernell McPhee, Elvis Dumervil, Haloti Ngata and Brandon Williams will be trying to collapse the pocket on Brady during the Patriots' first playoff game of the year. They certainly were successful in the Ravens' wild-card playoff victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers. They harried and pestered Ben Roethlisberger all game, with both vanilla schemes and more exotic flavors of blitzes.

The following play—which resulted in a Suggs interception—showed that the Ravens can tax an offensive line mentally without committing too many players to rush the quarterback.

NFL Game Rewind

With the Steelers in "11" personnel with a bunch formation on the field side, the Ravens line up in a perplexing manner. Three Ravens flank each offensive tackle, with a nose tackle stationed across from the center. The defensive backs are showing a three-deep alignment, with one cornerback in man across from Antonio Brown.

The Steelers know that all seven Ravens aren't coming on the blitz, but preparing for the permutations takes perfect communication and quick reactions.

NFL Game Rewind

At the snap, the Ravens reveal their plans. Three Ravens on the boundary side all rush, while the nose tackle and two of the three Ravens on the field side drop into coverage. 

NFL Game Rewind

The Steelers have things contained initially. They double the lone rusher and have a 4-on-3 situation at the top of the formation. However, both the center and the guard take one rusher, allowing the other to come free. Out in the route, the trailing receiver from the bunch is unmolested by any defensive backs, allowing him to cut his route short and help Roethlisberger if he should so choose.

NFL Game Rewind

The receiver continues on in his route, oblivious to the impending peril. Roethlisberger tries to dump the ball off to his running back, but it ends up trapped in between the legs of Suggs.

In order for the Patriots to combat the inevitable overload blitzes, zone blitzes and other interesting plays, they will need to focus on two things: consistent communication and alert receivers.

Having Dan Connolly back in the lineup should help the former. As a link between Nate Solder and rookie center Bryan Stork, Connolly is the linchpin in keeping Brady upright. Making the right pre-snap calls and adjustments is a big ask for a rookie, so having a veteran presence like Connolly at his disposal is invaluable.

However, giving Brady an extra half-second to throw the ball in the face of a blitz won't matter if his receivers aren't on the same page. Danny Amendola, Brandon LaFell, Shane Vereen and Julian Edelman need to be cognizant of any blitzes and have their hot routes locked in.

If the Patriots can protect Brady, they'll get the opportunity to do it all again the following week in the AFC Championship Game.