Baltimore Ravens vs Oakland Raiders: What's the Game Plan for Oakland?
What should the Oakland Raiders emphasize in the film room leading up to their Week 2 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens?
The simplest yet most complicated way to demolish an opponent lies within the trenches. First and foremost, the Raiders must put relentless pressure on quarterback Joe Flacco. How should defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. approach this plan of attack?
Attacking Joe Flacco
TOP NEWS
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Colts Release Kenny Moore
Projecting Every NFL Team's Starting Lineup 🔮
Rookie WRs Who Will Outplay Their Draft Value 📈
For starters, Norton must use a more aggressive attack. Last time out, the Raiders defense only blitzed three times, per Pro Football Focus. The end result didn’t create a chaotic situation for Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton.
In Week 2, Norton must take a few more chances with blitzes and trust his secondary to go one-on-one with the Ravens wide receivers.
Why?
Wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. is the only wide receiver capable of burning the defenders, as noted by Bleacher Report's Matt Miller:
The Raiders can afford to gamble on a man-to-man matchup between Smith and T.J. Carrie considering the cornerback's solid performance in Week 1. He only gave up two catches in coverage while shadowing wide receiver A.J. Green for the majority of the game.
Now, back to pressuring Flacco. In Week 1, the Denver Broncos harassed the Ravens quarterback with timely blitzes that paid off repeatedly. One of those blitzes resulted in a pick-six that put the Broncos in the lead:
Here’s another glimpse at the brilliant mind of defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.
In the first example, it’s simple math: There are more defenders than the Ravens can possibly block. Inside linebacker Brandon Marshall ran through running back Justin Forsett en route to sacking Flacco. He took advantage of a clear mismatch, and Flacco didn’t stand a chance.
In the second example, the Broncos presented a four-man rush. The purple arrow highlights the matchup between DeMarcus Ware and James Hurst.
Ware began to overpower Hurst and eventually shed the block to find a pathway to Flacco. The backup offensive tackle couldn't handle the eight-time Pro Bowler in a one-on-one matchup, which put his quarterback in peril.
In a four-man rush, Ware lined up against the weakest link on Baltimore’s offensive line and recorded the sack. This matchup is important to point out because offensive tackle Eugene Monroe won’t play Sunday as a result of a concussion he suffered in Week 1.
Hurst filled in for Monroe against the Broncos. He struggled tremendously, allowing one sack, two hits and seven hurries. Monroe’s absence opens hunting season on Flacco.
Key Player: James Hurst
The Raiders must exploit the matchup against the backup on the offensive line.
According to Pro Football Focus, Hurst ranked last among all offensive tackles in pass blocking. That’s a clear indication of whom the Raiders must bombard with blitzes.
Norton can alternate his edge-rushers or simply overload the right side to hunt down Flacco.
Key Player: Aldon Smith
Edge-rusher Aldon Smith played 30 snaps in Week 1. Against the Ravens, he’ll likely see an increased role with a full week of practice. Smith hasn't been to eight Pro Bowls like Ware, but he’s capable of taking down a backup right tackle.
Flacco should expect to see a lot of Smith in a few unpleasant encounters on Sunday. Norton cannot sell his talent short with a conservative pass rush.
Key Player: Khalil Mack
Edge-rusher Khalil Mack rushed the quarterback 21 times from the left side of the Raiders defensive line against the Bengals. That tendency would match him against Hurst on the right side of the Ravens offensive line in the upcoming game.
The Raiders have a clear-cut advantage in the matchup between Mack and Hurst. The Ravens may decide to assist the second-year tackle with tight end help, which potentially puts Smith in a one-on-one battle on the opposite side.
Offensive Game Plan
Quarterback Derek Carr’s nerves hurt his performance in limited action in Week 1. In Wednesday’s presser, relayed by the team's site, he admitted his first few throws didn’t come out of hands with the calmness a quarterback needs to pinpoint passes to receivers.
He reflected on his first regular-season game against the New York Jets last year when comparing his nerves to Week 1's matchup. There’s something else Carr should reflect on when thinking back to 2014.
Target Tight End Mychal Rivera
Carr should re-establish a connection with tight end Mychal Rivera to settle his nerves within the offense. Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave is installing his game plan, but Carr should target a familiar face to find his rhythm.
Carr's main options aren't familiar faces. He’s building rapports with wide receivers Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree. He must keep cycling through his reads to find Rivera in the middle of the field.
In 2014, Rivera ranked second on the team in receptions (58) and receiving yards (534). The Raiders must use their tight end similar to how the Bengals used Tyler Eifert to expose lapses in short coverage against their defense in Week 1.
Inside linebacker C.J. Mosley poses a threat as a pass-rusher and run-stopper, but he’s prone to allowing catches in short coverage. In 2014, he allowed 80 catches for 660 yards and two touchdowns.
Carr’s ability to attack the middle of the field keeps an extra pass-rusher out of his face and in coverage. Musgrave can put more pressure on the inside linebackers by utilizing two-tight end sets, pairing Rivera and Walford to keep both Daryl Smith and Mosley further away from the line of scrimmage.
Most importantly, it gives Carr two large viable targets to help him settle into the offense.
Prediction
The Raiders have the talent on defense to muddy this game into an old-school, smash-mouth contest. Oakland’s defense must set the tone by punching the Ravens, specifically the offensive line, in the mouth from the first possession.
Oakland cannot allow more than 20 points in this contest and expect to win. Musgrave’s offense hasn’t found a flow and needs tremendous help from the defense to keep the score low and shorten the field for Carr.
The offense doesn’t sound as exciting as advertised in the offseason by the additions of Cooper and Crabtree, but Carr doesn’t seem fully in sync with his main targets at the moment. It’s time to go back to what he knows to move the ball. Rivera should come up big in this game.
Secondly, Ravens cornerbacks Lardarius Webb and Jimmy Smith played well last time out. Smith returned an interception for a pick-six. Webb had a similar performance to Carrie: He allowed two catches for 24 yards. The result won’t favor the Raiders when throwing inaccurate passes toward the Ravens secondary.
Running back Latavius Murray should receive about 20 carries to keep Baltimore's inside linebackers guessing between pass coverage on the tight ends and run support. A slow-paced defensive masterpiece isn’t fun to watch, but it represents the Raiders' best chance to win a close game against a well-coached team.
Game Prediction: Raiders 17, Ravens 16
Follow Maurice Moton on Twitter for news, updates and intriguing discussion about the Oakland Raiders.
All statistics are provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com and Pro Football Focus unless otherwise noted.
Baltimore Ravens roster provided by the team's official website.
Week 1 statistics and play-by-play analysis provided by NFL.com.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
