Rival Report: Ravens offense struggles in win over Dolphins

by Christina "Tina" Rivers (3Rivers_Writer) on August 19, 2017

The Baltimore Ravens were able to hand the Miami Dolphins a loss, scoring 31 points to win two weeks in a row. The Ravens will be looking to use that fact as motivation as they continue to struggle on the offensive side of the ball. If the regular season were to start tomorrow, Baltimore would be living on a hope and prayer that their defense was able to score and carry the game. Luckily, they have two more weeks to get things on track.

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Recap of Offense

Based solely on the score, most would assume that the Ravens absolutely blew the Dolphins out of the water, but the stats – and some of the play witnessed – do not lie. By the end of the first half of play, the Ravens offense was able to put up 163 yards and 13 points, but the running game never found the rhythm to get much going.

Quarterback Ryan Mallett played for the first time this year with Mike Wallace, Danny Woodhead, and Jeremy Maclin on the field, but it was two tosses to inexperienced receiver Quincy Adeboyejo – one ball was overthrown and another just ripped away by Cordrea Tankersley – that resulted in his two interceptions. He finished the game having completed 13-of-22 passes and a touchdown.

Behind a patchwork offensive line that was flagged three times for holding, it was third-string quarterback Josh Woodrum that got the game changed in a hurry. In his second drive, Woodrum put together a three-play, 54-yard march and a race into the end zone. He added another touchdown on the ground on a quarterback sneak and found tight end Maxx Williams for a 40-yard catch-and-run.

I go in the huddle and I was like, ‘Who wants to spike it once I get in?’ The offensive linemen were like, ‘No, no, no. You score and we’ll explode.’ … It’s pretty awesome. I couldn’t ask for anything better than this opportunity. – Woodrum

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On Friday, the Ravens brought center Jeremy Zuttah back on a two-year, $4 million deal to make up for three linemen they’ve lost since the beginning of training camp. If Baltimore starts Zuttah at center, Ryan Jensen could slide to left guard, replacing Alex Lewis who is done for the year with a shoulder injury. Against Miami, the Ravens were forced to start third-string lineman Jarrod Pughsley.

Zuttah had been traded to the San Francisco 49ers in March with both teams swapping sixth-round picks in the move, but he was released by San Francisco on August 9. Receiver Kenny Bell was released to make room for Zuttah on the roster. Having experience with the team, Zuttah is expected to instantly strengthen the line in both play and leadership.

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Defense on pace

Jay Cutler‘s debut for Miami was high tempo and utilized more no-huddle against the Ravens’ starting defense than they saw in their preseason opener, but the Ravens were more than up to the test. They allowed zero points on three possessions before it was time to swap in backup players. They are as advertised and should be a handful for opponents this upcoming season.

Rookie Marlon Humphrey had a limited pro debut against Miami but fellow rookie Jaylen Hill made an impression. Hill, an undrafted free agent out of Jacksonville State, was thrown towards five times and were only able to complete just a single pass for two yards. Having put back-to-back solid performances together, Hill may have made a case for keeping him around this season.

Other notes

.@PRic508 helped spring @realbuckallen for a 16-yard run with this dominant block. pic.twitter.com/nowZta4fvt

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 18, 2017

Baltimore signed Patrick Ricard as an undrafted rookie as a defensive lineman, but they saw a different potential for the guy who played on both sides of the ball in high school before moving to defense at Maine. In OTAs, the Ravens opted to give him a look at fullback and then more shots at the position during training camp.

Against the Dolphins, Ricard made one of the best blocks of the night in springing Buck Allen for a 16-yard run.

They pretty much said, ‘Hey, we’re going to try you at fullback … They just tell me what to do and I go out there and do it. – Ricard

.@realbuckallen with commentary on everything from the grass to the pregame music, while leading the team with 40 rushing yards 🎤 pic.twitter.com/QeTbY7au1g

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 18, 2017

In other news

In June, I authored an article that went in-depth on the congenital neck problems that linebacker Zach Orr suffers from and why teams should take a pass on signing him – even if it was just for the young man’s sake. On Friday, Orr and the Ravens officially announced that he was retiring and that it was final. There is a lot of mixed emotion, but most fans of the NFL would wish him the best in his future pursuits and health.

I'm done for good foreal foreal!😂✌🏾 appreciate everybody that was with me on the journey! #noregrets https://t.co/qnx7zfxMF7

— Zachary Orr (@ZO35) August 18, 2017