The Ravens beat the Dolphins 38-6 on Sunday, ending Miami’s six game winning streak, and displaying what was far and away their best team effort to date this season. The defense, which came into the week ranked second overall and first against the run, continued to be a force to be reckoned with, and Justin Tucker did what Justin Tucker does, making his only field goal attempt from 55 yards out. It was the offense, however, that surprised everyone who’s been watching this team play all year.
One week after complaining that the offensive play calling was far too conservative, Joe Flacco completed 36 of 47 pass attempts, for 381 yards and four touchdowns, undoubtedly his best performance of the season, and perhaps one of his best ever. Must have been facing a poor defense, right? Nope, the Dolphins’ defense entered the week ranked ninth in the league against the pass, allowing under 240 yards per game through the air.
I’d attribute this offensive outburst to two things. First of all, we saw something we’ve rarely ever seen out of a John Harbaugh coached Ravens team. We saw the Ravens go up in the first quarter, as they often do. However, instead of that “protect the lead” mentality we’ve seen preached and carried out in recent years, Ravens fans saw a team that refused to take their foot off the pedal. The offense kept moving the ball through the air, relentlessly, despite a large lead, and saw their lead continue to grow.
The thing that should’ve really had diehard Ravens fans jumping for joy, though, was the consistent use of the no-huddle offense, and here’s why…
There’s a few things we know about Joe Flacco. The dude’s got one of, if not THE strongest arms in the entire NFL, and at 6 feet 6 inches, 240 pounds, he’s got ideal size for a quarterback to say the least. We also know that while his stats tend be average at best during the regular season, he’s a proven winner at the end of big games and in the playoffs, hence his nickname of “Joe Cool”. Yet, a couple major weaknesses have forever held Flacco back from that “elite” tier, separating him from the Mannings, Bradys, and Rodgers’ of the world. He often fails to throw the ball away when he should, which was even evident in his big game on Sunday, when he made his only real mistake of the game, on a second quarter interception that he should’ve simply tossed out of bounds. He lacks the ability to pick apart a defense before the play, rarely making adjustments or calling audibles at the line of scrimmage. On top of that, as his former teammate Ray Lewis pointed out a couple weeks ago, he tends to lack the “fire” or motivation that fans hope to see in their team’s quarterback. So, what does this have to do with their use of the no-huddle on Sunday?
Well, if there’s been one thing that’s seemed to minimalize all of Flacco’s downsides throughout his career, it’s been the no-huddle offense. Countless times over the last nine season, we’ve seen a Joe Flacco run offense run stagnant through three and half quarters of a game, only to rely on the no-huddle offense for quick scoring drives late in the fourth quarter. In most of these instances, Flacco’s found success, moving the ball with ease, and leaving many fans wondering why the team hadn’t turned to the quick moving offense earlier in the game.
Joe Flacco is never going to be Peyton Manning. He’s never going to be the guy who walks up to the line every play, analyzes the defense, and re-routes his receivers to find holes in the opposition. This often holds him back, and leaves the offense struggling to move the ball. When the offense turns to the no-huddle, however, a new Joe Flacco emerges. Maybe it’s because he’s moving faster, giving him less time to overthink the next play. Or, Maybe it’s because the opposing defense doesn’t have time to plan out their coverages and carry out their game plan. Either way, it seems to be the no-huddle run offense that truly allows number five to take advantage of his natural abilities and his offense’s true potential.
On Sunday, Flacco completed 36 passes to ten different receivers, six of which had at least three catches. He came into the game with the fourth worst passer rating of starting quarterbacks in the league, just above 80, but posted a rating of 119 on Sunday. It was the first game in which the offense primarily ran through the no-huddle. Should the offense stick with it? You tell me.
Birds of Baltimore 