Lamar Jackson and a Balanced Approach Overwhelmed the Patriots Defense

Lamar Jackson has, without question, made strides as a pocket passer. But make no mistake about it, he is special because of the things he can do with his legs. And once offensive coordinator Greg Roman came to that realization midway through the 2nd quarter against the Patriots, the Ravens cut through New England’s defense like a hot knife through butter.

Baltimore started the game with the intention of trying to win through the air. They even went empty on their first three plays, which promptly led to a 3-and-out. They spent most of the first quarter-and-a-half neglecting the run game as well as Lamar Jackson’s legs. In fact, 16 of Baltimore’s first 20 offensive plays were passes, and one of those 4 runs came on a called pass that turned into a scramble. The results were not pretty as Baltimore gained just 74 yards on those 20 plays (3.7 yards per play), allowed 4 sacks, and turned the ball over once on an interception.

Then, Roman let Jackson loose in the ground game, utilizing several designed quarterback power and counter runs.

Below was their second play after the interception. Roman called for a QB Counter Bash run, a staple of the Ravens’ rushing attack and a play that’s incredibly hard to defend:

The design of the play is to send the running back away from the direction of the pulling guard and tackle, freezing defenders in the process. Jackson has the option to either give to his back or keep it and follow the pulling action.

The read for Jackson here is the end man on the line of scrimmage to his right. If he kicks out to take the running back, Jackson should keep the ball:

And that’s what ended up happening here, with Jackson pulling it for an easy 17 yards:

Notice how the design of the play influenced both of New England’s inside linebackers out of the play. Ja’Whaun Bentley (#8) hesitated, allowing the left tackle to easily pin him inside. Mack Wilson (#30) followed the back and was completely removed from the play:

That type of play has so many moving parts and the defense truly has to be on the same page to handle it. Here, the design beat the Patriots initially, and then Jackson did the rest.

The Ravens would go on to score a touchdown on a seemingly easy 9-play, 75-yard drive, never facing a 3rd down. In fact, Baltimore would go on to score a touchdown on three straight drives following Jackson’s interception, with each drive set up by a big run.

On this play in the 3rd quarter, their drive picked up steam with another guard-pull/option play. This time, it was a Power Read: