The Baltimore Ravens have always maintained the identity of a powerful rushing attack. Over the years, running backs like Jamaal Lewis, Ray Rice and Justin Forsett have posted outstanding seasons. Lewis ran for 2,066 yards in 2003.
Previous offensive coordinator Greg Roman had the Ravens consistently finishing as one of the top 5 rushing teams, but Ravens coach John Harbaugh wanted a change at coordinator, so he brought in Todd Monken. It was critical for Baltimore to continue running the ball with success.
“It was important in the sense also to have elements of the rushing attack that we built [and] worked so hard on the last four years,” Harbaugh said. “We didn’t want to run away from that run game, because we had a lot of reps under our belt and a lot of institutional knowledge with that. Our players understood it – a lot of the plays we’d been running, and they fit our guys really well. That’s one thing that was an important part of it.”
The Ravens are currently the NFL’s top rushing offense, averaging 163.8 yards per game. They’re able to find success without having a primary back thanks to the group including Justice Hill, Keaton Mitchell, and Gus Edwards.
Jackson leads the Ravens in rushing yards with 741 while Edwards’ 11 rushing touchdowns lead the team. The 23-7 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars was an example of the balanced Ravens rushing attack. Jackson ran for 97 yards. Mitchel carried the ball only nine times but posted 73 yards. Edwards had 58 yards but picked up the only touchdown on the ground.
Mitchell’s speed and suddenness added an explosive aspect to Baltimore’s rushing attack, but he suffered a knee last Sunday night against the Jaguars and will likely be out for the rest of the season.
“That was very tough. I believe [Keaton Mitchell’s run] was going to be a touchdown,” Jackson said. “He’s lights out. He was just starting to get started, so that’s tough to see. My thoughts and prayers are with him because he’s a guy. That was a crazy injury.”
Fortunately, the Ravens have a veteran in Melvin Gordon to fill in.
“Melvin Gordon [III] is a high-pedigree football player in this league. It’s almost kind of shocking that we’re going to have the opportunity to put him into the mix right now, and he’s been wanting to be into the mix,” Harbaugh said.
Baltimore’s 251 rushing yards were a key factor in their dominance over the Jaguars. They’ll need to produce an equally dominant performance in another prime-time matchup when they travel to the West Coast to face the San Francisco 49ers on Christmas Day.
The Ravens return to M&T Bank Stadium the following week for a showdown with the Miami Dolphins with the top seed in the AFC potentially being on the line. Baltimore can seal their own fate by winning the final three games, but their focus is a week-by-week basis.
“That’s how these guys are,” Harbaugh said. “These guys are going to be thinking about one thing – thinking about the next game. 1-0 has been their mantra.”