Baltimore Beatdown
The Ravens look to start a win streak with three in a row heading to Minnesota. After a 10-day break following a Thursday night game, how should the Ravens be prepared to face the Vikings?
We all know the story of last time Lamar Jackson played Brian Flores. The infamous “cover zero” game in Miami became the new blueprint narrative to stopping Jackson. On a short week, Flores had his defense blitz on over 60% during Jackson’s dropbacks, and it worked. Of course, that was years ago in 2021 and with a different offensive coordinator. Since then, Jackson’s talent and efficiency have grown tremendously, and new OC Todd Monken has given him much more control at the line of scrimmage to adjust his protection and be ready to go hot against blitzes. That has made him one of the best quarterbacks against the blitz, potentially driven by what happened in that game in 2021.
Now the Ravens play another Brian Flores defense, this time in Minnesota. Not much has changed, as Flores still loves to blitz whenever he can. The Vikings currently lead the NFL in blitz rate at 42.3% according to Sharp Football Analysis. Flores is going to blitz, simulate pressure, and present all sorts of crazy looks. It’s going to be on Jackson, Monken, and the offense to be prepared for it and have answers ready, unlike what happened in 2021. I’d really like to see Isaiah Likely and Rashod Bateman used against the blitz, in particular. Likely can line up anywhere to serve as a quick safety valve or on extended plays, and Bateman’s ability to win quickly at the line of scrimmage make him ideal for hot routes.
Zach Orr and the Ravens defense should come prepared with a Flores-esque game plan against the Vikings. J.J. McCarthy has only played three games since he was drafted in April 2024 due to injuries; for all intents and purposes, he’s still a rookie. The Vikings are going to lean heavily on their run with Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones Sr., who practiced limited on Thursday and Friday and is officially questionable for the game.
There’s not a ton of film on the Vikings’ young signal-caller, but he’s not used to what Baltimore will throw at him, either. McCarthy, like most rookies, loves to hold on to the ball and is near the top of the league in time to throw in his small sample size. He’s also near the top of the league in average depth of target; in other words, he is willing to wait to try to push the ball downfield. Head coach Kevin O’Connell is going to want to do the opposite and make it easy for McCarthy to get the ball out early and on time. So the biggest priority for the Ravens is making McCarthy uncomfortable while holding the ball and baiting him into making mistakes. This will...
