Should Lamar Always Run This Much?

After watching the season opener end in disappointment to the Chiefs yet again – and by a toe no less. I was left pondering many questions about the Ravens performance and if any of it means anything for this edition of the purple and black. 

How long is it going to take for the Offensive Line to be a cohesive unit? 

We may not get the full answer until January, but it was clear that some of the starters on the line (Daniel Faalele) were not quite ready for Prime Time or at least were going to struggle with the role they’ve been asked to fill.  

I’ve been skeptical about the experiment since it was first announced and the massive Faalele didn’t do much to prove my initial instincts wrong. He’s just so slow. But what about former third rounder Ben Cleveland? I expected him to slide into the starting job after proving over his time here that he could be a capable blocker. However, it seems as if he’s taken up residence in Coach Harbaugh’s doghouse yet again. Perhaps the only thing that may free him is necessity. 

Super sub-Patrick Mekari was in a rotation with rookie Roger Rosengarten at Right Tackle and while I realize why this is the case in the short term, I wonder at what point one of them becomes a full-time starter. The Ravens have used the line by committee approach before and I’m not a fan of it. 

The line struggled much of the night against the Kansas City front and that led to Lamar Jackson putting on his cape to escape pressure. He also seemed determined to achieve some payback and ran on almost any opportunity where he saw daylight. The stat line was impressive – Sixteen carries for one hundred and twenty-two yards for a healthy seven and half yards per carry. But I wonder, is that how Baltimore wants to operate the rushing attack or was it just a one game decision? 

Is Derrick Henry just a decoy in the Ravens rushing attack? 

I thought like many did that the acquisition of Henry would mean that Lamar could focus more on passing the ball and that the former Titan would take over the primary ball carrying responsibilities.  

The first drive showed off Henry as he bulldozed into the end zone capping off a solid first drive. The rest of the game was a different story as he was usually faked to and then reserve Justice Hill who is the better receiver was brought on instead of him. Henry finished the game with only thirteen carries, and it left many fans scratching their heads as to why. 

I think there are many reasons why Henry wasn’t involved as much as we would have liked, from the offensive line’s struggles, to being behind most of the game. I’ll reserve further comments about Henry until we get to the Quarter point of the season. I have a feeling that Henry will get fed more this Sunday against a Raider defense that was gashed by former Raven J.K. Dobbins. However, if he isn’t there will be many questions to be answered.  

My hope is that Coach Harbaugh hasn’t done so with the recent comments this week: 

“I like the way the run game looked, for the most part, with just the running back run game. There were some plays that I’d like to see be blocked a little better, but other plays that were blocked really well, and then we rushed for 185 yards overall, and a lot of that is Lamar, but that’s the formula. The formula is all the guys together. It’s not just the one guy.” 

While Henry shouldn’t get the ball thirty times a game he should be more involved to take some of the pressure off the two-time MVP. 

Which leads me to my final question. 

Should Lamar Always Run So Much? 

The short answer is No. 

While I liked his willingness to win and an increased verbal leadership presence on the sidelines, I’m concerned that at the pace that was set with Jackson rushing on Thursday is not sustainable. 

Lamar recently stated that he will do “anything to win” and that’s what you want to hear from the face of the franchise but with a smaller frame due to lost weight I’m worried about injuries. 

Hopefully moving forward Henry, Justice Hill and apparently Zay Flowers will get going on the ground that will only help the offense. The passing game looked decent with Flowers and Isaiah Likely as top targets and all things considered the Ravens almost beat Kansas City on the road. 

In short there’s no reason to panic and the Ravens should get right this week as they host the Vegas Raiders for the home opener. The Offensive game plan should include leaning on the run as the Raiders had issues last week against the Chargers. This allows the passing game to open up downfield. 

The Baltimore defense was decent last week under Zach Orr, they were able to get some pressure up front and sacked Patrick Mahomes three times which is more than most can do. Some miscommunication in the secondary contributed to a blown coverage that was put on Marlon Humphrey but it’s hard to say who blew the assignment there. We knew these growing pains would exist having to switch coaches. 

Quarterback Gardiner Minshew is a capable signal caller and shouldn’t be underestimated. He has one of the league’s best receivers in Davante Adams and Brock Bowers was productive in his debut. They will be able to test the back end and hopefully the Ravens will continue to generate pressure.  

The Ravens should be ok and should even their record at 1-1 with a 27-17 win at home against Vegas. 

But hey, those are just my thoughts. Make sure to tell me what you think on the message board. 

Happy Football and Go Ravens!