The Baltimore Ravens are 7-2 and atop the AFC North ahead of a Sunday afternoon slugfest with the visiting Cleveland Browns.
A huge reason for the success in the first half of 2023 starts with a stout defense among the league leaders in points per game, rushing yards per game, and takeaways.
The biggest reason for Baltimore’s explosive start lies with first-year offensive coordinator Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense operating at a level not seen at M&T Bank Stadium since Jackson’s MVP season.
With preparation for the Browns underway, we’re looking at five stats that prove Todd Monken is excelling as the Ravens’ offensive coordinator.
Ravens are among the league leaders in explosive plays
Baltimore entered Week 9 in the top two and added 10 more explosive plays in the blowout win over the Seahawks.
Most big plays through Week 8: pic.twitter.com/FVcdQfgXIi
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) October 31, 2023
Patrick Ricard has many roles
According to PFF Ricard has logged 277 snaps for the Ravens this season, at 7 different positions.
When Monken was hired, the assumption was that Ricard could be traded or see his role completely reduced, but he’s now become one of the most valuable players on the roster, and a guy that gives GM Eric DeCosta and the Ravens offensive staff a myriad of options with personnel groupings.
Patrick Ricard is pivotal to @Ravens success on offense
-is he a 300lb tight end?
-is he a 300lb fullback?
-are they playing with a 6th OL?His versatility promotes others’ versatility#nfllive pic.twitter.com/QGEnh54ZSB
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) November 8, 2023
Monken is an offensive scientist
Monken has presented a dynamic offensive scheme that features three wide receiver sets and constantly has wide receivers running open or clearing out space for their cohorts.
The Ravens’ offense has yet to reach its full potential, and Monken has guys consistently open and able to operate in space.
Last season, Baltimore had three or more open receivers on 23.9% of their passing plays and four or more open on 7.9% per PFF.
Those numbers have jumped to 32.0% and 11.7% this season, respectively.
Ravens percentage of passing plays with:
3+ open receivers
2023 so far: 32.0%
2022 season: 23.9%4+ open receivers
2023: 11.7%
2022: 7.9%— Gordon McGuinness (@PFF_Gordon) October 16, 2023
At one point this season, Jackson was tied for fourth in the NFL when it came to having three or more open receivers, and his 27 dropbacks with four-plus open receivers were more than any other team in football.
Monken has provided Jackson with more efficient opportunities in the passing game,
Here’s a preview of @ravens4dummies explaining how much of a madman Todd Monken is with his playcalling. #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/pYIVb6GkYZ
— GARNET WEST (@Garnet478) November 7, 2023
Ravens spreading teams out to run
Entering Week 9, no offense had a higher drop-back rate on first and second down (80.1%) than the Ravens according to the Baltimore Banner.
With the Ravens embracing the pass, opposing defenses utilized six or fewer defenders in the box, and Monken is now using his three wide receiver formations to run teams out of the building.
On Sunday, however, Monken seemed to embrace the potential of his spread rushing attack.
In last Sunday’s win over Seattle, Baltimore rushed for 298 yards, the fourth most in franchise history, and they flourished out of 11 personnel with 16 designed runs, 163 yards, and one touchdown.
General stats
Baltimore’s 239 points are fourth best in the NFL, while the offense is the 7th highest graded unit in the NFL per PFF.
Lamar Jackson is efficiently on track for 3,550 passing yards with only 14 touchdowns to eight interceptions per PFF. The 3,550 yards would be a career high, along with the 86.2 PFF passing grade Jackson’s currently on pace to record.
Jackson is on track for a career-high 5.5% big-time throw rate, while also averaging 2.98 seconds to throw — the lowest of his career — while recording what would be another career high in adjusted completion percentage (78.9%) per PFF.
