Ravens News 9/15: EPA by Personnel and more

Ravens film study: Why the offense and the defense were NFL outliers in Week 1 - Jonas Shaffer

21 personnel (two backs — in this case, fullback Patrick Ricard always among them — one tight end, two wide receivers): 19 plays, 0.32 expected points added per play. Wide receiver Rashod Bateman’s 55-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter came in 21 personnel.

12 personnel (one back, two tight ends, two wide receivers): 15 plays, -0.20 EPA per play. Wide receiver Devin Duvernay’s 25-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter came in 12 personnel.

22 personnel (two backs — again, Ricard always included — one tight end, two wide receivers): 11 plays, 0.03 EPA per play

11 personnel: five plays, 0.34 EPA per play. Duvernay’s 17-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter came in 11 personnel.

13 personnel (one back, three tight ends, one wide receiver): three plays, -0.97 EPA per play. Jackson’s fourth-quarter interception came in 13 personnel.

02 personnel (no backs, two tight ends, three wide receivers): one play, 0.41 EPA

It’s too early in the season to tell which packages will be the offense’s best or most used. But in Week 1, the Ravens made clear their intentions to use their tight ends more like wide receivers. Mark Andrews led all Ravens receivers in snaps (47), and rookie Isaiah Likely earned as much playing time as wide receiver Demarcus Robinson (25 snaps) and almost as much as Duvernay (29).

NFL Week 1 Offensive Line Rankings - Sam Monson

19. BALTIMORE RAVENS (DOWN 2)

Weakest Link: G Ben Powers

Upcoming Opponent: Miami Dolphins

With Ronnie Stanley still an unknown prospect after a lengthy injury layoff and Ja’Wuan James being lost for the year after just 24 snaps, Patrick Mekari will assume the left tackle spot going into this week.

The line’s biggest weakness may still be inside with Ben Powers, who earned a 43.8 PFF grade against the Jets last week. Powers is an inconsistent force, but his play does tend to even out to average over a season. Miami has real firepower on the interior to stress him and rookie center Tyler Linderbaum, who was overwhelmed physically at times last week and surrendered two pressures to Quinnen Williams.

Ravens Sign Steven Means to 53-Man Roster - Clifton Brown

Veteran outside linebacker Steven Means, who played 28 snaps against the Jets in Week 1, has been signed to the 53-man roster off the practice squad.

After being called up from the practice squad last week, Means played 33% of the defensive snaps and made one tackle against the Jets while playing in the linebacker rotation behind Odafe Oweh and Justin Houston. He provides added depth at outside linebacker with Tyus Bowser (Achilles) and second-round pick David Ojabo (Achilles) still on the injured list.

Ravens Have Bigger Injury Report, But Room for Optimism - Todd Karpovich

Running back J.K. Dobbins was a full participant after suffering a season-ending knee injury last year. That’s an encouraging sign that he could be ready for the Week 2 game against the Miami Dolphins.

Rookie defensive tackle Travis Jones, a third-round pick, was also back but on a limited basis. He also would be a huge addition after having a dominant preseason.

Left tackle Ronnie Stanley (ankle) and cornerback Marcus Peters (knee) were limited. So, their status is uncertain.

The other Ravens players on the injury report were:

DE Calais Campbell NIR – rest DNP

OLB Justin Houston NIR – rest DNP

WR James Proche II Groin Limited

FB Patrick Ricard Calf DNP

Ravens vs. Dolphins preview - Daniel Oyefusi

The Dolphins blitzed Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson into submission in last season’s upset win. With McDaniel having replaced Brian Flores as coach, do you expect any significant changes in Miami’s game plan in the rematch?

Flores may be gone, but defensive coordinator Josh Boyer was retained, along with all 13 players who made at least five starts in 2021. Boyer has said the defense’s core philosophies will stay the same, and that appeared to be the case in Week 1. The team’s blitz rate (27.3%) against the Patriots was lower than last season’s figure (39.6%), but playing with a lead for most of the game and the absence of cornerback Byron Jones, who is on the reserve/physically-unable-to-perform list, all could have been factors in the decline in blitzing.

Against Baltimore, I wouldn’t expect much to change: Crowd the line of scrimmage, key on the Jackson-led run game and get the Ravens into third-and-long situations, where they can unleash “Cover 0″ again. With a full week of preparation, as opposed to last season’s short turnaround, the Ravens should be better prepared, and the Dolphins will need to have counters ready. But why go away from what worked so well?

NFL Week 2 picks: Saints knock off Tom Brady again, Chiefs outlast Chargers in AFC West shootout - Pete Prisco

Miami Dolphins at Baltimore Ravens (-3.5)

The Dolphins and Ravens both won in impressive fashion last week, but now Miami goes on the road for the first time. The Dolphins dominated the Ravens last year at home, but this will be different. The Ravens and Lamar Jackson get the best of the Dolphins.

Pick: Ravens 27, Dolphins 20