Ravens Playoff Hopes May Rest On Justin Forsett
By Samuel Njoku
The Ravens are fully rested from their bye and are now preparing for their Monday Night Football game against the New Orleans Saints. Baltimore is jammed in the middle of a very intense division race in the AFC North and a loss can be devastating to their playoff hopes. The first 10 games of the season have been inconsistent in terms of production for the team. At times, it appears as though the Ravens can be an explosive unit. Other times, it seems as if the Ravens are a mediocre football team at best. Baltimore should have used the bye week to figure out what type of football team they need to be in order to win games.
The simple solution would be to make sure Joe Flacco improves his play at the quarterback position. And in a lot of ways, that goes without saying. But the best way Baltimore can punch their ticket in the postseason is to get Justin Forsett involved in the offense. He’s been the heartbeat of the football team so far this season. The only problem is, Baltimore suffers from a self-induced heart arrhythmia. Gary Kubiak will need to get Forsett involved early and take pressure away from Joe Flacco.
Two weeks ago, Baltimore received relentless pressure from the Tennessee Titans. A week prior to that game, Pittsburgh sent the house on a consistent basis. They want to get after Joe Flacco. A consistent rushing attack negates a lot of the pressure Baltimore would receive from opposing defenses. Of course, simply running the football isn’t enough. The Ravens need to get Flacco in more shotgun formations. It’s clear that Kubiak’s offense doesn’t really cater to that formation, but putting your players in the best position to make plays has to be the number one priority of an offensive coordinator.
Once in the shotgun formation, Baltimore can run more draws and screen plays that the Ravens have failed to run for a few seasons. The Ravens have the personnel to get huge chunks of yards out of these plays. Doing this will also keep the defense on their heels instead of on the attack. Small wrinkles can be the difference between 3 points and 7 points in the NFL. And as we’ve seen all season, four points can be the difference between a win and a loss.
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Samuel Njoku was born and raised in Baltimore, MD and is a graduate of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Samuel has covered the Ravens for Examiner.com since 2010. Prior to 2010, Samuel was an avid blogger and radio personality in Salisbury, MD. Samuel Njoku is a freelance writer covering all things NFL. His work can be found on Examiner.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @Ravens_Examiner.
