Analyzing the Playoffs: What to Look for When the Ravens Have the Ball

Every time you rewatch the Steelers-Ravens games from earlier this year, it's hard to not get even more excited about Act III.

You have the league's two best defenses facing off, and two offenses that will be trying to prove that they aren't over their head. You'll watch James Harrison try to terrorize Joe Flacco again, while Ed Reed will try to once again turn a game around with an interception.

And after charting every Ravens' offensive play from both games, it's clear that Baltimore is facing an uphill battle. For all the talk about Flacco's amazing success as a rookie, the Ravens finished 28th in the NFL in passing yardage this season, and while most teams have two or three significant receiving threats, Baltimore had only one receiver with more than 700 yards receiving.

But in rewatching the first two Steelers-Ravens games, there are some things Baltimore can take advantage of.

Flacco threw for only 307 yards in two games against the Steelers this year. He threw one touchdown, was picked off twice and was sacked seven times. So it's unlikely that he will be asked to beat the Steelers this Sunday -- he'll be asked more to not make mistakes, move the chains with key third down passes and use his mobility to either prolong plays or scramble for yardage if the Steelers' pass rush fails to maintain its containment.

The Steelers have done a good job of pressuring Flacco this year, and they've done it without having to sell out their pass coverage.

BLITZ HAPPY?
The Steelers put consistent pressure on Joe Flacco, but they didn't sell out their coverage to do it.
Rushers	No. of Plays	Sacks
3	4	0
4	40	5
5	20	3
6	2	0

In fact, the Steelers have sent six pass rushers only twice in 66 pass plays -- and both of those blitzes came when the Ravens went to a five-receiver spread. Pittsburgh did mix in numerous five-man rushes, but they had nearly as much success when they relied on just their standard four-man rush.

So one thing the Ravens will have to do is block better. But that's nothing to do with scheme and all to do with execution. Scheme-wise there are some things that Baltimore can do.

1) If healthy, give Le'Ron McClain the ball.

You're likely reading a lot about quarterback Flacco and how he'll be a key to the game. He may be, but the Ravens' offense will still be built around its running game. Le'Ron McClain did as good a job as any back all season at moving the ball consistently against the Steelers. If he's healthy (and that's a big if after he sprained his ankle last week), he is the kind of back that can generate some consistent yardage against the Steelers.

He's unlikely to get many 10+ yard gains (his longest run in 39 carries was 11 yards), but the combination of McClain's willingness to lower his head and the Ravens' offensive line's bulk enabled him to grind out numerous three- and four-yard dives. Of McClain's 39 carries against the Steelers, 17 (44 percent) went for four or more yards, which is pretty impressive against a Steelers' defense that allowed a league-best 3.3 yards per carry. As impressively, not one of his carries was stuffed for a loss.

At 260 pounds, McClain outweighs the Steelers inside linebackers James Farrior and Larry Foote. While Foote and Farrior are very good at reading running plays and knifing through gaps in the line to make plays, when McClain gets up a head of steam and lowers his head, he can drive Farrior or Foote back for an extra yard or two.

If McClain can't play, the Ravens will likely lean more on Willis McGahee, which would be good news for Pittsburgh. McGahee is more likely to break free for a long gain, but he's also less likely to move the chains. McGahee was banged up in the first game, but of his 19 carries against the Steelers, only seven (37 percent) were for four yards or more, and he was stopped for a loss twice.

2) Be Unbalanced

Baltimore wasn't using its unbalanced line very often when they faced the Steelers in Week 4. But since then, it's become a regular part of the Ravens offense. When they go unbalanced, the Ravens flop right tackle Willie Anderson to the left side outside of left tackle Jared Gaither, and they often also bring in backup tackle Adam Terry (who was starting early in the season) as an extra tight end, lining them up side-by-side-by-side. On the other side of the line, tight end Todd Heap lines up essentially at right tackle.

While the Ravens' usually run out of the formation, they also are comfortable throwing out of it. Flacco was 1-for-5 for 19 yards out of the unbalanced line against the Steelers. More importantly, the Ravens have run successfully out of the formation -- 12 carries for 59 yards (4.9 yards per carry), while averaging only three yards per carry on their other 52 carries.

The Steelers haven't figured out a whole lot of counters to the unbalanced line. If they overplay to the Ravens strength, McClain and McGahee had some success cutting back to the weak side.

3) If At First

The Ravens offensive troubles in each of the first two games can in part because of their failure on first down. In two games against the Steelers, Flacco has been completely ineffective when throwing on first down, but they also didn't ask him to do it very often. On 53 first down plays, the Ravens ran the ball 37 times. Flacco was much better when throwing on second down, and was able to make some big plays when throwing on third down.

FLACCO BY DOWNS
Joe Flacco's passing against the Steelers down by down
Down	A	C	Yds	Sacks
1st	4	14	26	2
2nd	13	22	105	1
3rd	10	24	178	4
IN A RUSH
Ravens rushing against the Steelers down by down
Down	Att	Yards		Avg.
1st	37	122		3.3
2nd	23	83		3.6
3rd	3	11		3.7

But if Baltimore is going to get Pittsburgh's defense on its heels at all, it will have to take a couple of shots downfield on first down. Like they did against the Titans, the Ravens are looking to get Derrick Mason deep or Todd Heap in a seam for a big play more than they are looking for 12-play scoring drives. Some of those chances will come on first down.

But in addition to throwing deep, the Ravens should plan plenty of dump off passes to McClain and McGahee (and maybe third-stringer Ray Rice). In the first two games, the Ravens' running backs have caught more passes (10 catches for 105 yards) than No. 2 wide receiver Mark Clayton or Heap.

McClain's hands are pretty rough--he dropped a couple of easy catches against Pittsburgh, but the Steelers' tendency to drop into safe zones does leave some openings underneath. McClain had a 25-yard catch, while McGahee had five catches for 34 yards.

4) Spread Them Out

The Ravens' have one of the thinnest receiver corps in the league. Mason is a legitimate No. 1 receiver, but No. 2 Clayton is a deep threat who can disappear for games at a time (he was shut out in two games and held to one catch on two other occasions), and there really isn't a No. 3 receiver.

But when the Ravens go to a three-receiver set with one tight end, Pittsburgh consistently responded by going to its nickel defense, substituting a cornerback for nose tackle Casey Hampton while Lawrence Timmons replaced Larry Foote at inside linebacker. In the nickel, the Steelers turn Harrison and Woodley into defensive ends in a four-man front while Timmons and Farrior are the two linebackers. As good as Harrison and Woodley are, Harrison is less effective in the run game when he's lined up head-up on a tackle then when he's lined up on his outside shoulder. And Timmons is a player with more athleticism than Foote, but he's not as good in stuffing the run.

While spreading the Steelers out won't do wonders for the Ravens' passing game, it does open some holes in the running game. Willis McGahee ripped off back-to-back runs of six and 12 yards against that formation in the first meeting. That led Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau to switch up his nickel, bringing in Chris Hoke and Hampton inside and moving Aaron Smith and Travis Kirschke out to defensive end (replacing Woodley and Harrison). While that formation gave the Steelers a better run-stuffing alignment, anytime the Ravens can get Woodley and Harrison off the field, it would be a win for Baltimore, especially as that four defensive linemen front's pass rush would be extremely mediocre.

Baltimore can use its skill players versatility as an advantage. McClain is comfortable lining up at fullback, tailback or as a tight end/H-back at the line of scrimmage. Todd Heap can put his hand on the ground as a tight end, split out as a wide receiver or move into the backfield on third down to serve as a safety valve receiver or to help out in blitz pick-up. And thanks to their use of motion, the Ravens can start a play in a run-oriented set (with Heap lined up at tight end and McClain at fullback) and then motion to a pass-oriented formation with Heap split out and McClain lined up right behind him in a bunch package. But the Ravens also motioned fullback Lorenzo Neal out to a wideout position, even though Neal probably runs a 5.5 40-yard dash at this point in his career. John Harbaugh's offense likes to use motion to get favorable matchups, and it worked at times.