Baltimore Ravens: Breaking Down Nightmare 1st Quarter Vs. Browns

Sep 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Josh McCown (13) completes a pass against the Baltimore Ravens during the first quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

It’s hard to imagine that Baltimore Ravens fans will see anything uglier than the nightmarish first quarter against the Browns this season. How did 20-2 even happen?

The Baltimore Ravens got off to a start so bad, that it was even worse than anyone could have imagined. The Browns rolled to a 20-2 lead in the first quarter. Brent Urban’s blocked extra point earned him the title of AFC Special Teams player of the week. It also led to two points and the only positive for the Ravens in the opening quarter.

There was a lot that went wrong schematically. More than anything however, was the Ravens lack of sharp play and focus. I mean dropped passes, missed assignments and bone headed mistakes were so prevalent in this game. It seemed like the Ravens were in a fog. It was almost like a fugue state; they were there but they weren’t conscious of what they were doing. Something was messing with the psyche of this team because that kind of play is something that cannot be explained from an NFL team.

With the poor execution in mind, let’s talk about the X’s and the O’s. Today we’re going to take a look at the anatomy of the plays that made Ravens fans cringe. To move on from something as poor as the Ravens first quarter, the Ravens had to learn from it. The first quarter shaped the Ravens game plan moving forward. Here is a look at the Browns 20-2 onslaught.

Sep 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns running back Isaiah Crowell (34) runs the ball for the Browns

Breaking Down the Browns Big Plays That Put Points On The Board

The Browns got their first score against with a deep pass to Corey Coleman. The Ravens had Lardarius Webb as the deep safety in the middle of the field. Eric Weddle was in the box. The Ravens gave the Browns a cover 3 look and this is when Josh McCown had what he wanted. A one on one match up for both of his outside receivers. Corey Coleman got behind the Ravens cornerback and Webb couldn’t get over in time.

The second Browns score came on a 85 yard run by Isaiah Crowell. Crowell received a running lane that you could have driven a tractor trailer threw. Here’s how it happened. Terrell Suggs was outside of the tight end in a nine technique. Eric Weddle was off the ball just inside of him. When Suggs ran behind the play, this meant that only three defensive players mattered.

The Browns took out the Ravens defensive tackle with a double team. Now it was just Eric Weddle and Zach Orr, who could impede the running back. Orr crashed down right next to his double teamed teammate only to get blown up by a pulling guard. The tackle plowed Weddle out of the play. With a full head of steam, the Ravens never had a chance. When you break it down to the core elements, football is about blocking and tackling. The Ravens got blocked on this play, completely blocked.

You have to give Hugh Jackson credit on these two plays. He called two plays to the vulnerability of the look the Ravens presented. If Weddle wasn’t so close to the line of scrimmage, or the defensive line was aligned differently the play would not have been so frustratingly set up for the Browns. This is the danger of having eight players in the box. If they get blocked, there is nobody behind them.

The other touchdown was Corey Coleman’s speed killing the Ravens on a screen pass. When you face a speedy receiver like Coleman, this is always something you have to worry about. One way to combat plays like this is to have a linebacker cheat over in zone coverage and have the coverage roll to the speedster. Again though, this was just a great play-call that asked a speed demon to make one player miss.

Aug 27, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) stands under center as he calls a play during the first quarter against the Detroit Lions at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Offensive Miscues

When we look at the offense, the first quarter wasn’t pretty. The Ravens had three offensive drives in the nightmare quarter. The first drive ended in a punt. The second drive ended with an interception. I have watched Flacco’s first interception several times now, I cannot for the life of me figure out what he saw. Flacco forced a ball into harms way, plain and simple.

One thing that we need to see is a better job by Flacco when he is dealing with pass rush. On one third down play Flacco had a collapsing pocket. Instead of moving around and trying to make something happen, Flacco threw the ball into the dirt. This is simply the most frustrating kind of play there is. Chris Moore dropping a would have been touchdown pass is also in this category.

Marc Trestman’s play-calling was frustrating, but what’s new? One play that I’m getting tired of is that toss play. The Browns were ready for it. The Ravens only had three men to block a swarm of Browns defenders. Football is at its root a numbers game. When they know it’s coming and they have a numbers advantage to the play-side calling that toss isn’t clever. It’s bad math.

While play-calling is clearly a target area for criticism, we must acknowledge the Ravens inability to win the battle in the trenches. The Ravens offensive line got beat in this frustrating start. The Ravens rushing attack wasn’t spectacular in this game. Overall lack of performance was the Ravens biggest problem, even if the play-calling was below par.

For more of my film study notes, keep it locked to Ebony Bird. We’re still lingering in our thoughts on the Ravens battle with the Browns. Quickly we will move towards getting you ready to be the smartest fan during the Ravens battle with the Jacksonville Jaguars. It seems like the Jaguars will be motivated, an 0-3 record would put their season’s hopes in a coffin. When we do break down this game we have to remember Jacksonville is in a corner.