MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- The two lasting impressions from the Baltimore Ravens’ 22-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Thursday: Their scoring output has never been lower under Lamar Jackson and the former NFL MVP’s frustration level has never been higher.
A visibly ticked-off Jackson paced up and down the sideline during the struggles of the second half, flailing his arms and shouting in the direction of teammates. It was a side of Jackson fans have never really seen during his four-year NFL career.
“I was hot,” Jackson said after the game. "We weren’t scoring any points. I feel our defense played lights out, man. We just weren’t getting it done on offense. So that's why I was mad. Because if you were on offense, you would be mad, too.”
How do the Ravens rebound from their worst offensive performance under Jackson? Turn that anger into answers.
It was shocking to see Jackson and Baltimore get held under 17 points for the first time in the regular season against the NFL’s 30th-ranked defense. The same problems sabotaged the one-time highest-scoring offense in the NFL.
The players aren't panicking because the Ravens are still in first place in the AFC North, leading the Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3) by a half-game. But they also realize they won't stay on top for very long if they can't fix some glaring weaknesses.
Faulty pass protection: Giving Jackson time in the pocket has been an issue before the Dolphins’ heavy blitzes brought free runners at him. Jackson has been sacked 28 times this season, second-most in the NFL. Only Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields has been sacked more (29).
The Ravens’ coaching staff has acknowledged there are going to be sacks because of Jackson’s style of play. Just when you think he holds onto the ball too long, he can make a defender miss and run for 40 yards.
But, too often lately, Jackson is feeling pressure as soon as he drops back and then gets sacked to force third-and-long. On Thursday night, he was pressured a career-high 20 times and only produced 3.9 yards per completion against a defensive back blitz.
“We didn't handle the blitz well at all,” Harbaugh said. "The plan that we had wasn't up to par.”
The Ravens know they won’t be getting back All-Pro left tackle Ronnie Stanley (ankle). But Baltimore could soon see the return of guard Ben Cleveland (left knee) and tackle Patrick Mekari (ankle), which would upgrade the offensive line.
Third-down inefficiency: The Ravens never showed any aggressiveness or urgency on offense. At the beginning of the game, Baltimore was continually getting the ball snapped with only a few seconds left on the play clock. At the end, the Ravens refused to huddle when they were trailing and needed to be in hurry-up mode.
“It's hard to get a rhythm when you can't get started,” Harbaugh said. "You know, too many times we didn't get started, too many three-and-outs. And there was some crowd noise and things like that in terms of communication. And sometimes you have to handle blitzes and put plays together that are a little more complicated.
“That's no excuse. We just didn't handle it well.”
Baltimore was 2-of-14 (14.3%) on third downs, which was the second-worst conversion rate under Jackson. Through nine games, the Ravens rank 29th in the league on third downs (34.2%).
On Thursday night, the Ravens didn’t convert their first third down until midway through the third quarter and Baltimore was facing the NFL’s second-worst defense on third downs.
Slow starts: During Jackson’s MVP season in 2019, Baltimore led the league with touchdowns on opening drives. The Ravens are lucky these days to manage a field goal for the entire first quarter. Baltimore has been held to three or fewer points in the first quarters of seven of nine games.
In Jackson’s first three seasons, his 74.3 Total QBR in the first quarter was the sixth-best in the NFL. He threw 15 touchdowns and three interceptions in the first quarter from 2018 to 2020.
This season, Jackson has a Total QBR of 31.4 in the opening quarter, which is 23rd in the league. He has no touchdown passes and three interceptions in the first quarter through nine games.
“It's ridiculous,” Jackson said. "I don't understand it either. We just have to do a better job at that. You know, hit the ground running, like we’re supposed to do. And that starts by staying calm and just doing us. Don't put nothing extra on our minds.”
It’s unusual to see the Ravens so upset on offense. They used to score so much -- they averaged a league-best 31.2 points in 2019 and 2020 -- that Jackson would sit out the fourth quarter.
Now, Jackson is feeling the stress of trying to lead an offense that’s without Stanley, its top two running backs (J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards) and its best blocking tight end (Nick Boyle). Jackson has been held to two of his lowest regular-season point totals over the past three games (17 points against the Bengals and 10 points against the Dolphins).
"We’re not pointing no fingers in here. Not never,” Jackson said. "We’re going to get right. Got to. Trust.”
