Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh says he wants his team to make improving their running game a priority. The Ravens recorded three rushing touchdowns in their 47-3 win over the Buffalo Bills, but they had just one in a 34-23 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals and their yardage hasn't been impressive.
The Ravens are only averaging 3.3 yards per carry, giving them the third-worst mark in the NFL. Only the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been worse this year.
From Jamison Hensley of ESPN:
“We’re not in any way pleased with the numbers,” Harbaugh said. “We are very determined to run the ball well because we think it fits our offense, and it’s something that opens everything else up. We have to get that going.”
The Ravens' first-string running back, Alex Collins, ranks 50th in the NFL in rushing this year. Last year, he finished 11th. The Ravens would like to create more production from their backs to prevent becoming one-dimensional. Lamar Jackson's 16-yard rush in Week 1 was their longest run of the season, but this shouldn't be the case. While Jackson offers an interesting dual-threat option, he is not quite ready to take the mantle from Joe Flacco.
“I think it’s going to be week to week, game plan to game plan, game to game during the game,” Harbaugh said. “There are more plays than five in the game plan for him. So, we’ll just try to do what we can do with all the weapons we have to try to put as many points up as we can. That’s really what we’re trying to do with all our guys, and I put him in the same category that way.”
The Ravens will face the 2-0 Denver Broncos in Week 3. If the Ravens can get Collins to bust off some big runs like he did last year, they will have a more well-rounded offense that should help them be more successful.
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