Can the Chiefs correct early season issues against Ravens?
Comparing the Chargers and Ravens offenses
As Los Angeles operated around an unexpected start from their rookie quarterback, most of the play calls were centered around making his life easier. One way to do that is with an effective run game. Running backs Austin Ekeler and Joshua Kelley ran the ball for a combined 39 attempts. The overall offense ran for 183 yards on the Chiefs defense.
The concerning aspect about the Week 2 outing was that the Chargers went against the grain of the majority of the NFL and ran heavier packages from shotgun and pistol. They proceeded to lean heavily on outside zone blocking, attacking cut back lanes with their running backs, which has proven effective against the Chiefs defense.
Doing so forced Kansas City to play more base packages on defense. To counter the outside zone, the defensive line must be disciplined when holding their gap, and linebackers have to read and flow to their gaps to plug up any cutback lanes for the running back. If you have been watching Chiefs football over the last several years, that has not been the case.
Against the Chargers, injuries and suspensions only made this problem more glaring. Clark does an outstanding job of holding the edge against the run. He left the game with an illness in the second half. Cornerbacks Charvarius Ward and Bashaud Breeland don’t receive the credit they deserve when attacking the run game from the outside. Without Mike Pennel in the middle of the defensive line next to Derrick Nnadi, the cutback lanes are massive.
The interior of the Chiefs line, outside of Nnadi, was consistently attempting to penetrate the backfield in Week 2. That’s the style of play you get with Chris Jones. Unfortunately, that can also hurt you when the offense attacks that aggressiveness by attacking the gap that the penetrating lineman vacates. Without linebackers who are quick and physical enough at the point of attack, it ends up in chunk plays—not to mention the poor tackling that we witnessed.
Baltimore’s offense uses the same concepts and packages as the Chargers and enjoy an even higher rate of success. The identity of that team is running the ball from shotgun and pistol, with an even better athlete at quarterback to exploit run options and heavy personnel packages. The Ravens have thrown the ball less than any other team over the first two weeks.
The offensive line took a hit when All-Pro right guard Marshall Yanda elected to retire after last season, but the run game has continued to thrive. Despite the offensive line ranking 13th in run blocking win rate, according to ESPN, the Ravens are fourth in rushing yards. Running backs, including Mark Ingram II, J.K. Dobbins, and Gus Edwards, brings an even more significant threat to the Chiefs defense Monday night.
It will be interesting to see how Pennel looks in his first game of the season and how often he is on the field. While the passing game has been better so far for Baltimore as Lamar Jackson continues to improve, the Chiefs have proven they can shut down their passing attack. Taking away the middle of the field and forcing Jackson to throw outside the numbers proved successful in 2019.