Welcome back to Loose Feathers, a regular round-up of the latest news and analysis about the Baltimore Ravens. In today’s edition, we cover the praise for Jesse Minter’s overtime strategy on Sunday night against the Falcons, Tyler Loop flashing his range, and an update on just how good Zay Flowers is this year.
Did the Ravens reinvent NFL overtime?
When Kyle Hamilton won the overtime coin toss, most expected him to announce that the Ravens were kicking off. Conventional wisdom regarding the league’s new(ish) overtime rules dictated that teams
wanted to possess the ball second so they had an information advantage. Depending on the results of the first drive, they would know exactly how many points they need to score to win or keep the game going.
The Ravens had other plans. Head coach Jesse Minter – aided by game management coordinator Charlie Gelman and others on the staff – wanted to take advantage of a tired Falcons defense that just let Tyler Huntley drive down the field in less than two minutes. Atlanta’s vaunted run defense did not hold up against Derrick Henry and Justice Hill, and Huntley had (finally) settled into a rhythm through the air.
Baltimore’s defense had also just injured Falcons quarterback Michael Penix on the final drive of regulation. He said after the game that he could have taken the field if Atlanta got the ball first. But Ravens offensive coordinator Declan Doyle executed a masterful 14-play drive that took 7 minutes (and three seconds) off the clock. In that time, the adrenaline keeping Penix’s pain at bay subsided. He threw on the sidelines, but Tua Tagovailoa instead entered the game. Kyle Hamilton took care of things from there.
Not every team is as capable of executing a clock-killing drive as one with Henry in the backfield. It would be interesting to see Lamar Jackson under center in these scenarios; it’s almost hard for him (and Zay Flowers) to not generate explosive plays. Other NFL teams will still try to copycat the Ravens’ success on Sunday night in future overtime games, which could also put the league in position for more ties.
The Ravens hacked NFL overtime to beat the Falcons – James Dator (SB Nation)
Using a heavy dose of Derrick Henry and short passing from Tyler Huntley, the Ravens executed a 14-play, 7:03-minute touchdown drive that both moved the ball all the way down the field for a touchdown, but critically forced the Falcons to use both of their timeouts, while leaving fewer than 3 minutes left on the clock.
Henry ran the ball six times on the drive, the longest pass completion was for 10 yards. So much time was taken off the clock that when Baltimore was at 2nd and goal it was almost as if the Falcons had to the let them score, just to ensure they had a chance to possess the ball.
Ben Gretch (Stealing Signals)
What happened last night is the Falcons had to use both of their overtime timeouts on defense to preserve time. They got the ball back with just under three minutes, and only the 2-minute stoppage, and it forced them to be one-dimensional.
On the broadcast, Collinsworth suggested kicking to force the Atlanta QB situation onto the field quicker. What Baltimore did attacked the Atlanta QB situation more; if Atlanta got ball first, they could’ve tried a run-based offense. They really couldn’t do that with 2:50 and no timeouts.
Setting aside the specifics of Atlanta’s QB situation, EPA models look at next-drive success, because that’s crucial in football. What I’m suggesting is missed here is when a team executes like Baltimore did last night, the opponent’s drive success takes a substantial hit because of the clock constraint…
…Anyway, Baltimore executed this brilliantly last night, and more teams should take note. Kicking off gives your opponent the ability to execute this. The Falcons didn’t necessarily run well last night, but they’ve been great on the ground in other recent games, and an alternate result last night where they had ball first could’ve been them executing a run-based offense that bled clock and put the Ravens in the situation they found themselves in, with not enough time to run a balanced offense and force to be one-dimensional and throw.
Tyler Loop’s big leg is finally showing up
NFL Week 5: Big takeaways, questions and fantasy spin from Sunday’s games – Jamison Hensley (ESPN)
Trend to watch: Ravens kicker Tyler Loop has become automatic from long range. He hit two field goals from 51 yards, improving to 5-of-5 from 50 yards or longer this season. This is a major change from last season, when Loop was 1-of-4 from 50 or longer as a rookie.
Ravens news, notes and opinions: Reinforcements on the way, Year 2 growth and Tyler Loop’s range – Jeff Zrebiec (The Athletic)
Long-distance Loop
Tyler Loop made just one of four field-goal attempts from 50-plus yards last year. While Ravens coaches consistently touted his big leg, he faltered in his limited opportunities from distance.
Through five games this year, he’s 5-for-5 from 50-plus yards, and the Ravens don’t win the Cowboys or Falcons games without his ability to come through on long kicks.
Zay Flowers’ numbers through six weeks are (still) ridiculous
Zay Flowers Is Redefining What a No. 1 Wide Receiver Looks Like – Ryan Mink (BaltimoreRavens.com)
There shouldn’t have been any questions about Flowers’ premier status after he finished seventh in the NFL in receiving yards last season. But the same tired “Is he a No. 1?” question arose when the Ravens gave Flowers a four-year, reportedly $140 million contract extension this offseason, ranking him fourth in average annual salary among wide receivers.
Flowers has put the question to bed this season. By any metric, he’s been the most productive and unguardable wide receiver on a per-snap basis in the NFL.
Flowers’ 405 receiving yards this season ranks eighth in the NFL, but he’s missed two games’ worth of snaps due to a hamstring injury. His quarterback, Lamar Jackson, has also now missed a game and a half.
Per route run, Flowers leads the NFL with 4.5 yards. When Jackson has been under center, Flowers has averaged 9.1 yards per route run (and 5.3 yards per play).
