Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator DeClan Doyle did not duplicate the dynamic strategy he displayed in the Week 1 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Instead, Doyle's offense leaned heavily on the pass, which ultimately left his starting quarterback, Lamar Jackson, pummeled and the Ravens' defense out to dry in a 24-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints.
The Saints gave up 159 rushing yards to Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs on Sept. 13, so Doyle was expected to dedicate Sunday's snaps to superstar running back Derrick Henry. Yet Henry only rushed for 16 attempts; Jackson had 10 incompletions, an interception, and was sacked three times that afternoon. Furthermore, Doyle did not script a strategy that allowed the Ravens to win the time of
possession, which favored the Saints by roughly five minutes.
Doyle's counterpart, Saints head coach Kellen Moore, also did not allow the Ravens' defense to capitalize on turnovers but instead used attrition to wear down the opponent. Doyle's scheme ultimately bit the dust in front of M&T Bank Stadium fans, who were forced to watch his offensive disaster in the second half.
For reference, the Ravens scored just three points in the final 30 minutes of game time against the Saints. After scoring 41 points against the Indianapolis Colts in week one and using Henry on 24 of the team's combined 37 rushing attempts in that game, Doyle drastically changed in week 2. Hopefully, Doyle will use introspection to analyze his questionable offensive decision-making, as his tactic clearly spoiled the team's quest to head into week three undefeated.
This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Did DeClan Doyle divert from Derrick Henry in a loss to the Saints?
