Ravens need more offensive firepower to end playoff drought

The Baltimore Ravens have missed the playoffs just three times in John Harbaugh’s nine seasons as head coach. Unfortunately, all three of those absences have come in the past four seasons. They’ve been to the postseason just one time since winning Super Bowl 47 four years ago.

Last season was at least an improvement on 2015, when the Ravens scuffled to a 5-11 record. However, the team still wasn’t good enough to get back into the playoffs, as it was eliminated from contention by a heartbreaking loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 16. Baltimore ultimately finished 8-8, plagued once again by an anemic offense.

The Ravens were No. 21 in points scored and No. 17 in yards gained, despite the presence of big-play threats like Mike Wallace and Breshad Perriman. Baltimore’s running game was also stagnant, ranking No. 28 in rushing yards. If the Ravens hope to re-establish themselves as AFC contenders again, they need considerable improvement on this side of the ball.

The good news is that Flacco started all 16 games in his comeback from a torn ACL. He also set a career high with 4,317 passing yards, a misleading stat. Flacco made a staggering 672 pass attempts, while averaging just 6.4 yards per throw. It was all dink-and-dunk, all day, with the occasional bombs to Wallace. Flacco also threw just 20 touchdowns to 15 interceptions and put up an 83.5 QB Rating in a generally uninspiring year.

Now 32 years old, it’s pretty obvious at this point that Flacco isn’t elite, but the Ravens need him to be better than he was last season. Perhaps he’ll be closer to 100 percent now that he’s a full year removed from the ACL surgery, but Flacco is slowly running out of excuses as he starts to age out of his prime. The Ravens are in trouble if he’s actually starting his decline phase earlier than expected.

Flacco isn’t lacking for a supporting cast, but most of the running backs and receivers have question marks of their own.

Terrance West emerged as the starter, leading the team with 774 rushing yards, but averaged just 4.0 yards per carry. A 2014 third-round pick, West has the makings of a late bloomer after brief stints with the Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans, though consistency has been a major problem throughout his career. Kenneth Dixon showed flashes of promises in his rookie year, but he didn’t quite do enough to supplant West and will be serving a four-game PED suspension to start the season.

With Dixon unavailable for a quarter of the year, the Ravens signed Danny Woodhead to be West’s primary complement in the backfield. Woodhead is one of the best pass-catching running backs of the decade, but he’s now 32 and plagued by injuries in recent years, playing just 21 games in the past three seasons. Still, Woodhead figures to play a prominent role in the offense as long as he stays healthy.

The passing game is also dealing with injuries and retirements. Steve Smith rode off into the sunset, while tight end Dennis Pitta was released after suffering a possible career-ending hip injury. Breshad Perriman missed his entire 2015 rookie year with a knee injury and didn’t contribute much last season, putting up just 33 catches for 499 yards and three touchdowns.

The good news is that Baltimore took advantage of the Kansas City Chiefs’ poor salary cap management, signing Jeremy Maclin after he became a cap casualty in June. Maclin has injury concerns of his own, but the 29-year-old is just a season removed from hauling in eight touchdowns and 1,088 yards on 87 catches. He’ll be playing out of the slot position with Perriman and Mike Wallace on the outside, which makes for a formidable WR trio if everyone stays healthy and plays up to their potential.

The Ravens offensive line was an above-average unit, coming in ninth on Pro Football Focus’ rankings, but is facing some changes in the rotation this season. The big headliner, as always, is Marshal Yanda, possibly the best guard in football even at age 32. He earned his sixth straight Pro Bowl appearance last year, and although he’s recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, Yanda should be healthy in plenty of time for the regular season.

Last year’s first-round pick, Ronnie Stanley, had some struggles at left tackle but is young and got better as the season went on. Two positions are of major concern, though — starting center Jeremy Zuttah, a Pro Bowler last year, got traded to the San Francisco 49ers, while right tackle Ricky Wagner signed with the Detroit Lions in free agency. Aside from fourth-round guard Nico Siragusa and fifth-round tackle Jermaine Eluemunor, Baltimore didn’t make any major offseason moves on the line, so the starting lineup likely won’t be settled until deep into training camp.

Overall, there are things to like about this Ravens offense, but it didn’t all come together last season and the Ravens won’t be serious contenders again until it does. Fortunately, the other side of the ball looks like it’ll be just fine.

Though not quite as stout as in years past, the Ravens’ defense is still really good, and the team made some significant investments in the offseason. Last year, they were seventh-best with 20.1 points allowed per game and sixth-best in DVOA.

Terrell Suggs came back from a torn Achilles and still made plays at his advanced age, putting up eight sacks and three forced fumbles. He’s now recovering from a torn bicep, but the 34-year-old is expected to be ready for the season. Brandon Williams is one of the best nose tackles in the league and got rewarded with a huge five-year, $52.25 million extension that includes $33.75 million in guaranteed money.

Safety Eric Weddle came over from the San Diego Chargers and continued playing at a high level, even at the ripe age of 32. Linebacker C.J. Mosley got his fifth-year option picked up after yet another strong season. From front to back, this Ravens defense is stocked with top-tier talent, just like it is most seasons.

But the Ravens weren’t content riding with the same band. They were surprisingly aggressive upgrading this unit in the offseason, handing out big-money contracts and spending lots of draft picks on defense. Tony Jefferson (four years, $34 million) should bring stability to a safety position that’s been in flux ever since Ed Reed left town and Matt Elam busted as a 2013 first-round pick. Cornerback Brandon Carr (four years, $23 million) will give the team a solid No. 2 starter next to Jimmy Smith, while Lardarius Webb is always a welcome veteran presence in the secondary.

In the draft, the Ravens selected defensive players with their first four picks, headlined by first-round cornerback Marlon Humphrey. The Alabama product won’t be pressured to start right away, with Smith, Carr, and Webb all ahead of him on the depth chart, but he’s an intriguing long-term prospect and the Ravens’ pick got a solid “B” grade from SB Nation’s Dan Kadar.

Baltimore also addressed linebacker in the draft following Zachary Orr’s unexpected retirement, taking Tyus Bowser in the second round and Tim Williams in the fourth. They also traded away defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan to the Philadelphia Eagles, getting a third-round pick that they used on defensive end Chris Wormley. All three men could end up being early contributors depending on how they perform in camp.

No matter what else happens with the team, defense is GM Ozzie Newsome’s bread and butter, and that was no different this offseason. An already strong unit got reinforcements and plugged holes at positions of need, which should make the defense even more fearsome next season.

After spending the better part of a decade in the NFL’s upper echelon, it’s strange to see the Ravens wandering in the wilderness like they have in the past few years. Newsome is one of the best GMs in the game and Harbaugh remains a top-notch head coach, so one has to think the Ravens’ slump won’t be lasting much longer.

The big question for 2017 is whether the Ravens have done enough to get past the Steelers, who are hard at work rebuilding the Steel Curtain and still have an explosive offense. Even the Cincinnati Bengals look improved after investing into a speedier attack in the offseason. This division remains as deep and fiercely competitive as ever, so the Ravens can ill-afford any slipups no matter how minor.

If Baltimore manages to survive its division on top, then there’s no telling how far the team can go in January. The 2015 Denver Broncos provided the blueprint for an elite defense carrying an average offense to the Super Bowl, and the Ravens are clearly trying to emulate that model. But first, they need their offense (and Flacco in particular) to rise back up to an acceptable level before they can think about selling playoff tickets again.