Desperation in the Red Zone: 49ers’ Offense Falters in Crucial Moments

Desperation in the Red Zone: 49ers’ Offense Falters in Crucial Moments

Much has been made about the Ravens stalling in the red zone the past two weeks, but itand#039;s not the only concern about the offense.andquot;Just as prominent of an issue — if not bigger — is the in-game offensive inconsistency from one quarter to the next, The Athleticand#039;s Jeff Zrebiec wrote.

The Baltimore Bannerand#039;s Jonas Shaffer noted that the offense typically gets off to a strong start and then falls off in each successive quarter.The trend continued in Sundayand#039;s 24-16 win over the Tennessee Titans in London.

The Ravens scored on five of their six possessions in the first half. They gained 126 yards on their first two drives, with wide receivers Nelson Agholor and Odell Beckham Jr. combining for four catches for 74 yards.In the second half, the Ravens were limited to just two field goals in the fourth quarter.

Beckham and Agholor didnand#039;t have a single reception after the teamand#039;s second drive of the game, Zrebiec wrote.

[Rashod] Bateman only had one reception after the first quarter. Devin Duvernay, Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar didnand#039;t get a single target.

Instead, the second half violation turned the clock back to 2021 and 2022, and that’s not very good. That meant a lot of running the ball when neither Gus Edwards nor Justice Hill were successful, and a lot of improvisation by [Lamar] Jackson with little Mark Andrews and [Zay] Flowers.

According to Zrebiec, it is not clear why the attack fluctuates as the game progresses.andquot;Are the Ravens getting too conservative in the second half of games?

Zrebiec wrote.: andquot;Are [offensive coordinator Todd] Monken and company not doing enough to counter the changes the defense is making after Baltimore’s first few struggles? Isn’t there enough effort to get targets like Bateman, Beckham and Likely more involved? Or is it more that the Ravens just don’t execute and hurt themselves with turnovers, penalties and fumbles, preventing the team from getting into a rhythm in the second half?

All seem like legitimate questions now. This Ravens offense is far from bad or broken. It just needs to figure out how to avoid those steep drops during games.

Three young Ravens defensive players who thrived in their contract year Dan Graziano looked at the league’s cheapest trades and picked one veteran trade and one rookie trade for each position. Patrick Queen was the pick of the new signings at linebacker.andquot;Regina was a first-round pick of the Ravens in 2020 and signed a four-year, $12.2 million contract as such,andquot; Graziano wrote.

This is the last year of that deal, and the Ravens didn’t exercise Queenand’s five-year option in 2024, likely because they and just signed middle linebacker Roquan Smith to a huge contract extension. They may not be able to afford to keep him, but the Queen should get a high-priced contract when he hits free agency next season. He was a very impressive man in Baltimore’s defense and currently ranks 16th in tackles (53) with 3.5 sacks.