There's nobody in the NFL quite like Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.
There are mobile quarterbacks, but they don't have that kind of agility and speed. His unicorn nature is why Vikings coaches enter Sunday's game in Baltimore having slightly altered the pieces at practice.
Vikings rookie quarterback Kellen Mond ran for 1,609 yards at Texas A&M. While Mond has been the scout-team passer this week, running the Ravens' unusual NFL playbook for the Vikings defense, the Vikings at times swapped Mond out for defensive backs Parry Nickerson and Tye Smith. They're the faster athletes, and theoretically tougher to catch in the open field as the team prepares for Jackson, the 2019 NFL MVP.
"We can't really replicate his speed," co-defensive coordinator Adam Zimmer said. "You do the best you can."
Jackson makes possible a multiple option-based system that isn't seen often in pro teams that don't lead with the quarterback as the rushing weapon.
"In college, I had to defend it a lot. But in the NFL, none," co-coordinator Andre Patterson said. "That's what's unique about Baltimore. I'll give you a perfect example. In college football, you know, when people get ready to play Army, or get ready to play Navy, or get ready to play Air Force, that's a tough week of practice for that team. Because you're trying to figure out how you fit up all these different types of options. To get all that done in a week is difficult."
"That's what you have with Baltimore," he added. "The other thing that makes it difficult is then they come back and run regular pro football run plays at the same time, so you're trying to defend two different styles of runs throughout the course of the game."
1. Jackson, likely entering/in his athletic prime at 24 years old, spearheads the Ravens' option attack that throws back to college for most NFL coaches. And Jackson is not afraid to go right through the middle of the defense. He can quickly accelerate to top speed, reaching 21 miles per hour on a 37-yard run last season, per NFL's Next Gen Stats.
The Ravens weren't blown out of their most recent game, a 41-17 loss to Cincinnati, until the second half when the defense allowed four touchdowns and the offense sputtered. Baltimore tied the game at 10-10 in the second quarter while leading with Jackson, who had eight carries for 63 yards before halftime.
They call a quarterback lead option for Jackson on this third-and-2 play below. Jackson (#8) will take the handoff from the pistol formation and run behind pulling guard Ben Powers (#72), who becomes a key block on this play. Jackson has the option to pitch wide to the running back, the threat of which keeps Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt (#57) wide and opens a lane.
With Powers (#72) pulling, an extra gap is created as Bengals linebacker Markus Bailey (#51) defends outside the farthest lineman, which becomes Powers, whom Jackson sneaks behind and shoots through the hole for 16 yards with incredible acceleration. Notice the Ravens left tackle blocking to his right, while the rest of the line goes left, pinching the D-line while Powers leaves to lead block.
"Once you start adding pullers, and flashers coming back wanting to give you extra blockers," Patterson said, "you have to gain extra guys over to have enough."
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2. Baltimore also leads with Jackson in the zone read, which can typically see the running back handling the dive and the quarterback running wide. On this first-and-10 against Indianapolis in Week 5, Jackson keeps the ball on the dive and follows two pulling blockers. Strong edge play by Colts linebacker Darius Leonard (#53), and perhaps a missed hole to Jackson's left, keep this to what's really a defensive win at a 4-yard gain.
Indianapolis had just seen this formation from Baltimore on a 17-yard throw to Ravens tight end Mark Andrews. The Colts play off coverage, leaving six defenders in the box on seven Ravens as you have to account for the quarterback as a threat. This means Colts safety Julian Blackmon (#32) is ready to close quickly on the run.
"We need to get the safeties involved and the corners involved in tackling [Jackson]," Adam Zimmer said. "It's got to be an all-11 effort, as far as stopping this team."
Jackson (#8) reads the unblocked, backside defensive end (circled in orange). The defender stays wide with the running back, so Jackson keeps it and follows his blockers. Leonard (#53) does a great job of spinning off the block and back to Jackson. The Vikings will need linebacker Anthony Barr, and defensive ends Everson Griffen and D.J. Wonnum, among others, to also play well on the edges.
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3. The Ravens can also scheme up an explosive passing game off the run, especially because they also have burner speed at receiver. Marquise Brown (#5) and Devin Duvernay (#13) are two of the fastest in the game. It's seemingly why Ravens coaches used them as vertical threats to spring free former Gopher Rashod Bateman (#12) for this 35-yard catch against the Bengals.
On second-and-9, the play starts with a play-action handoff and spin around from Jackson. He'll have a seven-man protection thanks to the pre-snap motion, giving him enough time to find Bateman (#12) deep underneath Brown (#5) and Duvernay (#13).
The Ravens' play design stretches the Bengals' apparent zone coverage, which is deployed to try to keep a lid on explosive passes like this. Notice the play-action handoff causing brief hesitation by Bengals linebackers, giving Bateman a runway to take his route well past.
Jackson had time here with seven blockers vs. four rushers. But perhaps the Vikings can still keep up a pass rush in Baltimore without Danielle Hunter. The Ravens' pass protection has been a weak spot so far, with tackle Ronnie Stanley and rotational guard Ben Cleveland on injured reserve. Jackson has already taken 21 sacks — including five by the Bengals — in seven games. Only five passers have been sacked more.
