Welcome to Statistical Storylines, a new column on Baltimore Beatdown with a weekly statistical breakdown of the Ravens’ last matchup, using advanced metrics to tell the story of the game.
There’s only one number that truly matters at the end of a football game: the final score. But advancements in player tracking and the creative work of the NFL’s growing analytics wing has given fans a whole new way to understand how and why their team won (or lost).
Here are the key advanced metrics from the Baltimore Ravens’ 24-29 loss to the Cleveland Browns.
3.4 yards per carry
Outside of a 39-yard run in the second quarter, Henry struggled to rip off solid gains on the ground. The Ravens offensive line struggled to move the Browns off the line of scrimmage, and condensed formations against stacked boxes only increased the traffic for Henry to navigate. His 12 touches were a season-low for just 77 yards from scrimmage, his second-lowest output since arriving in Baltimore.
25.6% pressure rate off 41.6% blitz rate
Jameis Winston tore the Ravens apart in Week 8, completing 27 of his 41 passing attempts for 334 and three touchdowns. Despite a significantly increased blitz rate from Zach Orr, Winston was dominant from clean pockets, going 23 for 32 for 257 yards and two touchdowns, per NextGen Stats. Sunday was Baltimore’s fifth game with 16 or fewer pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, indicative of their struggles to consistently pressure opposing quarterbacks this season.
11.6% play action rate
The Ravens went away from their offensive identity in Week 8, limiting Henry to just 11 carries and only dialing up play action 11.6% of the time. That’s lower than any NFL quarterback’s average this year and dropped Baltimore to 24.6% after Week 8. Unable to establish the run in the first half, Todd Monken turned away from play action, though he has previously used passes of play action to set up the ground game in the second half.
11.3 yards per attempt off play action
The Browns used the Ravens’ usual offensive script against them, completing eight of 13 attempts for 147 yards and one touchdown. Winston’s 11.3 yards per attempt off play action at a 30.2% clip let to consistent chunk gains against Baltimore’s leaky pass defense, with defenders struggling to get back in coverage after the run fake.
41.9% pressure rate, 32.6% blitz rate
It’s never good when an opposing defense gets pressure more often than they blitz. That’s exactly what happened in Week 8, largely due to eight pressures on 33 pass rushes by Myles Garrett for a 24.2% pressure rate, per NextGen Stats. Ronnie Stanley struggled against Garrett, allowing six pressures across their 26 matchups, a significant drop in the veteran left tackles play to start the year. PFF credited the Browns with 33 total pressures, including nine each from Garrett and Za’Darius Smith.
6 drops
Despite the Ravens’ struggles on both sides of the ball, they were still in a clear position to win on Sunday if not for a familiar enemy: drops. Rashod Bateman dropped a wide open target on third down that would have set up a short fourth down conversion or at least an easier field goal for Justin Tucker. Instead, he missed from 50 yards. Later, Bateman lost a deep ball in the sun on a third-and-14 in the fourth quarter. Nelson Agholor dropped a third down conversion as well, and the stone hands weren’t exclusive to the offense. Eddie Jackson dropped two would-be interceptions, and Kyle Hamilton let an errant pass by Winston that would have all-but won the game for the Ravens bounce away. Let’s hope the extra work on the JUGS machine leads to some results.