Jamal Lewis: Ravens Run Game ‘Something Defenses Really Can’t Prepare For’

Former Ravens star running back and Super Bowl XXXV champion Jamal Lewis was in town for the Ravens-Patriots matchup Nov. 3, and he got to witness an impressive victory for Baltimore, which took down the previously undefeated New England, 37-20.

Lewis had all sorts of praise for what the Ravens were able to do against a premier squad led by head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady.

“When you play good defense and you control the line of scrimmage by running the ball consistently and getting positive yards and keep moving those chains, man, it’s just a beautiful thing,” Lewis said on Glenn Clark Radio Nov. 5. “And that’s just what they did. … You want to get your shots down the field and you want to do that, but there’s no better feeling for an offensive line and a backfield than to be able to go out and control the line of scrimmage and move those chains.”

Lewis further explained how unique the Ravens’ offense has become with quarterback Lamar Jackson under center. This season, the Ravens have a run-dominant offense, often playing out of the pistol formation and three tight end sets.

The Ravens’ run game concepts are staples of a Greg Roman offense. Roman used similar concepts with Colin Kaepernick and the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-2014. The 49ers made it to Super Bowl XLVII with Roman as the offensive coordinator.

“That’s something defenses really can’t prepare for,” Lewis said. “… If you’ve got a quarterback that can basically drop back, take off, roll out, and run the option and have that [run-pass option] choice, it’s like, how do you stop it? And you really can’t. It’s one of those things where hey, we gotta pick our battles.”

The Ravens were firing on all cylinders Nov. 3. Jackson put on another electrifying performance, going 17-for-23 for 163 yards through the air and rushing 16 times for 61 yards and two scores against the No. 1-ranked Patriots defense.

Running back Mark Ingram also had an impressive night, rushing 15 times for 115 yards. The Ravens also welcomed back receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown from injury, and he brought a spark to the offense and hauled in three catches for 48 yards.

Lewis is all-in on how dominant the Ravens offense is playing and how difficult it really is to prepare/play against.

“I think that it is hard to stop, but there is an answer,” Lewis said. “… but do you have time to prepare for that? Do you have time to go aside from what you’re used to and the other games that you have to prepare for? Are you going to go outside of what you normally do to prepare for what the Ravens are bringing? Are you going to do that and how are you going to do that?”

“Three days is not enough to prepare for this offense,” Lewis added.

Observers of the NFL are raving about the Patriots’ defense this year and have even made comparisons with the Ravens’ 2000 defense. Even though the Patriots gave up 37 points to the Ravens, the defense still has a chance to be a dominant unit throughout the season.

“… What the Ravens had to bring [Nov. 3] was really just out of the ballpark of what [the Patriots] are used to and what they’ve been practicing since training camp,” Lewis said.

For more from Lewis, listen to the full interview here:

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