Longtime NFL executive Michael Lombardi, now with VSiN and “The GM Shuffle” podcast, says the Ravens have to look themselves in the mirror to figure out why they have come up short in the postseason in recent years and has a suggestion for how to better utilize the talents of quarterback Lamar Jackson.
The Ravens are 3-6 in the playoffs since winning the Super Bowl in February 2013, and their recent AFC championship game loss to the Kansas City Chiefs was similar to their 2019 divisional round loss to the Tennessee Titans in the sense that they abandoned what got them there. Ravens running backs had six carries against the Chiefs and nine against the Titans, with the team falling behind early in each game.
The Ravens, who led the NFL in rushing in 2023, ran the ball a total of 16 times against the Chiefs despite never trailing by more than 10 points.
“They panicked. I don’t know why they only ran the ball 16 times. I don’t know what they felt like they saw on the tape to want to throw it,” Lombardi said on Glenn Clark Radio Feb. 2. “They went unbalanced on one run. They got 15 yards out of Lamar on a fourth down. Then they came back, repeated the play out of a normal formation to [Gus Edwards] and he got 15 yards. And then we never saw that play again. I think clearly [Chiefs defensive coordinator] Steve Spagnuolo had their number defensively and it seemed to me they were in a rush to win the game as opposed to just playing the game.”
Lombardi pointed out that the Ravens will watch the Super Bowl from home despite their defense allowing a total of 20 points in two playoff games, with the other seven points allowed stemming from a punt return touchdown. That’s a tough pill to swallow, according to Lombardi, who recommends that the Ravens and head coach John Harbaugh perform a complete, honest analysis of why they’re losing playoff games.
Lombardi used the Chiefs as an example of a team that constantly self-evaluates and understands exactly what kind of team they need to be come playoff time. Lombardi said the Chiefs’ 20-14 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas Day was an inflection point for the team. Running back Isiah Pacheco was averaging 14.4 carries per game after that loss, but he is averaging 21 carries in the playoffs.
At this point, the Chiefs know how they have to win games and stick with it, according to Lombardi, rather than veering away from it in the biggest moments of the season.
“What they decided to do was we’re not going to hold the ball [in the pocket]. We’re going to protect our offensive line. We’re not going to lose the game with our offense by turning it over. We’re going to run the football more. We’re going to try to work the ball down the field,” Lombardi said. “… We’re going to play fast, we’re going to get the lead and we’re going to let our defense win the game.”
“That’s preparing yourself to win playoff games, and I just don’t think sometimes in Baltimore that they’ve [done] that,” he added.
Lombardi has a suggestion for an adjustment the Ravens can make with their offense. Having Jackson operate from under center more often — he has operated mostly out of shotgun during his first six years in the NFL — would give him more opportunities to move around within the structure of the offense, according to Lombardi.
Jackson was very productive operating from under center in the divisional round against the Houston Texans.
“If you go back and watch Lamar at Louisville, he was under center,” Lombardi said. “Hell, there are coaches at Louisville that say the same thing that I’m saying. I’ve watched every game with Lamar. My son [Matt] coached on that staff at Louisville. And they don’t put him under center [enough]. They don’t take advantage of the one thing that the defense has to defend, which is boots and nakeds when he’s under center. This constant being in shotgun, it limits what you do.”
The Ravens also have to get better along the offensive line after getting pushed around some by the Chiefs, according to Lombardi. Starting guards John Simpson and Kevin Zeitler are pending free agents, and Lombardi believes the Ravens have questions to answer at both tackle spots. Veterans Ronnie Stanley and Morgan Moses are both under contract for 2024 but split time with younger tackles Patrick Mekari and Daniel Faalele for much of the 2023 season.
Stanley in particular might prove to be a tough conversation for the team. The former All-Pro signed a five-year contract worth nearly $100 million during the 2020 season, but he almost immediately suffered a career-altering ankle injury. Stanley has played in just 31 of 67 regular-season games since the beginning of the 2020 season. He turns 30 in March and has two years remaining on his contract.
The Ravens would save roughly $8.3 million on the cap by designating Stanley as a pre-June 1 cut and $15 million by designating him as a post-June 1 cut. The better solution may be to ask Stanley to take a pay cut that allows him to earn the rest of his money via incentives, but that becomes tricky as well.
“If you go to the kid and say, ‘I want you to take a pay cut. I want to put all the money in incentives so you’re playing in all the games,’ what’s his motivation to do that? Go ahead and release me,” Lombardi said. “He has no real motivation to work with you. He’s not going to say, ‘I’m sorry I missed games.’ They paid him.”
“When they do that,” Lombardi continued, “the reality here becomes can he get that deal on the open market? Is someone willing to pay Ronnie Stanley what they’re willing to pay him? And that’s where the Ravens gain an advantage because I’m not sure someone’s going to pay that to a player who’s only played in 31 games over the last four years.”
For more from Lombardi, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox