The Baltimore Ravens run the ball very well. They rushed for 265 yards in their 59-10 season-opening win over the Miami Dolphins. They were second in the league in rushing a year ago and, once Lamar Jackson was named starting quarterback at midseason, they ran the ball at record rates.
One of the Ravens’ key additions was running back Mark Ingram, formerly of the New Orleans Saints. They have a difficult scheme to defend, one that will challenge the Cardinals defense at all levels.
“It’s a combination of power football, a little bit of Wing-T, a little bit of zone read and once you add Lamar Jackson’s ability to run, it becomes difficult,” Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said on Thursday.
“They have so much run game and it’s not all outside,” Joseph said. “It starts with Ingram, in my opinion. He’s a downhill runner. It’s power. It’s stretch, so it’s traditional runs from the pistol and from the offset formation.”
But that isn’t all.
“Then they throw in the zone-read stuff and the Wing-T motions and shifts, so it’s a difficult, difficult run game,” he added.
What do the Cardinals defenders have to do to stop it, especially considering no team has really been able to do that?
“We have to do our jobs,” Joseph said. “It’s like playing option football, like playing Navy or Army. It’s assignment football.
“It won’t be easy for us.”
Each player will have to stay within himself to defend Baltimore’s running game. The Cardinals gave up more than 100 yards against the Detroit Lions but limited their yards per attempt. If they can’t contain Baltimore, it will be a long game.
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