OWINGS MILLS — The Ravens are moving the ball, but having difficulty scoring points.
Entering the Week 3 game against the Dallas Cowboys, the Ravens are ranked No.1 for total offense with 417.5 yards per game. Baltimore also has the seventh-ranked run offense (168.0 yards per game), and the No. 4 pass offense (249.5 yards per game).
However, the Ravens are ranked 14th in scoring with 21 1/2 points per game. Baltimore has not been able to keep pace in losses to the Chiefs and Raiders in the first two weeks, but offensive coordinator Todd Monken is confident the offense is close to breaking out.
“It’s [been] two weeks. I’d hate to think this is what we’re going to be the whole year, and it’s a small sample size, for us and them,” Monken said. “Obviously, it’s a big part of winning football games … scoring touchdowns in the red zone. We’ve been pretty good there. A few times, we’ve ended up in two-minute [situations], down on the clock a little bit, but, obviously, it’s a huge emphasis for us.
“They understand that, in terms of winning games, so when we get down there, we expect to score … It’s not just them; it’s anybody we play.”
The Ravens should have an opportunity to run the football Sunday against the Cowboys, who allowed 190 yards rushing to the New Orleans Saints last week.
The Ravens added three-time Pro Bowler Derrick Henry and he is off to an uneven start, Henry is second on the team with 130 yards rushing on 31 carries with two touchdowns, but he ran well in the second half against the Raiders.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson is still Baltimore’s biggest threat running the ball and has 167 yards in on the ground on 21 carries. Jackson’s focus this week is to get an inconsistent offense to play with consistency.
That means cutting down on penalties and finishing strong in the fourth quarter after blowing a 10-point lead against the Raiders with 12:11 left in the game last Sunday at home.
“We’re starting the season off slow, but I believe the guys in the locker room, we know what we want to do when we go out there Sunday, and we know we’ve been busting our behinds each and every game,” Jackson said. “It’s like we’re coming up short, but I feel like at the end of the day, we’re beating ourselves, somewhat, because its penalties killing us and the [mental errors] we’re doing.
“Even me, making the missed throws, we just have to fix those little things, and I feel like we’re going to win our games like we’re supposed to.”
