PI Finds: Ravens Don’t Relish the Red Zone
Posted by Neil Paine on November 23, 2009
The Baltimore Ravens can't buy a red-zone touchdown these days -- against the Colts on Sunday, they had four chances from inside Indy's 20, and four times they came away with nothing so show for it. This isn't a new development, either; since they scored two red zone TDs against the Patriots on October 4th, they have scored just 5 total TDs from inside the opponent's 20 in their past 6 games:
| G# | Date | Opp | Result | Qtr | Type | Dist | Scorer | Passer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 10/18/2009 | MIN | L 31-33 | 4 | Passing | 12 | Derrick Mason | Joe Flacco |
| 7 | 11/1/2009 | DEN | W 30-7 | 4 | Passing | 20 | Derrick Mason | Joe Flacco |
| 7 | 11/1/2009 | DEN | W 30-7 | 4 | Rushing | 7 | Ray Rice | |
| 8 | 11/8/2009 | CIN | L 7-17 | 4 | Rushing | 2 | Ray Rice | |
| 9 | 11/16/2009 | CLE | W 16-0 | 3 | Rushing | 13 | Ray Rice |
Perhaps most damning is the fact that they only scored 1 red zone TD (in two trips) against the miserable Browns, the NFL's 4th-worst scoring defense and its 2nd-worst D by yards per play allowed. Through the New England game they had scored 12 red zone TDs in four games, but they've sputtered badly of late once they get in the shadow of the opponent's goal posts, as Flacco's QB rating (a healthy 89.1 across all situations) is just 66.5 in the red zone. Compare that with Kurt Warner (110.3 red zone rating), Drew Brees (106.4), Peyton Manning (96.4), Tom Brady (95.8), Eli Manning (94.8), or even David Garrard (85.0), and it's easy to see why the Ravens aren't putting the necessary points on the board when they get close to the opponent's end zone. With their hopes of a return trip to the playoffs slipping away (they're 2-5 since beating Cleveland on September 27), Baltimore will have to start finishing their drives or the season could quickly become a bust.