Todd Monken Wants to Get Ravens Offense Out of Its ‘Rut’

The Ravens’ point production has steadily declined during their three-game losing streak, from 30 points in Week 3, to 20 points in Week 4, to 10 points in their loss to the Houston Texans.

That’s a trend Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken wants to halt when Baltimore hosts the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. Lamar Jackson (hamstring) did not practice Thursday and is trending toward missing his second straight game, but the Ravens hope to play far better than last week.

“We’ve got ourselves in a little bit of a rut,” Monken said, when asked specifically about the offensive line’s performance. “It’s not just the O-line, it’s us in general. We’ve got to coach better. We’ve got to scheme it better, call it better, execute better. Everybody’s a part of that, just like we’re all a part of it when it’s really good. We’ve got to own it when it isn’t, starting with me. How do we get it done during the week that it shows up on Sunday?”

Baltimore’s inability to sustain drives has put more of a burden on the defense, which has given up the most points in the NFL. Monken wants Baltimore’s offense not only to score more points, but to run more plays.

Baltimore ran just 43 offensive plays versus the Texans and has averaged an NFL-low 50 plays per game. Last season, the Ravens averaged 62.3 plays per game.

“We can’t be off the field as quickly as we’ve been, and we’re better than that,” Monken said. “We’re better than that. We’re better coaches, we’re better players. We just need to go show it.”

An ineffective rushing attack has been a major stumbling block for Baltimore. After leading the NFL in rushing last season, the Ravens are ranked 17th heading into Week 6, and Derrick Henry has not rushed for more than 50 yards since Week 1. As one of the team’s leaders, Henry has spent part of this week reassuring teammates that the rushing attack will eventually click.

“Don’t let the circumstances dictate our future. Just stay focused,” Henry said. “We can turn this thing around and get what we want to get out of the season.”