Slants and Screens
Speaking of the Ravens, when Golden met the media Monday, he was asked about the two game-changing runs on Sunday by Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
On what amounted to the last play, the third-and-15 conversion run for 17 yards that killed the clock and denied Joe Burrow another shot, Golden said he dialed up the same defensive line stunt that forced Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson to fumble inside the Baltimore 5 for the first of the Ravens’ five turnovers on Thanksgiving Night.
It came after Golden called two all-out zero blitzes, the second one sacking Allen and causing him to nearly fumble.
“It ended up playing like a draw, so we wanted to distort that,” Golden said. “That was my feeling going into the down that it was going to be a screen, a draw, something to that effect. A little bit more conservative than what they did on second down, which obviously we almost got the ball out.
“Certainly hindsight you could call something else, but I believe in the front and I was hoping for the same result we got last week against Lamar in a very similar situation. Third and longer. They didn’t block our D-End (Ossai). (Allen) pulled the ball down and took off so they didn’t even block it correctly or anything. So it was unfortunate we didn’t even make him stay in the pocket. They slid the protection, didn’t block the end and got out real quick, which was unfortunate for us.”
On Allen’s 40- yard scramble touchdown on second-and-10 that cut the lead to 28-25 with six minutes left, Golden lit up the Bills with a blitz and Allen ran through it as the perimeter opened.
“We … really felt like it was a good call. We were gapped out, and we just got a little high on the edge and created a crease, which was unfortunate,” Golden said. “I thought we were going to get them in a third and really long there, which would’ve been critical at that point in the game … when you do that, you can’t miss, we can’t miss our opportunities. We’ve got to close there.” …
Naturally, Golden isn’t happy with the results. But he thinks his unit has improved when it comes to reading and reacting.
“Right now, we’re playing fast. There’s not a lot of confusion with our guys and obviously the offense challenges that, that’s what they’re designed to do,” Golden said. “We said everything we needed to say pre-snap. Our communication was great.” …
He turned to Allen’s unworldly 11-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-three, where defensive tackle B.J. Hill had him going to his right headed toward the sideline, and wide receiver Khalil Shakir was blanketed by rookie linebackers Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight Jr. and safety Geno Stone.
Golden wouldn’t change the call or how he taught it. Maybe if someone had put a hand in the air. But, still, everyone was where they should have been and in coverage.
“I see a lot of that. I see a lot of that on film yesterday,” Golden said. “We just have to eliminate the five plays of 20 yards or more. One was a 40-yard scramble when we’re gapped out. So that can’t happen. We’ve got to make that stop. But I don’t want the 32 plays of four yards or less to be erased.” …