All Ravens Tight Ends Are Becoming a Matchup Problem
Over the past two games, most plays made by the Ravens’ tight end trio of Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely, and Charlie Kolar were delivering blocks to free Henry for 350 yards and three touchdowns. But in the Bengals’ concerted effort to slow down the Ravens’ tailback, the tight end trio came alive in the pass game, and Pressbox’s Bo Smolka notes how they’re challenging opposing defenses.
“The Ravens’ tight ends continue to be a matchup problem for opposing defenses, and in multiple ways,” Smolka wrote. “Not only do they make catches, but they have been exceptional perimeter blockers this season, often wiping out smaller defensive backs to spring long runs, and they have become major decoys.”
Smolka noted their production wasn’t the only thing impacting the Bengals’ defense, but their presence, too.
“Asked this week about Andrews’ low production this season, quarterback Lamar Jackson noted that when Andrews has been double-teamed, the field opens for others,” Smolka wrote. “Indeed, in the first quarter, the Ravens faced third-and-five at their 21-yard line. Many, many times over the past five years, Jackson has looked for Andrews in that exact situation. That’s probably why the Bengals double-teamed Andrews. Instead, Jackson lofted a pass just beyond Andrews and those two defenders, to a wide-open Zay Flowers for a 26-yard gain. In the third quarter, Likely went in motion to the left, and after receiving the snap, Jackson looked that way. Then he quickly looked right and found Kolar wide-open for a 55-yard catch-and-run.”