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Once a team that was paced by the running game, the Ravens are now just left pacing trying to figure out how to jump-start that aspect of their offense.
The Ravens are averaging just 108.4 yards per game this season, which ranks 16th in the NFL.
Running back Ray Rice, named to the Pro Bowl last year in just his second season as a pro, only has one 100-yard rushing game on the year, and while he's still able to put together around 100 yards of total offense most weeks, much of that comes through the air.
Perhaps the most concerning number, however, is that overall, the Ravens have averaged just 3.6 yards per carry this season, which is the third-worst mark in the league. To put that number in perspective, the Ravens averaged over a full yard more per carry (4.7 yards) last season.
On his radio show last night, head coach John Harbaugh called the Ravens' efforts in the run game unacceptable, and earlier in the week, he made it known that improving that aspect of the offense will be a priority in the final four weeks of the regular season.
"We've got to find a way to run the ball better," head coach John Harbaugh said this week. "I think that's something that's really important. I'm disappointed in the fact that we haven't run the ball for a better yard-per-carry-type average. I think we're capable of doing better than that, and I think that establishes a lot of other things."
In previous seasons, the Ravens have been able to both grind out tough yards on the ground and also break big plays in the running game.
This season, they've done neither.
With the exception of the win over the Buccaneers two weeks ago, Baltimore has had trouble milking time off the clock late in games with their running game, which has made putting teams away in the final four minutes difficult.
At the same time, the Ravens have ripped off very few big gainers on the ground this year, something which Rice had no problem doing last year. (I seem to recall a decently long run against the Patriots in the Wild Card round last year.)
The issue with getting the running game going is this: Now that the Ravens have all these weapons in the passing game, everyone wants to see them utilized. If Anquan Boldin only gets one catch in a game, people will wonder why. If Derrick Mason goes a game without making a grab, offensive coordinator Cam Cameron knows he might have Mason knocking on his door asking what's up.
But there needs to be a balance between spreading it around to the Ravens' variety of receiving options and getting Rice and the running game more - and more effective - touches.
With the weather getting colder and the conditions worsening, this might be the time to lean a little heavier on the rushing attack. Hopefully, if that aspect gets some more emphasis, things will start to open up and that lowly yards per carry total will increase.
"That's the kind of football team that we believe in being, and we just haven't been able to get on track there," Harbaugh said. "That would take a lot of pressure off a lot of the other elements, so that's important."
