Offense

1. Inside-out Attack

In basketball, teams that have a strong presence in the paint at center or power forward will pound the ball inside. Think Shaq or Charles Barkley. Once the defense starts to converge to stop the inside game, the ball gets kicked around to the perimeter for open shooters to take advantage.

Well, in football, the concept of this game plan is very similar. If the pass offense is deadly on intermediate routes, safeties start to creep inside to help out, and single coverage opens up outside.

Looking at the Bengals, they have been systematically picked apart inside-out by opposing offenses. The trend goes back to the New England game in which Tom Brady used his tight ends on seam patterns, and also drew the LBs out of position with play-action fakes.

Indianapolis also kept the assault going, as they targeted receiver T.Y. Hilton and tight ends Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen on routes that went in front of or behind the linebackers. The main point of emphasis in that game was to isolate the Cincinnati LBs and safeties, getting them to chase sideline-to-sideline. As a whole, the Bengals have been lit up by tight ends over the last three games.

The Ravens should not only get their tight ends active against Cincy’s inside pass defenders, but they also need to use their receivers, especially Steve Smith and Michael Campanaro. Campanaro has the quickness to confound the Bengal defenders on option routes underneath.

2. Heavy Formations

One of the other trends Indianapolis displayed last week was heavy use of their two and three-tight end personnel packages. The Colts were highly successful running and passing the ball out of these run-heavy looks. Play-action was a big component to their passing game, as the Bengals were too aggressive chasing the run-action downhill.

Employing this same strategy should pay big dividends for Baltimore.

In their power sets, the Ravens will be in better shape to protect Joe Flacco by using their tight ends as chippers or extra blockers as needed. The Ravens will also have the versatility to run or pass the ball without having to substitute or open up their formations.

3. Quick Steps

When the Ravens were able to make a comeback against the Bengals in their first clash of the season, it came from a quicker, more decisive passing game. Specifically, Flacco got rid of the ball off three or five step drops, and located his targets immediately as he hit his back foot.

In Gary Kubiak’s West Cost offense, Flacco’s accuracy has been dictated by his footwork, and he has consistently displayed crisp mechanics on shorter drops.

Kubiak should keep Flacco in rhythm on the three and five-step drop plays to counteract an aggressive Cincinnati front.

Defense

1. Precise Pre-snap Timing

Cincinnati may have only given up six sacks this season. But four of those sacks came last week.

The Colts found a monster-sized leak in the middle of the Bengals’ offensive line. They did a nice job of exploiting the interior blocking of Cincinnati by mixing up their inside pressures and timing their blitz right before the snap.

Baltimore has been feasting inside through the use of stunts, green dog blitzes, and delays. They’ll need to use the same repertoire of plays on Sunday, but the pre-snap timing and late movement will need to be sharper than usual to throw the Bengals off guard.

2. Beat Dalton to the Punch

Another reason why the timing of the blitz is so critical is because Andy Dalton doesn’t hold the ball for long. When he’s had enough time to detect the Ravens’ blitz before the snap, he’s done a nice job of pinpointing exactly where the rush is coming from, and where his one-one-one matchups lie.

If the blitzing defenders wait to move until the play clock is right about to expire, it’ll be more difficult for Dalton to change the play before the snap.

In addition, the Ravens need to use press coverage to impede the receivers from getting free releases. If the defenders can get their hands on the receivers, and take away Dalton’s first read, he’ll have a tougher time executing the quick game.

3. Play Fast from the Start

When the Bengals visited Baltimore, they completely caught the Ravens off guard by running the no-huddle and speeding up the tempo of the game. The Ravens were so disoriented with the fast-paced approach that they couldn’t get their substitutions in on time, and they also experienced alignment issues.

The team needs to be ready to play at a faster pace, especially with the Bengals being at home. They should have their defensive packages settled – even if that means sticking to a nickel or base look for an entire series – and minimize the amount of times they need to substitute.

One-on-One Matchup to Watch

Elvis Dumervil versus Andre Smith

Dumervil has regained his mojo as a pass rusher this season, and the bull rush is his staple move. The 5’11” rusher plays with such a low center of gravity that he’s able to consistently get underneath the pads of his opponents. In Smith, he faces a true behemoth. Smith has been having an off year as a run blocker according to Pro Football Focus. But as a pass blocker, he’s been much better. He’ll force Dumervil to work around his wide frame all day.