Late for Work: How Jesse Minter 'Flipped the…

Head Coach Jesse Minter opting to take the ball first in overtime in Sunday night’s victory over the Atlanta Falcons raised eyebrows because it defied conventional wisdom.

Under the current overtime format in which each team gets a possession, it makes sense for the team that wins the coin toss to take the ball second.

Minter’s calculated decision worked to perfection.

Leaning on running back Derrick Henry, the Ravens orchestrated a 14-play, 68-yard touchdown drive that ate up seven minutes and three seconds of the 10-minute period. It forced the Falcons to use both of their timeouts to prevent the Ravens from taking even more time off the clock.

SB Nation’s James Dator said Minter “flipped the script on overtime.”

“The goal was to always choke the clock, because that would make the Atlanta offense one-dimensional,” Dator wrote. “If the Ravens could force the Falcons to have to pass in order to win, then it took away their most consistent offensive weapon in Bijan Robinson. This was compounded by the fact that [quarterback] Michael Penix Jr. was banged up on a big sack, meaning either he would need to play hurt — or Tua Tagovailoa would need to try and throw to keep Atlanta in the game. It ended up being Tua’s number, and he forced a pass on Atlanta’s second play, which was intercepted by Kyle Hamilton and sealed the game.

“All of this was possible because the Ravens had the stones to defy all logic about overtime and believe in their ability to grind out the win. It’s going to be fascinating to see if more teams study this game and try to follow suit.”

Baltimore Beatdown’s Nikhil Mehta believes other teams will indeed try to replicate what the Ravens did, but they may not have as much success.

“Not every team is as capable of executing a clock-killing drive as one with Henry in the backfield,” Mehta wrote. “It would be interesting to see Lamar Jackson under center in these scenarios; it’s almost hard for him (and Zay Flowers) to not generate explosive plays.”

On Monday, Minter explained the thought process that went into taking the ball first in overtime, saying it’s done in collaboration with Game Management Coordinator/Defensive Assistant Charlie Gelman before the game kicks off and then factors in game circumstances.

“That is such a debatable one, I would say. We certainly talk about it a lot,” Minter said. “We did feel going into that game strongly about taking the ball if it got to overtime, and it is only a couple years in now, but [we referenced] the numbers [and] the winning percentages of the teams that take the ball. Then I just felt like especially there, we just had the drive to tie it up. They are kind of in two-minute mode defense where they are trying to rush the passer and do that, and now you have to go back into normal football. We have Derrick Henry, and we have this offensive line rolling off the ball. So, it worked out, but again, it could have gone the other way. But I think we still felt really good about the decision that we made, based on all the thoughts going into the game and also how the game was going at that moment.”

Despite Rough Night in Atlanta, Mark Andrews Off to ‘Promising Start’ in Declan Doyle’s Offense

Tight end Mark Andrews had a rough night against the Falcons, as he lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown and had three potential catches punched out of his hands, including one that would’ve been a touchdown and another on a two-point conversion attempt.

The Baltimore Banner’s Jonas Shaffer put Andrews’ performance into perspective and said the three-time Pro Bowler is still a key component of the offense.

“Andrews’ ‘Sunday Night Football’ performance obscured what has otherwise been a promising start to his first season in coordinator Declan Doyle’s offense,” Shaffer wrote. “Andrews’ role in the Ravens’ passing game has changed since his All-Pro heights. That doesn’t mean he can’t be a meaningful contributor. Entering Week 6, Andrews has 22 catches for 177 yards and one touchdown, putting him on track for a 75-catch, 601-yard, three-touchdown season — and that’s perhaps a conservative trajectory, considering he’s played nearly a third of this year without star quarterback Lamar Jackson. He’s averaging 1.55 yards per route run, according to Pro Football Focus, 15th among the 30 tight ends with at least 15 targets.

“Andrews has lost some of the athletic ability that made him a credible outside-receiver threat early in his career. Injuries tend to have that effect on players in their 30s. But Andrews, 31, still has obvious route-winning chops. Against man coverage, Andrews can overwhelm most safeties with his size and physicality, and he can run by most linebackers. And against zone coverage, Andrews hasn’t lost his keen awareness for a defense’s soft spots. His first of two first-down catches in overtime Sunday came when he recognized a blitz and tweaked his route on third-and-3 to present a quick target for quarterback Tyler Huntley, who found him for a 10-yard gain.”

Shaffer said that some of Andrews’ production this season has gone under the radar.

“Notably, he has four receptions in five contested-catch opportunities, which PFF defines as plays in which the defender challenges the receiver at the catch point,” Shaffer wrote. “And his competence as a run blocker has helped make the Ravens’ multiple-tight-end sets viable in Doyle’s offense.

“According to ESPN, which uses player-tracking data to evaluate the ability of receivers to separate, catch a pass and produce after the catch, Andrews enters Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns tied with Likely for the NFL’s No. 1 “receiver score” at the position. (Las Vegas Raiders star Brock Bowers and Arizona Cardinals star Trey McBride rank third and sixth, respectively.)”

Mike Tomlin Reveals When He Stopped Calling Henry by Name

NBC Sports analyst and former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin provided context as to why he referred to Henry as “The Big Runner” rather than by calling him by his name during the “Sunday Night Football” broadcast.

“Prior to him being in Baltimore, I would call him by name,” Tomlin said on the Kelce brothers’ “New Heights” podcast, “but once he got into the division, hey, it’s like Ohio State [calling] Michigan ‘The Team Up North.’ It was a way of making a point to my football team how significant this dude’s presence was going to be in this rivalry.”

Speaking of Henry, ESPN’s Rich Eisen put him at No. 5 in his MVP rankings.

“Lamar has MVP credentials, but through the first five weeks of the season, I’m calling this guy the MVP of the Ravens,” Eisen said.

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