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Factoid

Ravens running game

Baltimore stalls on the ground

For much of the 2013, we all waited for the Ravens running game to come around and produce at its usual level. It just didn't happen -- not at all.

Two months after the end of the season, I am still shocked at how bad Baltimore’s running game was last season. These were the defending Super Bowl champs, right? With the one-two punch of Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce in the backfield?

Since John Harbaugh showed up there, Baltimore has done nothing but pound opponents with the run – 4th, 5th, 14th, 10th and 11th in rushing the previous five years. When Baltimore went on its Super Bowl run in 2012, it was with the running game leading the way. In their final nine games last year, they averaged 130 rushing yards.

But it all fell apart last year. Rice and Pierce didn’t seem to run with the same speed/pop, and the offensive line definitely slipped badly.

Only two teams ran for fewer yards, and the Ravens averaged only 3.1 yards per carry. The running backs actually finished down at 2.9 per attempt.

In yards-per-attempt, Baltimore not only ranked last in the entire league, but it had the lowest figure by any team since San Diego in 2000. That was the year before the Chargers selected LaDainian Tomlinson and Drew Brees in the draft.

LOWEST RUSHING AVERAGES SINCE 2000
YearTeamAttYdsAvg
2000San Diego Chargers35110623.03
2013Baltimore Ravens42313283.14
2007Chicago Bears42313303.14
2005Arizona Cardinals36011383.16
2002Houston Texans42413473.18
2006Arizona Cardinals41913383.19
2000Cleveland Browns33610853.23
2001Cleveland Browns41713513.24
2007Kansas City Chiefs38312483.26
2000Carolina Panthers36311863.27
2000New England Patriots42413903.28
2009San Diego Chargers42714233.33
2013Jacksonville Jaguars37812603.33
2003Pittsburgh Steelers44614883.34
2003Tennessee Titans48616233.34
2001Tampa Bay Buccaneers40713713.37
2005Green Bay Packers39813523.40
2003New England Patriots47316073.40
2012Arizona Cardinals35212043.42
2006Baltimore Ravens47616373.44

—Ian Allan

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