How well the Ravens run the football will play a large role in determining how far they go.
The Ravens are averaging just 27.5 rushing attempts per game in 2025, their lowest since 2016 when they averaged 22.9 attempts. After leading the NFL in rushing yards in both 2023 and '24, Baltimore ranks fifth (136.8 yards per game) heading into its pivotal Week 14 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Having a strong rushing attack in December and January will be critical as Baltimore attempts to capture its third straight AFC North title. Head Coach John Harbaugh said the franchise's philosophy on the importance of running the football effectively hasn't changed.
"We're a running team – that's a fact," Harbaugh said. "And we are a throwing team, too. We have Lamar Jackson; we have receivers; we have tight ends; we have all that – but we want to always be a team that runs the ball and stops the run. That's been [the case] since 2008. It's not going to really probably ever change, and that's really what football is."
The Ravens are coming off a 32-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in which Derrick Henry had just 10 rushing attempts, despite averaging 6.0 yards per carry. After breaking loose for a 28-yard touchdown run on Baltimore's opening drive, Henry had just five carries the rest of the game, and none in the second quarter.
Harbaugh wasn't happy with Henry's lack of touches but said it stemmed from Baltimore's failure to extend drives and being in the two-minute offense for long periods, including at the end of the first half and the majority of the fourth quarter. The Ravens were also stopped for one or zero yards three times on first-and-10 in the first half. Second-and-10 isn't a very advantageous down-and-distance for running.
Rasheen Ali led the Ravens' running backs in snaps (29) also because Baltimore was trying to claw back from a big deficit late in the game.
"We had 21 two-minute plays. That's way too high," Harbaugh said. "I don't mind two-minute plays at the end of the half, but I'm not really fired up about two-minute plays at the end of the game because that means you're trying to come back. That explains the play distribution as much as anything. The circumstances of the game took us in that direction."
The Ravens have been held to fewer than 100 yards rushing in four of their 12 games. In 2024, that only happened once, when they had 99 yards rushing during a 35-34 victory over the Bengals.
Lamar Jackson, the NFL's all-time leader in rushing yards by a quarterback, has missed three games this season and is averaging a career-low 5.7 rushing attempts per game. Jackson (52 carries, 264 yards) may have fewer than 100 carries in a season for the first time in his career, and his longest run in 2025 is 19 yards.
Pro Bowl fullback Patrick Ricard, a devastating blocker, missed the first six games with a calf injury. However, even Ricard's return hasn't propelled Baltimore's running game to the level it's been the past two seasons. Coming off the Bengals loss, the Ravens know there's plenty they need to fix offensively.
"It was not a precise offensive performance in any way," Harbaugh said. "It was imprecise in every way, and we all know that. We're very disappointed by it, but you can't live in it. You have to move on and come out swinging the next time."
The next time is Sunday's pivotal game against Pittsburgh, a team that's had major issues stopping the run. The Steelers rank 28th in run defense and are coming off a 26-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Buffalo ran for 249 yards, the most rushing yards the Steelers have allowed since 1975.
However, the Bengals were also struggling defensively before facing Baltimore. Pro Bowl left tackle Ronnie Stanley knows it's crucial for Baltimore to find a winning formula offensively, and running the football more effectively is part of the equation.
"We got Derrick going [against Cincinnati] and he rushed for a touchdown early on," Stanley said. "I think we just have to keep it going and keep the momentum going, and we make sure that's our identity, and we have to make it work."
The Ravens revved up their ground game at the end of last season, with Henry averaging 143.4 yards and 6.3 yards per carry over the last five games. Two of those games were against the Steelers, in which Henry rumbled for 386 yards and two touchdowns.
Stanley believes the Ravens have the tools necessary to craft performances like those, starting with Sunday's matchup.
"I can't speak to one thing in particular, but I just know that I believe and I'm confident that we're going to figure it out," Stanley said. "I know we are, because I'm going to make sure that this offense gets going the way it's supposed to be."
