Total offense statistics from the 2017 NFL season explain why the Ravens are so focused on that side of the ball this offseason. Their No. 27 league ranking was nothing if not a call to action.
As a result, free agency, the draft and the local football conversation have been all about wide receivers, tight ends and quarterbacks this year, with running backs and the O-line also receiving attention.
But while the Ravens’ ability to field a better offense certainly will help determine how their 2018 season goes, I’m nagged by the suspicion that everything will still boil down to an all-too-familiar question: Can their defense stop the Pittsburgh Steelers offense when it counts?