Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens offense must double down on their secret superpower from 2024 season to make the most of 2025

One of the brightest appeals of the Baltimore Ravens with Lamar Jackson at the helm is how this football team can largely play any style of football that is required week-to-week. If the team needs to play a physical, grind it out style game, they can. If fireworks and explosive plays are required, Lamar Jackson […]

Kyle Crabbs — NFL National Writer
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One of the brightest appeals of the Baltimore Ravens with Lamar Jackson at the helm is how this football team can largely play any style of football that is required week-to-week. If the team needs to play a physical, grind it out style game, they can. If fireworks and explosive plays are required, Lamar Jackson and company are better than they’ve ever been these past two years with Todd Monken serving as the team’s offensive coordinator.

The 2024 Ravens brought a special degree of dominance to the field in one particular setting, however. And it might serve as a way for Baltimore to continue to keep opposing teams on their heels in 2025.

Baltimore did play heavier formations to lean into the physicality of running back Derrick Henry. Henry was, of course, a facilitator for such stylistic play. His arrival allowed the Ravens to play heavy without the need for a fullback and as a result Baltimore ran nearly three times as many reps in 2024 with two tight ends and just one running back on the field as they did the year prior. Patrick Ricard was still a healthy presence in the offense but did play his fewest snaps in a season since 2020.

How big with the investment into 12 personnel? Baltimore ran their second highest number of 12 personnel snaps in the last 20 years in 2024, playing with one back and two tight ends on the field 328 times throughout the course of the regular season. “Dominance” is a pretty fair start to describe its effectiveness.

Baltimore posted +96.52 expected points added (EPA) out of their 12 personnel package in 2024 — not only is that the highest EPA output for a 12 personnel package of the past 20 years, the Ravens essentially lapped the field. There have only been half a dozen teams since 2005 to post a single-season EPA of higher than +50 out of this personnel grouping.

Only 6 teams are over +50 EPA out of 12p since 2005

  1. 2024 Baltimore Ravens: +96.52 EPA (12-5)
  2. 2007 Indianapolis Colts: +76.75 EPA (13-3)
  3. 2013 Philadelphia Eagles: +58.54 EPA (10-6)
  4. 2010 New England Patriots: +57.23 EPA (14-2)
  5. 2018 Kansas City Chiefs: +52.49 EPA (12-4)
  6. 2006 San Diego Chargers: +50.33 EPA (14-2)

As the records indicate, having this much success out of the primary mismatch personnel grouping in football is a pretty good indicator of success. The elite teams in 12 personnel have the success that they do because they are naturally built to play heavy and threaten the run but boast the receiving profile at the tight end position to still put stress on the back end of defenses when it is time to air things out. Baltimore, with Isaiah Likely serving as an ascending talent, should be well positioned to stress teams equally as much out of this grouping in 2025.

All the key pieces are back but Likely’s emergence across more than 600 snaps for the Ravens last year holds a big key for the Ravens being able to fully lean into the grouping and have the needed receiving threat at the position to keep stress on base defenses against the pass. That, of course, also means more favorable blocking surfaces to run behind for Derrick Henry, too. The Ravens averaged over six and a half yards per carry out of 12 personnel last season.

If there’s an encore to be had for Baltimore’s offense in 2025, expect that 12 personnel will be the key. It’s coming off an unprecedented year in 2024 and there’s no reason to think the group will slow down now. 

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