If this team is going to make a run for the playoffs this season (and I still find that difficult to type), clearly it will have to play better football than it has thus far.

 

While Bortles and the passing game is the strength of this offense, I think this past game, even though a win, might be a blueprint teams will use to slow the passing game down.  There will reach a point of diminishing returns on offense unless some things can change quickly.

 

The first thing is that the running game has to pick up.  Yeldon has had the occasional nice run, but I think as a whole, the running game is not consistent enough.  I don't pin the blame on Yeldon, though watching him I get the sense he dances a little too much.  I think the team needs to be more persistent running the football, and it needs to be a little more diverse.  Perhaps the play selection is an indictment of the physicality (or lack thereof) of the left side of the offensive line, but it seems the team runs almost exclusively right.  The sense I get is we need to attack the middle and left more, and do more to establish the run earlier in games, but we may not be as physical or as effective in the running game until the guards are manned by Cann and Linder next year.

 

This, in turn will make Bortles more effective when he passes.  It will bring back play action.  The offense's ability to draw in LBs and safeties will only make Bortles more effective attacking downfield.  Doing this should make Julius Thomas more of a factor and slow down the opposing pass rush, give AR15 , Hurns, and dare I say Lee more room to attack secondaries in intermediate and deep passes.

 

Which brings me to my final point.  Thomas and Lee must be integrated into the flow of the offense.  Without them being a factor for most of the season, the passing game has produced a lot of big plays.  Bortles ranks something like second in the league in the number of 20+ yard pass plays (Brees is first, IIRC).  But there were times against the Ravens the offense bogged down, even against a defense ranked low against the pass.  A more diversified pass offense will be tougher to defend and game plan against.  Once Lee and Thomas present themselves as viable threats in whom Bortles has confidence, I think this offense will take off.

 

Your thoughts are welcome.

---