The Sports Xchange

OWINGS MILLS, Md. –The Baltimore Ravens’ offense has gotten off to a slow start, which has forced them to abandon the running game because they often had to play from behind. Against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, the Ravens managed just 36 rushing yards on 18 carries, averaging two yards.

Starter Justin Forsett was held to 13 yards on 10 carries, which was one of his worst games since signing with the team prior to last season.

An effective running game has always been a staple of the Raven’s offense. Traditionally, this has not only taken some of the pressure off quarterback Joe Flacco, it has also kept the defense fresh.

It’s no coincidence that the team’s recent struggles have coincided with the grounded running game.

“It’s all about finishing,” Forsett said. “We’ve got to be able to finish games and finish drives on offense. We just have to look at ourselves in the mirror. We just have to find those things that we’re weak in right now and just get stronger and get better.”

Flacco said the Bengals’ defense was effective in preventing the Ravens from getting the running game revved up. It’s another adjustment the team failed to effectively make.

“Early on in the game, I mean, really the whole game, these guys played us in a two-high shell and played pretty conservative defense, and what that does is it says, ‘OK, let’s run the ball and try to get them out of that stuff.’

“If you can do that and get them out of it, then you can start getting some of your play-action plays on first and second down and getting some chunks. Even if you have to check the ball down, you usually get some yardage. What happened was we allowed them to stay in that defense the whole game.

“We still tried some stuff like that early on, but we just weren’t able to get anybody open downfield where it took so long to develop because they were getting so much depth as backers, that it was very tough to operate, and we kind of just wasted, you know, I want to say, a whole first half trying to run our offense, and we just weren’t good enough at doing it. We didn’t make them uncomfortable. We didn’t do anything to get them off of their heels.”

— Baltimore cornerback Jimmy Smith was signed to a huge four-year, $40 million contract before the season. With the big payday, he faced the expectations of becoming one of the most complete, shutdown corners in the league.

So far, he has struggled.

One week after getting beat by rookie Amari Cooper for a 68-yard touchdown on the Raiders’ opening drive, Smith got scorched by A.J. Green. The Bengals receiver caught 10 passes for 227 yards with two touchdowns, including the game-winning score with just over two minutes left in the game.

After the Cincinnati game, Smith was too upset to speak with the media. Instead, his fellow corners discussed the unit’s overall shortcomings. Cornerback Lardarius Webb said the team has enough talent to win games, but they have not executed properly.

“We know we have the right pieces.” Webb said. “But I know they’re going to look around, and they’re going to try to change up some things, find the perfect match. But I know we have the pieces – we just have to put everything together.”

Safety Kendrick Lewis said the secondary has to communicate better. There will be an increased sense of urgency for the Thursday game in Pittsburgh.

“As a secondary and a defense, we need to know how to put the fire out, how to stop people when the game’s on the line, especially here at home, Lewis said. “Unless the game says four quarters and zeroes, it’s never over, and you’re never in the clear. We know that, and we need to get better.”

— One of the biggest bright spots for the Ravens so far this season has been the play of wide receiver Steve Smith. For the second straight game, Smith was the dominant player on Baltimore’s offense and gave the team a chance to win.

Smith finished with 13 catches for 186 yards and two touchdowns. He had to receive intravenous fluids on the sideline in the fourth quarter after battling dehydration, but returned to the game.

Smith announced that he will retire at the end of the season. He certainly would like one more shot at a Super Bowl before he departs. Those odds, however, have become considerably long.

“I think you can always get better, Smith said. “There were a few plays that I’d like to have back. But you can evaluate the performances the same way you evaluate a bad performance. You have to look at it objectively and look at things you can improve on.

“That’s what I’ll do (Monday) with (wide receivers coach) Bobby (Engram). We’ll go over every single play – run play, pass play. I’ll write down most (of) what I can improve on and get better and utilize that going forward.”