OTL: Concerned About Offense After Vikes D Dominates?

Welcome back, Ravens Flock. Yesterday was the second of the two joint practices in Minnesota, so we will talk about how day two went and where the team needs to improve.

Before we break down what happened, we got some expected but unfortunate news:

Veteran Ethan Pocic was slated to ramp up this coming week but Pinter had been working with the 1s this summer. Pocic is now the most likely option to replace the departed Tyler Linderbaum. https://t.co/nR2nWPIC4w

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 20, 2026

This really hurts the Ravens, and now we have to turn our attention to Ethan Pocic and Jovaughn Gwyn. This is why you sign as many good players as you can: because no matter how much depth you think you have, it will get tested. The Ravens really need Pocic or Gwyn to step up here. That becomes even more clear when we take a look at how the offense did as a whole this week.

The offense has been trailing the defense in Owings MIlls all month. That theme continued even when they lined up against a different shade of purple.

Wrapping up these two days of joint practices, I think the Ravens exit these with the same understanding as how they entered them. The defense is well ahead of the offense and that’s to be expected. We’ve seen that all summer in Owings Mills.

— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) August 20, 2026

Now, going up against probably the best defensive coordinator in football in Brian Flores may not be the best measurement, but as Jeff said, this has been an ongoing issue. While they’re still generating explosive plays to Ja’Kobi Lane and others, it seems like they are really struggling with consistency. Again, the problems seem to stem from the offensive line, and it sounds like they really had problems with Flores’s defense this week.

So the question is, how worried should we be? Honestly, I am not too concerned. I chalk much of this up to players learning a new offensive system. Declan Doyle’s offense is probably different from any other these guys have played in, so there is an adjustment period right now. Compare that to the defense: most of these players have played a similar defense before with Mike MacDonald, so while they are still learning, the curve isn’t as steep as it is on offense.

Here’s why I have confidence in the offense: Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry are still here. That’s a duo that will move the football. On top of that, Doyle is widely regarded as one of the best young offensive minds in the game. While there will be growing pains, I am confident he will figure it out sooner rather than later. Though the offense is struggling, the players have nothing but praise for the new staff.

Rashod Bateman and Ronnie Stanley were both asked about the differences between the current coaching staff and previous one.

“Everybody harps on the details,” Bateman said. “That’s not what we’ve had here.”

Stanley agreed: “(Minter) just values the finer details.”

— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) August 20, 2026

Yeah, this is what it’s all about here, man. This staff is really trying to hammer out the details with these players, and even when the results don’t match, you have to respect the process. Players need to perform, but it’s no secret that part of the problem the last couple of years is that this team has been really undisciplined. If that is fixed, then I believe a lot of the other struggles are going to sort themselves out.

So in conclusion, despite a bad camp, I am not that worried about the offense. Are you?

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