One important and obvious tweak could lift the Ravens' offense into unstoppable territory

"I love it when a plan comes together." The always wise words from one of the great thinkers of the 80s, the A-Team's Hannibal Smith. That doggone Hannibal. He always had a plan, and so did John Harbaugh and his Baltimore Ravens.

When things got off to a shaky start this season, no one panicked. They maintained course, even when it seemed as though drastic changes were necessary.

No one was fired, especially not John Harbaugh, though that was indeed suggested. Even after a 1-5 start, it never seemed like the Ravens were out of contention. It certainly never felt like they couldn't catch the rival Pittsburgh Steelers.

All Baltimore needed to do was heat up. All they needed the Steelers to do was to cool off and struggle. Both sides played their roles perfectly, and here we sit after 11 weeks. Both sides own identical records (6-5), but the Ravens are technically in first place by virtue of a better record vs. AFC North competition.

The Ravens control their own destiny now, and if they can tweak a few things, every goal is still in front of them. One of the significant tweaks is evident as all eyes shift to Todd Monken.

The Ravens must fix their red zone offense.

Offensive playbooks evolve, and defenses adjust. That also seems to be the case in 2025. Baltimore scored seemingly at will early this season, but the Ravens have fallen on hard times in Weeks 10-12. Todd Monken's offense has led the team to 23 points or more in each of the past three contests. Still, they sputtered in the red zone, and that can't continue if this team wants to hang another Super Bowl banner.

Zach Orr's defense was the early culprit during some tough early losses to swallow, but now they're leading the way. The Ravens offense hasn't gained consistent traction, and part of the reason is that they aren't scoring touchdowns when they enter the opponents' 20-yard line as often as they would like.

Last season, the Ravens converted red-zone visits into TDs 73.97% of the time. That ranked first among all 32 NFL teams. Entering Week 12, they were only scoring TDs in the red zone 47.22% of the time. That ranked 28th among all 32 teams. You do the match.

If Baltimore wants to upend the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs in January, that number has to rise. Yes, there is more to the story. Yes, the offensive line must do its part to clear holes. Yes, there are so many components that contribute to red zone efficiency.

Still, this squad has the horses and intelligent coaching. They never doubted their ability to turn things around. Why should anyone else? Emory Jones is finally in the lineup. Right guard Daniel Faalele and left guard Andrew Vorhees have to begin winning their reps.

This team is close, and the entire season so far has been a learning curve. Lessons learned have helped address a sudden rise and should continue to do so. We aren't saying anything the Ravens don't already know. Something special is brewing with this Ravens team. Something tells us that there are still a few surprises waiting.

This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: An obvious tweak that could push the Ravens' offense into overdrive