There's no question an inconsistent-at-best offense has been a significant reason the Ravens have slipped behind the NFL curve and into the league's mediocre mid-pack.
In the team's 21-year history, it has scored more than 400 points in a full regular season once -- 409 in 2014, the Ravens' only post-Super Bowl XLVII playoff berth -- in an era that regularly sees anywhere from eight to 10 teams do that every year.
But another causation of the team's decline in recent years could be its continued use of the 3-4 defense.
Despite the fact the Ravens have fielded some solid individual defensive linemen in recent years, such as Brandon Williams, Timmy Jernigan and Arthur Jones, that side of the ball has worn down drastically during the latter part of the last two seasons.
