Baltimore Ravens will be in the NFL playoffs in 2014 if…

If: The Baltimore running game can rebound from a forgettable showing. When the Ravens got hot in the 2012 playoffs, some felt it was all about quarterback Joe Flacco, who would play in four postseason games and combine to throw 11 touchdown passes without an interception.

However, while the strong-armed signal-caller deserves a lot of credit, he was far from a one-man show. In those aforementioned four playoff games, Harbaugh’s club averaged an impressive 134.8 yards per game on the ground. The Ravens totaled 539 yards rushing in those postseason victories, all but 31 of those yards from running backs Ray Rice (306) and Bernard Pierce (202).

Now fast forward to 2013 and 16 games later, Baltimore totaled a mere 1,328 yards rushing as a team, the lowest total in the franchise’s brief history which dates back to 1996. That was also the third-lowest total in the NFL this past season and less than Philadelphia Eagles’ running back LeSean McCoy (1,607) and Chicago Bears’ running back Matt Forte (1,339).

The absence of a reliable ground attack, combined with the departure of Boldin and the absence of injured tight end Dennis Pitta for the first 12 games of the season was simply too much for Flacco to overcome. The Super Bowl XLVII MVP was sacked 48 times and threw a career-high 22 interceptions. With new offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak and the addition of free agents such as wide receiver Steve Smith and tight end Owen Daniels, the Baltimore offense could be in for a big year.