ExtremeRavens Posted November 4 Posted November 4 The Ravens call it progress. Despite struggling at times and allowing 319 yards of total offense to rookie quarterback Bo Nix, the Ravens played better than a week ago when they surrendered 401 yards of offense to the Cleveland Browns. And then there is this little matter of the score. The Ravens were embarrassed in a 29-24 loss to Cleveland but routed the visiting Denver Broncos, 41-10, on Sunday before a crowd of 71,051 at M&T Bank Stadium. At this point, an inch of progress is important. A blowout win is even more vital. There was a difference in how the Ravens approached and played the Broncos on Sunday. Despite having a defensive line decimated by injuries, the Ravens were physical up front with both Chris Wormley and Josh Tupou, both activated from the practice squad for the game at the start of the week. As the game wore on, Nix became more frustrated and less effective. The former Oregon and Auburn standout and 2023 Heisman Trophy finalist completed 19 of 33 passes for 223 yards and finished with a passer rating of 65.6. The Ravens have had their struggles this season, but they didn’t have much trouble with Nix after early in the second quarter. “Well, you have to give the guys that we had available credit,” Ravens defensive lineman Broderick Washington said. “For us to come in here and play that good of an offense, it was tough, but we have the guys to get it done. Once we get it rolling, we’re tough to beat. “We prepare really well. We try our best to ignore the noise, but it got to us a little bit. We took that personally, so the result of the game speaks to that.” The Ravens did things differently compared with last week’s loss to the Browns. They were more aggressive in mixing and matching coverages. They inverted and rotated safeties and cornerbacks in an attempt to confuse Nix. They sometimes had seven players around the line of scrimmage, mixing in both zone and man-to-man coverage but also dropping one or two safeties. Free safety Marcus Williams, who was benched a week ago, was more aggressive near the line of scrimmage and finished with three tackles. It doesn’t sound like much, but it was his most aggressive showing of the 2024 season. Ravens vs. Broncos, November 3, 2024 | PHOTOS Strong safety Kyle Hamilton finished with 10 tackles to lead the Ravens. Denver was 1 of 4 in the red zone, and the Broncos had to use an end around on a 2-yard pass to Nix to score on fourth down midway through the second quarter. Nix did miss a wide-open Troy Franklin in the end zone in the first half as the rookie wideout beat cornerback Arthur Maulet on a fourth-and-4 from the Baltimore 33. The Ravens weren’t perfect and had lapses, but it never burned them Sunday. “I thought the red-zone defense was amazing,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “I thought they did a great job in coverage. I thought our coverage did a great job the whole game. Bo is a really dangerous quarterback, as you all saw. He’s really hard to get down in the pocket. He was running around doing some things, and I thought our pass rush did a really nice job, especially in the red zone, of not letting them run out of there and score [on their] scrambling. “Kudos to the defense. Kudos to [defensive coordinator] Zach [Orr]. Kudos to all the coaches and the players. But you know what – Thursday night is right around the corner.” Ravens linebacker Trenton Simpson reacts after sacking Broncos quarterback Bo Nix in the fourth quarter Sunday. (Staff) The Ravens also had two of their regular cornerbacks available with Marlon Humphrey and rookie Nate Wiggins returning from injury. Humphrey is a veteran who matches up well with No. 3 receivers and tight ends. Wiggins has great speed and is strong and aggressive in press coverage. But the Ravens also saw strong efforts from two young players Sunday, both outside linebackers. Tavius Robinson had three tackles, two of those sacks. Trenton Simpson fished with nine tackles, including two for losses. He also knocked down a pass and had one quarterback pressure. “I think we finished strong,” Hamilton said. “We had a couple of opportunities to [allow] them to score down in the low red [zone]. We are kind of scarred by our past right now, and we’re not trying to give up anything at this point, so everybody had that mindset today. We did it for the most part.” Maybe the game will serve as a turning point for the Ravens. The players have heard the criticism of the defense in recent weeks. Going into Sunday’s game, the Ravens were ranked 25th in total defense, allowing 361.3 yards per game, and last in pass defense, allowing 291.4. “We had swagger today,” Simpson said. “I feel like everybody celebrated. You saw when Ar’Darius [Washington] had the interception, everybody was excited. This is a team, and as a defense, I feel like just everybody coming together and being excited for each other allows it to be more contagious. When everybody makes a play, everybody is excited. I feel like today was a great display of what the future looks like this season for this team — offense, defense and special teams.” The Ravens have another challenge Thursday night in Baltimore when Cincinnati visits with quarterback Joe Burrow and receiver Ja’Marr Chase. The Bengals scored 38 points and put up 371 passing yards in the first meeting this season, which Baltimore won, 41-38, in overtime. “I’d say just attacking this week at practice, starting tomorrow,” Simpson said. “[We’ll] go home, get some rest tonight, ice up and wake up tomorrow getting ready to attack the Bengals [with a] focused mindset, put this game behind us and continue to get better.” Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Tim Schwartz at timschwartz@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/timschwartz13. View the full article Quote
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