ExtremeRavens Posted November 11 Posted November 11 By nearly every metric basic and advanced, the Ravens’ pass defense continues to be the worst in the NFL, a fact that was crystalized last week as Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase roamed freely through an absentee secondary at M&T Bank Stadium on his way to 264 yards and three touchdowns on 11 catches. Baltimore won the game, but Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow threw for 428 yards and four touchdowns, even though he was without his No. 2 receiver Tee Higgins and starting left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. The 2,949 total passing yards (294.9 per game) the Ravens have given up marks the most they have allowed through the first 10 weeks of a season since 2000, and their pace puts them within range of a historically dubious mark. “We gotta play our coverages better in those situations, especially the deep middle and the intermediate middle part of the field are the areas that have been a problem for us,” coach John Harbaugh said Monday. “You can’t have those long touchdown passes. It’s one thing to give up 9-yard completions, 7-yard completions on check-downs and low routes and go tackle them. … To not tackle it or to let it get behind us, those are things that are below the line. Those are not OK.” All of which begged the question: are the Ravens considering personnel changes and/or shifts in coaching responsibilities? “You consider everything,” Harbaugh said. “Everything’s on the table always. I don’t think that’s any kind of news story. It’s definitely not headline-worthy because that’s what you do. That’s what I spent the weekend doing, that’s what the coaches spent the weekend doing and that’s what our players spent the weekend doing. “We’ll look at every aspect of it and pursue the best path that we can think of and that we see going forward with a great sense of urgency.” With a hugely important game against the Steelers looming Sunday in Pittsburgh, where first place in the AFC North will be on the line, that urgency is upon Baltimore. However, it remains to be seen if there will be any changes in the Ravens’ lineup, or if there will be any shift in certain duties among the defensive coaching staff, which is led by first-year coordinator Zach Orr and includes a secondary overseen by assistant head coach/passing game coordinator Chris Hewitt along with first-year secondary coach Doug Mallory. But players — including cornerback Marlon Humphrey — have been quick to defend Orr, saying there has been a departure from their execution in practice to their performances in games. One immediate change, at least, will be the addition of newly acquired veteran Tre’Davious White to the cornerback rotation on the outside, an area where Brandon Stephens has seemingly regressed as the season has gone on and where rookie and first-round pick Nate Wiggins has at times struggled with penalties and consistency. White, an All-Pro in 2019 and two-time Pro Bowl selection, led the NFL in interceptions in 2019 with six in 15 games and had 17 passes defensed, two forced fumbles, 58 tackles, including four for loss and two forced fumbles. But the 29-year-old former first-round pick of the Bills also struggled in his recent and brief stint with the Rams, giving up four touchdowns in his first four games this season before becoming a healthy scratch and eventually searching for a trade. Cornerback Tre’Davious White, who has meaningful experience with the Bills and Rams, is expected to work into the Ravens’ secondary in the coming weeks. (Jeffrey T. Barnes/AP) Still, the Ravens need to do something if they are going to have a chance to get to where they want to go — the Super Bowl — and that will include rotating in White on the outside. “That’s why we traded for him,” Harbaugh said. “I know he’s excited.” One move that Harbaugh won’t be making, however, is shifting Stephens from cornerback to safety to spell the struggling Marcus Williams, who ranks last among Pro Football Focus’ 87 qualifying safeties in both his overall and coverage grades. In the summer of 2023, the Ravens were initially considering Stephens, a 2021 third-round pick, for free safety, a position he played extensively as a rookie. But a spate of injuries in training camp along with his performance at cornerback led to a permanent home last season opposite Humphrey. Stephens played so well that Baltimore came into this season comfortable and confident with moving Humphrey inside more often with the former joining Wiggins on the outside. This season, though, Stephens, who played cornerback at SMU, has taken a big step back, particularly with getting his head around and finding the ball in coverage. He ranks 102nd out of 109 cornerbacks, per PFF, and 104th in coverage. Moving the 6-foot-1 Stephens to the back end of the defense isn’t happening, though. “That’s not really on the table right now,” Harbaugh said. “He’s got a big job right now he’s trying to take care of.” Ten games into the season, the same is still being said about the rest of the Ravens’ pass defense. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article Quote
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