ExtremeRavens Posted September 23 Posted September 23 The dichotomy between the two quarterbacks Monday night was stark. The Ravens’ Lamar Jackson is one of the NFL’s best dual-threat signal-callers, constantly extending plays with his feet. On the other side, the Lions’ Jared Goff is a statue in the pocket, with just 155 rushing yards over the past four years. But Monday’s stat line showed a completely different story. Jackson was sacked seven times while Goff was never sacked and pressured only 10 times. Detroit’s offense rolled in a 38-30 win over Baltimore at M&T Bank Stadium. The Ravens’ lack of pass rush was a concern heading into the prime-time matchup, and that problem was only exacerbated after the defensive line’s showing against the Lions. With edge rusher Kyle Van Noy (hamstring) and interior defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike (neck) both out with injuries, the Ravens struggled to generate any consistent heat on the Lions’ quarterback. They hit Goff only three times, hurried him seven times and had only one player with a pass rush win rate above 10%. “We got to get a better pass rush,” coach John Harbaugh said. “That’s not going to be good enough.” Detroit went 7-for-14 on third down and 3-for-3 on fourth down. It accumulated 426 total yards, 6.5 yards per play and 7.2 yards per pass attempt. Baltimore has allowed 96 points this season, trailing only the Miami Dolphins (0-3) for the most in the league. The Ravens are the first team in the Super Bowl era to score more than 100 points, rush for at least 300 yards and have a losing record through three games, according to the NFL. When asked to offer an assessment of where the defense stands after three weeks, cornerback Marlon Humphrey was blunt. “We’re just not very good,” he said. The loss of Van Noy and Madubuike cannot be overstated. That pairing led the Ravens in pressures last year with 60 and 54, respectively. Madubuike played 611 pass rush snaps last season, according to Pro Football Focus. The next closest on the team was Odafe Oweh’s 486. Van Noy played 451 pass-rushing snaps and led Baltimore with 12 1/2 sacks in 2024. Madubuike had generated nine pressures in two games this season, tied for the second-most among defensive tackles. His nine pressures, 13.4% pressure rate and two sacks were the most in his career through two games. Ravens vs. Lions, September 22, 2025 | PHOTOS The defensive tackle is the Ravens’ most valuable pass rusher because he’s able to affect the pocket from the middle of the defense. Baltimore doesn’t have an elite edge rusher, but rather relies on its defensive tackles to force the opposing quarterbacks into uncomfortable positions. “It’s very challenging when you lose [Nnamdi] Madubuike and Kyle Van Noy. I think the guys stepped up well, but I think Detroit’s got a really good offensive line and the four-man rush, I think it’s hard to get there,” Humphrey said. Rookie edge rusher Mike Green and defensive tackle Broderick Washington played more Monday night, but were fairly ineffective in their roles. Green had just one pressure, and Washington recorded two. That forced defensive coordinator Zach Orr to send blitzes early in the game. Against one of the NFL’s best signal-callers against the blitz, that didn’t work. Goff shredded Baltimore’s defense when it sent extra players. “We could have been better at third down. We should have got there a couple times, but we just didn’t,” defensive tackle Travis Jones said. Detroit’s passing game will likely be the toughest the Ravens face this season. Goff, running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, pass-catchers Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Sam LaPorta and one of the best offensive lines in the league make for a difficult matchup for any defense. But as Humphrey said, this isn’t the standard that Baltimore’s defenses of the past have set. Look back at this matchup two years ago as an example. That game was between two Super Bowl contenders, two of the league’s better offenses and two quarterbacks playing at an MVP level. The Ravens recorded 27 pressures in that game, harassing Goff nearly 33% of the time on dropbacks, according to PFF. He went just 6-for-14 for 47 yards and one pick when pressured. They sacked Goff five times, while Jackson was untouched in the 38-6 win. That performance feels far removed. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Jane at sjane@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/Sam_Jane230. Lions running back David Montgomery, right, scores on a 31-yard touchdown run in the final two minutes Monday night. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) View the full article Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.