ExtremeRavens Posted September 25 Posted September 25 The Ravens will walk into Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday carrying a problem that could define their season. Baltimore’s pass rush is missing in action. The NFL’s worst-ranked defense’s next assignment: Patrick Mahomes. Just a few days ago, Detroit’s Jared Goff stood tall without taking a single sack or even much pressure. The Ravens’ battered front barely forced him to shuffle his feet. If Baltimore couldn’t rattle Goff, how will it disrupt one of the most gifted quarterbacks in league history? “We’ll be OK,” coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday. “I’m not worried about our defense. Bitterly disappointed, sure. But we will be ready to play. I promise you.” Kansas City will demand more than reassurance. The absences of top pressure producers Nnamdi Madubuike (neck) and Kyle Van Noy (hamstring) didn’t help against the Lions. But there’s no time to feel sorry for this group because the attrition keeps piling up. On Wednesday, the entire starting interior defensive line, featuring Madubuike, Broderick Washington (ankle) and Travis Jones (knee), plus Van Noy, missed a walk-through practice with injuries. Here’s the crueler truth: the Ravens haven’t even earned the right to rush the passer. Through three weeks they own the league’s worst-ranked defense, surrendering a staggering 415 yards per game. Coordinator Zach Orr’s unit ranks 31st in pass defense (266.3 yards) and 30th in run defense (149). Until Baltimore proves it can stop getting gashed, the Ravens’ pass rush will remain nonexistent. That’s a dangerous formula against Mahomes, the three-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player and two-time NFL MVP. History shows that the only reliable way to beat the Chiefs is to make him uncomfortable. The Eagles gave the league a blueprint in Super Bowl LIX, when wave after wave of rushers forced Mahomes to hurry, hit him repeatedly and dictated tempo. Mahomes suffered a career-high six sacks in the 40-22 defeat. Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs runs away from Ravens outside linebacker Mike Green to score a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter of a 38-30 Lions win. The Ravens' inability to stop the run has been a glaring issue to start the season. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) Championship defenses often share that DNA, the ability to create consistent and effective pressure with four rushers. The Ravens, a hyped group that entered the season as favorites to win the Super Bowl, are nowhere near that level right now. These early stumbles only tighten the race for the AFC’s top seed, the golden ticket to a first-round bye and home-field advantage at M&T Bank Stadium. However, the path grows steeper with each loss, and falling to 1-3 would leave Baltimore chasing before the calendar reaches October. On paper, Baltimore has a better-equipped roster than Kansas City. The Ravens opening as 3 1/2-point betting favorites in the Week 4 matchup underscored that belief. But to have a chance Sunday at Arrowhead, Baltimore needs to stop the run and squeeze the pocket with its defensive front. With their leaders sidelined, the remaining defensive line cast is still searching for an answer. Odafe Oweh remains a flash player. Tavius Robinson displays power but struggles with consistency. Rookie Mike Green showed plenty of promise in the preseason, but his 3.1% pass-rush win rate leaves much to be desired. “It’s a matter of doing our job on early downs and getting penetration,” said Robinson, the only defender aside from Madubuike with a sack this season. “There’s a lot of stuff we can fix, a lot of stuff we watched on the film and will fix.” The Ravens understand that they can’t simply hope Lamar Jackson wins a shootout against Mahomes. Jackson has played well enough to keep Baltimore competitive, but without takeaways or short fields created by pressure, this ongoing dilemma will linger far beyond Kansas City. The team’s disappointing start to the season already proves it doesn’t matter how electric Jackson and the offense is. The Ravens have scored 111 points, the highest total through three games by a team with a losing record, according to ESPN. Mahomes knows both sides of the equation. He’s dropped big games when defenses frequented the backfield and he’s shredded others when he has plenty of time to operate in the pocket and blitzes become predictable. If the Ravens can’t frequently move Mahomes off his spot, it could be a long day for the visitors, who own a 1-5 record over the past six meetings. Lombardi Trophies belong to the teams that punish quarterbacks. During both of the Ravens’ Super Bowl seasons, they ranked in the top half of the league in sacks with 45 in 2001 and 40 in 2013. After Baltimore’s no-show against Detroit, the Ravens are on pace for just 17 sacks this season. Yikes. Until Baltimore proves it can stop the run, earn the right to hunt the passer and frequently create pressure, the ceiling on this season, including any shot at the AFC’s No. 1 seed, will remain out of reach. Have a news tip? Contact Josh Tolentino at jtolentino@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200, x.com/JCTSports and instagram.com/JCTSports. View the full article Quote
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