ExtremeRavens Posted yesterday at 04:03 PM Posted yesterday at 04:03 PM Every NFL team has flaws. The Ravens right now are experiencing ugly trends. Coach John Harbaugh insisted Monday that the level of urgency shared between the coaching staff and players remains high. But each week of the regular season has presented similar concerning patterns. These five stats help explain how the Ravens (1-4) are drifting further from their own standard with another disappointing performance: 35.4 The Ravens’ defense, their backbone, is the unit that makes everything else churn. Those days seem to be long gone. After Houston dropped a 44-piece nugget in Baltimore, the Ravens’ dead-last defensive ranking only worsened. Baltimore is giving up 35.4 points per game, the most in the NFL and more than double the average (16.5) allowed by the 2023 Mike Macdonald-led defense that finished first overall. Missed run fits, soft zones, poor tackling and lack of adjustments from second-year defensive coordinator Zach Orr have all contributed to this serious issue. Injuries haven’t helped, but in the nonstop grueling NFL schedule, teams must adapt to their personnel. After all, entering the season, the Ravens claimed to boast one of the best rosters in the league and the best roster in franchise history. The inexperience is showing. And Baltimore’s depth is proving it might not be that deep after all. “At the end of the day, we do believe in ourselves, as frustrating and as tough as it’s been,” veteran defensive lineman Brett Urban said. “We do still believe. We have confidence in ourselves as players. It hasn’t been successful, so we need to figure out a way to just keep going out there and prepare and try to find whatever it is that’s causing us to not execute.” 6 Through five weeks, Baltimore has just six sacks, the fewest in the AFC North and tied for second-fewest in football. Pittsburgh (15), Cleveland (17) and Cincinnati (11) have all turned pressure into production while the Ravens are struggling to affect the pocket consistently. Plain and simple, the pass rush isn’t good enough. Outside linebacker Odafe Oweh, a 2021 first-round pick playing in a contract year, leads the team with 12 pressures but has zero sacks. Touted rookie second-round pick and outside linebacker Mike Green has just two quarterback hits and zero sacks. Defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike, who was ruled out for the season with a neck injury, still ranks second on the team with 10 pressures despite playing in only two games. 29.1% vs. 26.2% You got the sack number, but there are analytics that tell just how dysfunctional the pass rush has been. The Ravens have blitzed on 29.1% of opponent dropbacks, the 12th-highest rate in the NFL, according to TruMedia, but they’ve produced a pressure rate that ranks 23rd. That gap exposes a unit stuck between philosophies. Somewhat aggressive in intent, but extremely passive in impact and execution. Under the realization that Baltimore simply can’t win with four rushers, Orr notably has increased the volume of pressure calls since Week 3. However, the Ravens continue to struggle with collapsing the pocket and getting to the quarterback. Ravens outside linebacker Odafe Oweh leads the team with 12 pressures but has zero sacks. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Aside from a missed protection call that aided in Kyle Van Noy’s first sack of the season, Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud handled Baltimore’s defensive fronts with ease, sliding through his protections and throwing into soft pockets across the field. The secondary, meanwhile, has been left out to dry in match zones that break down because the rush never gets home. “Sometimes the ball comes out really quick, and now you’re light downfield,” Harbaugh said. If Orr doesn’t find ways to better disguise the blitz and apply pressure, Baltimore’s defense will continue to fold. That Kansas City and Houston didn’t punt until late in the fourth quarter of both defeats was embarrassing and unacceptable. 2.2 Running back Derrick Henry averaged just 2.2 yards per carry on 15 attempts against the Texans, his second-worst mark as a Raven behind only his Week 2 outing against Cleveland (2.1). Houston often crowded the line of scrimmage, and Henry had virtually no room to maneuver. It was Henry’s fourth consecutive week with fewer than 50 rushing yards. “It just wasn’t good enough, us as a whole,” Henry said. “Not clicking right now. We just have to find ways to make it click, and when it goes, go dominate the line of scrimmage, be explosive. I have to be better. We all just have to figure it out. “I’m not going to be negative. It’s easy to be negative, and we’ll try to be positive, encourage everybody and tell Flock Nation, keep believing, because we’re going to keep going to work and try to fix this thing.” Added center Tyler Linderbaum: “We want to run the ball at an efficient level. We have the best back in the game, so we have to find a way to be better.” The Ravens ran only 40 offensive plays, marking a new season low. Consider that an indictment of their inability to control tempo without two-time NFL Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson and a functional ground game. Coordinator Todd Monken’s lack of creativity and backup quarterback Cooper Rush’s forgettable Ravens debut only added to the offensive woes. 2 Through five games, Baltimore has just two takeaways, both recorded in the Week 2 win over the lowly Browns. In each of their four losses, the Ravens have forced zero. That total ties Green Bay for second-fewest in the NFL, ahead of only the winless New York Jets. READER POLL: Should the Ravens make coaching changes? “We have to find a way to create plays, manufacture pressure, get some tip balls, step in front of some passes,” Harbaugh said. “I’d like to see us in third-and-long a lot more.” Takeaways typically involve both collective urgency and some luck. For a player to create a momentum-changing highlight, he needs to be in the right place but also display the instincts and express effort in swarming to the punch. The Ravens are struggling to tackle through five weeks, which has resulted in a lack of overall quality pursuit. 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
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.