Ravens' Defense Finally Getting Back on Track

Few single positional units have failed to live up to expectations quite like the Baltimore Ravens' defense has throughout 2025.

The franchise has practically built its reputation on defense, winning multiple Super Bowls in their short history with several iconic playmakers staring down the best quarterbacks of the 21st century. Even across the ongoing Lamar Jackson era, he's almost always had some of the stingiest secondaries and defensive lines within his locker room to constantly keep another Lombardi Trophy within his sights.

That has not been the case this fall, despite that half of the Ravens' roster receiving some of the highest approval ratings of any team entering this season. They sat half-dead entering the bye week, just one win to show for themselves alongside five losses and facing a steep hill to climb in returning to .500.

Flipping the Switch

The Ravens enjoyed a nice wake-up win in returning to regular season action, handling the Chicago Bears 30-16 thanks to some inspiring sequences out of their once-lackadaisical defense. Rookie edge Mike Green got his first career sack on Caleb Williams, while star middle linebacker Roquan Smith enjoyed his own personal bounce-back with a big game against his old team.

But the Ravens' 24-6 win over the Miami Dolphins was a step above that. Sure, the Dolphins have spent all season treading alongside the NFL's weakest units, but that's the sort of company that the Ravens are expected to throttle if they're looking to convince anyone that they're still made of championship-caliber material.

Alohi Gilman got things started with a first-quarter forced fumble, a crucial early turnover that gave the team a big boost in what was otherwise a slog of a first half. The Ravens would eventually get rolling, capping off the evening with 14 third-quarter points, but Marlon Humphrey's own forced fumble and Malaki Starks' first-ever NFL interception only further robbed the Dolphins of scoring opportunities.