Ravens Pass Rush Is Surviving Without Trey Hendrickson

Mike Green recorded Baltimore’s first sack of Penix with a relatively straightforward four-man rush. With 7:59 remaining in the second quarter, Penix took the snap from shotgun and dropped back. Green beat left tackle Jake Matthews by knocking down Matthews’ initial punch, then using a swim move to clear the block and work around the edge. Green was slightly off balance as he came through, but he still managed to dive at Penix’s legs and bring him down for a six-yard loss.

The next sack also came without Baltimore sacrificing its zone-heavy defensive identity. With 14:06 remaining in the third quarter, Penix took the snap and faked a handoff to Bijan Robinson. Baltimore rushed four and dropped seven into coverage, forcing Penix to hold the ball as he searched for an opening. Penix eventually scrambled to extend the play, avoiding a tackle from Nnamdi Madubuike and shrugging off a glancing attempt from Travis Jones. However, Trenton Simpson had already abandoned his zone once Penix committed to scrambling, closing downhill and bringing him down for a one-yard loss.

In both of these plays, Baltimore rushed just four defenders and still found a way to bring Penix down. That kind of pressure is valuable in Minter’s zone-heavy system, where the Ravens want to keep enough defensive backs in coverage to close passing windows. Green created a sack by winning his individual matchup, while Simpson capitalized after the coverage forced Penix to hold the ball.

If Hendrickson can return against the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore could add one of the league’s better individual pass rushers to a group that just showed it can create pressure without taking away from its pass coverage.