Vikings HC Credits One Ravens Position for Turnaround

The Baltimore Ravens defense ranks in the bottom 10 of overall passing yards, passing yards per game and net yards gained per pass attempt through the first 9 weeks of the 2025 regular season. However, that doesn't paint the full picture of the current state of the unit following the injection of a key piece that has had one of the most dramatic ripple effects of any in-season acquisition by any team in the league.

Since Week 6 when the Ravens played their first game with veteran safety Alohi Gilman in the lineup after trading former first-round outside linebacker Odafe Oweh to the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange, they have fielded one of the best all around defensive units in the league. They have allowed just 11 points per game, second-best in the NFL, haven't allowed an opposing team to rush for over 100 yards after allowing an average of 146.4 through the first five weeks and their EPA per play allowed of -0.086 is the 10th-best mark in the NFL.

Gilman's presence in the backend has been especially impactful in unlocking All Pro safety Kyle Hamilton to get back to being a deployed in a multitude of ways, making him more of a nightmare to try to scheme around. It caught the attention and earned them the respect of their Week 10 opponent, Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell, who was very complementary when pinpointing where the Ravens have made the greatest stride on defense.

"They make the trade for another safety, really talented guy in Gilman, which allows Kyle Hamilton to then play pretty much predominantly the nickel spot, which they're playing a lot of nickel defense to basically every grouping," O'Connell said.

With Hamilton back in the hybrid nickel role that made him a star, the Ravens have been able to keep four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marlon Humphrey on the boundary more, where O'Connell believes he is at his best despite that both of his All Pro season, including last year, came in years where he primarily lined up in the slot. He was also effusive in his praise of second-year pro Nate Wiggins and veteran Chidobe Awuzie when talking about Baltimore's other cornerbacks they put on the field early and often.

"He's incredibly impactful at the outside corner spot," O'Connell said. "I arguably think they have maybe the best combination of corners in the NFL. And then when you throw Hamilton in there as the nickel, I mean, that's a it's an incredible challenge. And we feel great about our skill guys, but we've got to show up ready for a really, really tough task and test on on Sunday and how."

Gilman is more than stabilizer