Will the Real Baltimore Ravens Defense Please Stand Up?

The team currently known as the Baltimore Ravens began play in the league in 1996. The club won a Super Bowl in 2000 with one of the most amazing defenses in NFL history. Brian Billick’s club played 20 games that year, including four postseason tilts, and the club allowed an astounding 188 points.

Throughout their brief tenure and under current head coach John Harbaugh, defense has ruled this franchise. During their last NFL championship season in 2012, the Ravens got a big playoff run from quarterback Joe Flacco. They also got 10 takeaways during the club’s four-game postseason run on the way to capturing Super Bowl XLVII.

For the most part, this club has usually had the answers when it comes to the defensive side of the football. But this has been a different season for a lot of teams. And when it comes to defending the pass, the Ravens have had their share of issues – be it in wins or losses.

Entering Week 12, only the New York Jets were giving up more yards through the air per game than the Ravens. The team ranked sixth in pass defense a season ago. In 2020, Baltimore managed a respectable 39 sacks and allowed 22 TD passes in 16 contests. This year in 10 outings, coordinator Don Martindale’s unit has already allowed 16 scores through the air and the pass rush has produced just 22 quarterback traps.

But what has stood out the most about the team’s defensive issues is the fact that opposing passers have been able to burn the Ravens for huge gains. Entering Week 12, the team was tied with the Kansas City Chiefs in permitting the most 40-yard pass plays in the league (11). Keep in mind that Baltimore has played one less game (10) than Andy Reid’s team (11).

That’s quite a difference from a year ago, when the Ravens and Los Angeles Rams did the best job in the NFL – limiting opponents to only four 40-yard pass plays during the regular season.

Of course, the loss of cornerback Marcus Peters in early September and another year of free-agent defections in terms of the pass rush (Matt Judon, Yannick Ngakoue, Jihad Ward) certainly hasn’t help. Still, Harbaugh’s resourceful team is 7-3 and atop the AFC North and finding other ways to win.

It’s going to be an interesting stretch run for this club, especially if they can’t find a solution when it comes to giving up those deep pass plays.