The Baltimore Ravens defense is dominant, but how they’re doing it is what is impressive:
Who has the number one defense in the National Football League? You may be surprised to hear that it isn’t the Baltimore Ravens. This is pretty mind boggling when you consider that the Baltimore Ravens have allowed just 10 points in two weeks and have 10 takeaways. The Ravens actually rank 10th in total defense. They’ve allowed 303.5 yards per game through the second week of the season. The Carolina Panthers are the top team in terms of yards allowed. They have given up 196.5 yards per game and have only allowed two field goals so far.
The Ravens defense is accomplishing some pretty incredible feats though. The Ravens lead the league with eight interceptions. That’s twice as many as the team with the second most picks. Baltimore is fifth in the NFL in sacks. The Ravens defense has forced three fumbles and recovered two of them. The Ravens defense doesn’t lead in points allowed (but they are close behind the Panthers). The Ravens defense doesn’t lead the league in yards either. What the Ravens do, and they do it better than any team in football, is create big plays on defense.
Unbelievable success:
The Ravens are intercepting passes at a rate that suggest intercepting passes is easy. Edward Lee of The Baltimore Sun wrote a column that put the Ravens accomplishments in the first two weeks in a historical perspective. This quote from Lee kind of says everything you need to know:
"“For the first time in franchise history, the defense collected four interceptions and five total turnovers in back-to-back games. The Ravens joined the 1971 Cleveland Browns and the 1992 Pittsburgh Steelers as the only NFL teams since the 1970 merger to produce at least four turnovers in each of their first two games of the season.”"
It isn’t impossible to move the ball against this vaunted Ravens defense. It is next to impossible to score. The defense forces their opponent to be flawless. When a quarterback makes a mistake against the Ravens, it is pretty much a guaranteed turnover. When an offensive lineman misses a block it means the Ravens’ fan base is getting something to cheer about in a matter of seconds. The Ravens defense isn’t perfect, but it isn’t trying to be either. The defense is all about keeping their foe out of the end zone and making game changing plays.
A different goal:
The yards don’t matter. The Ravens offense only gained about 40 more yards than the Bengals in the season opener. Why was it a 20-0 game? Four turnovers and epic red zone defense. The Bengals got some cheap yards on quick passes. The Ravens then adjusted, put their linebackers in the passing lanes and it became a tip drill. The Browns had 386 total yards in week 2. What difference did it make? They only got in the end zone once and they gave the football away five times.
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The Ravens aren’t going to stop every play behind the line of scrimmage. There will be some chunks of yardage earned by their opponents. With this defense though, it’s not about the yards. It’s about tuning defense into offense, it’s about turnovers and sacks. It’s not like the Ravens are getting gashed on a regular basis. The Browns only converted on a third down twice against the Ravens. The Bengals went 4-13 on third downs in the opener. What Ozzie Newsome has constructed, is the most opportunistic defense in the league.
Eric Weddle and Tony Jefferson are the best tandem at the safety position in the league. I’m not saying that Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor aren’t special in Seattle. I’m just calling it how I see it. Weddle and Jefferson are playing lights out football. They aren’t allowing anything over the top. Jefferson is playing all over the field. He’s playing in the box and deep in the secondary. Weddle and Jefferson are being aggressive but they’re doing it almost perfectly.
The Difference Makers:
Why is this combination so important for the Ravens defense? First it all but eliminates the home run play. The end zone is something that opponents have to earn with long drives because they can’t get it with deep shots down the field. This allows the opportunistic defense to make things happen. With this defense it’s not a matter of if, but a matter of when. Turnovers are going to happen and they will steer the Ravens to comfortable situations.
Secondly it allows the cornerbacks to be aggressive. Pees is letting Jimmy Smith and Brandon Carr shut down the receivers they go up against. The Ravens corners are putting themselves in position to make plays. Carr has two picks. Smith has one. There have been multiple instances where the Ravens starting corners have baited quarterbacks to throw the football. This is the confidence that Jefferson and Weddle helping up top provides.
The Bottom Line:
When the season is over the Ravens defense will be a top 10 defense. There are surely some things that Pees and company can work on. The Ravens run defense has been a little inconsistent and the Ravens have had a couple of moments where a turnover has bailed them out of a good looking drive by the other team.
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Overall the defense has been just what the doctor ordered in Baltimore. This is exactly what Newsome envisioned when he went heavy on defensive moves in the offseason. The scary thing is that if the Ravens fix a couple of issues, the defense could be even better than it is right now. The Ravens are making plays on defense at a pace I’ve never seen. When you consider that I grew up watching Ray Lewis and Ed Reed led defenses, that’s a pretty incredible statement.