The Baltimore Ravens would be serious contenders with a better offense:
Three shutouts in a season is typically an indicator of something special. That’s because a shutout is a rare accomplishment in the NFL and multiple shutouts have always been a sign of greatness. The 2000 Ravens defense had four shutouts on the way to making history in Super Bowl XXXV. The 2017 Ravens defense can’t compare to that historic defense, but with a better offense they would be serious contenders.
The NFL is a passing league and the Ravens defense is built to shutdown passing attacks. Jimmy Smith, Brandon Carr and Marlon Humphrey are playing great at the cornerback positions. Eric Weddle and Tony Jefferson are a respectable duo at the safety positions, though Jefferson is best used as an in the box safety. The talent in the back-end is hard to argue with. Baltimore ranks second in passing yards allowed per game and the Ravens only allow 17.1 points per game.
Dean Pees has some frustrating faults, however his defense is putting up some incredibly hard results to argue with. The Ravens’ 16 interceptions leads the NFL. The Ravens’ 28 sacks is tied for 10th in the NFL. The most amazing statistic is that even with a quarterback who has thrown two more interceptions than touchdowns, Baltimore is plus 8 in the turnover ratio. When the defense has sacks, interceptions and fumble recoveries on a regular basis, and is allowing an average of less than 20 points per game, how are the Ravens only 5-5?