The Baltimore Ravens face the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Their defense will get a fair fight from the Lions.
The Baltimore Ravens have faced two rookie quarterbacks (DeShone Kizer, Mitchell Trubisky) and three backups (Matt Moore, Brett Hundley and Tom Savage). Case Keenum has played well enough (and long enough) this season that I’m not counting him as a backup; he played like a starter against Baltimore. The defense has been very good, however they haven’t been tested, at least not that much.
When Matthew Stafford comes to town, he brings the Ravens a test. How the Ravens hold up against Stafford, Marvin Jones and Golden Tate will speak volumes about the defensive unit’s merit. The defense is in a weird position. They have three shutouts yet many consider the defense overrated.
Weak schedule has benefits:
The Bengals were shutout in the first game of the season. While the Bengals are certainly not a great team, the Ravens saw them at their weakest point. There is a reason Marvin Lewis fired his offensive coordinator. This was hardly a test for a good defense.
The Cleveland Browns haven’t won a game this season. The Miami Dolphins got whipped 40-0 by Baltimore. It’s impressive but Matt Moore was under center and the Dolphins have a propensity to lose badly. The Dolphins’ loss to the purple and black was just one of five games they’ve been blown out in. Stopping receivers like Jarvis Landry and Devante Parker was impressive, however we can’t ignore that the Dolphins were a mess.
Getting a shutout at Lambeau field was historic but it wasn’t overly impressive. It’s like the fact that Ed Reed is the only player to intercept a 49er’s quarterback in the Super Bowl. It’s a cool stat but he picked off Colin Kaepernick; the five interception free Super Bowls were from Joe Montana and Steve Young. The Packers did not get shutout with Aaron Rodgers or Brett Favre under center. They got shutout with Brett Hundley under center and without their top two running backs and right tackle.
The defensive miscues came with excuses:
It’s hard to overreact to the failures of the defense. The offense has put the defense into unenviable situations all season long. That was not their only problem. Brandon Williams missed the games against Jacksonville, Pittsburgh, Oakland and Chicago. Williams obviously makes a big difference.
The Steelers ran the ball well, when the Ravens were shorthanded on the defensive line; however Roethlisberger had a frustrating day. He only had 216 yards and had an interception (as weird as it was). Antonio Brown was held to four receptions for just 34 yards. If the offense didn’t break the defense’s back, that game could have been a win.
Next: Baltimore Ravens vs. Detroit Lions: 3 big things
The Ravens get credit for their three shutouts. They get credit for their 18 interceptions and 30 sacks. They should get credit. However the schedule has behooved them. Now, the Ravens do battle with a high flying offense. Making Detroit look bad, would be the signature win the defense needs on their resume.