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Baltimore Ravens need to ramp up their pass rush

By Chris Schisler

BALTIMORE, MD - NOVEMBER 27: Quarterback Tom Savage #3 of the Houston Texans is sacked by outside linebacker Terrell Suggs #55 of the Baltimore Ravens in the second quarter at M&T Bank Stadium on November 27, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - NOVEMBER 27: Quarterback Tom Savage #3 of the Houston Texans is sacked by outside linebacker Terrell Suggs #55 of the Baltimore Ravens in the second quarter at M&T Bank Stadium on November 27, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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The Baltimore Ravens have 40 sacks on the season which is a respectable number for the defense. That being said, the Ravens need to do better at rushing the passer if they want to go far in the playoffs:

The Baltimore Ravens don’t have a bad secondary. Marlon Humphrey and Brandon Carr are a respectable duo at the cornerback position. Eric Weddle is a great free safety as well. That didn’t stop Ben Roethlisberger from lighting up the Ravens through the air. When the Ravens play the top teams in the NFL they have to help their secondary with a good pass rush.

In that battle with the Steelers, the Ravens had three sacks, but none of them came when the game was on the line. Those three sacks came on blitzes and once Roethlisberger caught on to the tactics of the Ravens, it was game over. The Indianapolis Colts have had trouble protecting Jacoby Brissett; but for most of their game against the Ravens, Brissett had plenty of time to throw the ball.

Outside Linebackers Doing All the Work:

Terrell Suggs and Matt Judon are the top pass rushers for the purple and black. Suggs has 11 sacks while Judon has seven. The numbers tell the story about how the Ravens get their hits on the opposing quarterback.

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Z’Darius Smith and Tyus Bowser account for a combined 6.5 sacks. This means that 61 percent of the sacks have come from outside linebackers.

Here is the moral of the story. If Suggs and Judon don’t have a great game as pass rushers, the Ravens are struggling to get any pass rush. There was some speculation that the Ravens would go after James Harrison after his departure from Pittsburgh. Harrison ended up with the New England Patriots (shocker). Harrison wouldn’t have solved a problem for the purple and black, he would have just added to an already strong position.

The Bottom Line:

Baltimore needs pass rush from other players. Dean Pees needs to be more willing to send a blitz and he needs to make those blitzes less transparent. The Ravens need increased pass rush from their defensive line. Michael Pierce and Brandon Williams don’t provide much pass rush, despite stuffing the run more than adequately. Willie Henry is leading the charge on the defensive line with 3.5 sacks and a good bit of pressure that doesn’t show up in the stat sheet.

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Applaud Suggs and Judon. They are having tremendous seasons. They are part of the solution. However the purple and black need more from the pass rushing department. A great pass rush will make a good secondary great. Pressure needs to be able to come from anywhere. When you look at the top moments on defense, they have come when sack totals are high. They have to crank up the pass rush if they want to make the Super Bowl.

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