The Baltimore Ravens had a very strong defense in the 2020 season and Don Martindale needs to get credit for that. Martindale is one of the best defensive coordinators in the NFL. The Ravens finished with the sixth-ranked defense in terms of yards allowed per game.
Baltimore allowed just 18.9 points per game and that was good for the second-best defense in points allowed. On paper, it’s very easy to see that Martindale is good at his job. Not all the numbers were great though. Baltimore struggled to get to the quarterback.
Despite having one of the best secondary units in the NFL, the Ravens only managed to get 39 sacks on the season. The pass rush was a huge issue against the Buffalo Bills in the postseason. So there is a lot to get to, even if you know a favorable grade is coming Martindale’s way. Let’s get into the grade book and continue our Ravens report card series.
Putting it all together:
In the 2020 season, when Martindale was feeling it, the other team was in trouble. The Ravens were a top 10 defense any way you slice it. That happened without top 10 pass rush and inconsistent play at pretty much every position in the front seven.
Martindale is one of the best coordinators in the game. He’s not perfect and he’ll have some misfires. That being said, he’s the coach on the Ravens staff that makes you the least frustrated every season. Nobody does more with what he has to work with than Martindale does.