The good, the bad, and the ugly of the 2021 Baltimore Ravens

The Ugly of the Baltimore Ravens

The ugliest part of this team by far is the pass defense. They are currently ranked in last place, giving up 275.7 passing yards a game.

In the 25 year history of the Baltimore Ravens, the most passing yards per game they’ve given up was 248 which happened in 2014 and 1996 (their first season as the Ravens).

Looking at the recent stats you could say the pass defense has improved. But if you look closer, the last three games were against some of the worst passing teams in the NFL.

The craziest part about this defense is that two of their best outings against the pass came against the sixth and eighth-ranked passing offenses (Minnesota and Los Angeles Chargers). But then they’ll allow nearly 400 passing yards to the 22nd-ranked Indianapolis Colts.

The other ugly part of the Ravens game is the number of explosive plays (a run of 10+ yards or a pass of 15+ yards) they give up. They rank 27th in explosive runs given up and 31st in explosive passes given up.

The Ravens also can’t seem to get those big takeaways we all are used to seeing. They are ranked 30th in takeaways and have a -7 turnover differential. In the last three seasons, they have ranked first in fumble recoveries for a touchdown — so far they don’t have a single defensive touchdown.

Not having any defensive touchdowns isn’t really an issue, since that has more to do with luck than anything. It is just surprising not to see any from a team that is known for it.

If we’ve learned anything about the Ravens this year, it’s that not much stays constant for them. I wouldn’t be shocked if three weeks from now I’m talking about how their passing offense can’t be stopped and how they have multiple defensive touchdowns.