The story of the Baltimore Ravens' season through three weeks has been defensive miscues. While they bounced back in Week 2 with a superb end-to-end performance against the Cleveland Browns, they stumbled right back to square one in their Week 3 loss to the Detroit Lions.
Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr's unit ranks the worst in the NFL. They have given up 1,245 total yards, which sits comfortably in last place. Their passing defense ranks 31st, allowing 799 yards, and the rushing defense ranks 30th, with 447 yards allowed.
They have a golden opportunity to get back on track against a struggling Kansas City Chiefs’ offense in Week 4. However, everyone knows what quarterback Patrick Mahomes is capable of, and if he gets comfortable, it could get awful for the Ravens.
Chiefs’ Head Coach Andy Reid spoke about the challenges of going up against the Ravens in his press conference on Wednesday. To many Baltimore fans' surprise, Reid spoke highly of Orr and his group heading into Sunday’s showdown.
“Orr, he’s a good one. He brings guys from all over when needed. At the same time, they play good, sound defense on top of that. They got good players,” Reid said. “He does a nice job with that defense. He’s got a lot of flexibility there.”
Andy Reid praises Zach Orr’s defense amid Baltimore’s struggles
Of course, you will not hear Reid speak ill of an opposing defense ahead of their matchup. You never want to give the opposition extra motivation in what should be an electric game. Still, the phrase “good, sound defense” does not come close to describing the Ravens this season.
Baltimore has yet to apply consistent pressure on the quarterback this year, and their run defense has been especially leaky over the past couple of weeks. Even the secondary that many thought could be the best in the NFL this year has fallen short.
On top of all that, the defense is being dealt an unfortunate hand with injuries. Star defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike is dealing with a neck injury, and veteran outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy is currently on the shelf due to a hamstring injury. There is no timetable on Madubuike for now, but he has already been ruled out for Week 4, while Van Noy is expected to be unavailable for at least one more week.
Orr still has a ton of potential as a defensive coordinator. He is only in his second year and is being tasked with going through a gauntlet of high-powered offenses for the 2025 campaign. But, this is also the second season that Baltimore has had a slow start on defense. We will see if they switch up the narrative against Kansas City.