The Baltimore Ravens post an abysmal 1-5 record heading into the bye week. Of course, this is a far cry from their Super Bowl aspirations heading into the season. Baltimore's issues have been multifaceted, and some of them could be solved, especially on offense, when Lamar Jackson likely returns from his hamstring injury after the bye week. However, one key problem that won't go away is their poor pass rush.
Getting Roquan Smith back, presumably after the bye week, should help a bit. Nevertheless, even when Smith played, the Ravens struggled to generate pressure, and outside linebacker Tavius Robinson is now out for 6 to 8 weeks with a broken foot.
Head coach John Harbaugh openly admitted how much of an issue their pass rush has been.
"It's been a challenge all year. We're going to have to manufacture pressure," Harbaugh said.
Harbaugh is absolutely right but there's no signs that this problem will be solved for the Ravens.
The Ravens' pass rush is a fatal flaw
Undoubtedly, pass rush has been the main downfall of a team that has given up the fourth most yards in the league. This is something that has to change for the Ravens to turn their season around. However, it could end up being an insurmountable fatal flaw.
Many Ravens fans are calling for the team to move on from defensive coordinator Zach Orr. While this is understandable, given the team's lackluster defense this year, firing Orr is unlikely to transform the pass rush overnight. And at this juncture, it seems unlikely that Orr will be fired anyway.
The Ravens have posted eight sacks, which is tied for the third least in the NFL. Plus, they've given up the sixth most rushing yards and generated the seventh fewest pressures (35). Part of this falls on Orr, but another key piece of this is a roster issue. Nnamdi Madubuike's season-ending injury leaves a void too large to fill, especially when paired with Robinson's injury.
Madubuike notably posted 21 pressures and 6.5 sacks last season. The Ravens also traded Odafe Oweh to bolster their secondary. He led the team in pressures (28) last season. Perhaps getting Smith back in the fold and moving Kyle Hamilton around the field more will help right the ship. The schedule opening up should also benefit the Ravens greatly.
Overall, things should get better for the Ravens after the bye week, and last week's game showed some defensive promise. Regardless, it's hard to imagine the Ravens becoming even an average pass rush.