The Baltimore Ravens are right back in the thick of the race for the AFC North crown in 2025. After a Week 10 that saw the Ravens earn a strong victory over the Minnesota Vikings and the Pittsburgh Steelers lose to the Los Angeles Chargers, Baltimore finds itself just one game back in the division.
That statement is somewhat insane to fathom, given where this team was a month ago. After a Week 6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, the Ravens appeared to be down and out. They sat at 1-5, but their bye week came at the perfect time. They took a long, hard look in the mirror over that break and have been a new team since. They currently own a three-game win streak, and the defensive performance has been the story of their recent surge.
The reinvention of the defense started in Week 6 after safety Alohi Gilman arrived in Charm City through the Odafe Oweh trade. There were still obvious flaws at the time, but since then, Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr’s unit has taken strides each week. Following another win in Minnesota, it is clear that the defense has successfully flipped the script, as they were a key reason for Sunday’s victory.
With a second half including matchups with several AFC North foes and playoff contenders, they are finding their footing at the ideal moment.
Ravens’ defense’s bounce-back should power second-half surge
Compared to where this Ravens team was in the first seven weeks, the tone has completely shifted. Not only are they winning games, but they are winning in style. Earlier in the year, this team looked lifeless. Now, their passion and energy have returned, and it is showing, especially on the defensive side.
Orr and his group have cleaned up a few critical areas since their historically bad start. Gone is the team that could not get off the field and failed to force field goals instead of allowing touchdowns. In the past three games, they have let up just three touchdowns, as opposed to seven field goals. Sure, they let offenses get into scoring position, but they are locking things down when it is most important.
That unit that could not force a turnover for the life of them is now forcing them at an electric pace. They have gotten a takeaway in each of their past four games, including three in each of the last two. In that stretch, they have accounted for eight turnovers after just two in the weeks before. Entering Week 11, they rank closer to the middle of the pack in turnovers forced with 10.
The defensive play was crucial in Sunday’s win, where each of their takeaways set up scoring drives for the offense. They also allowed the offense to grind back into the game after they allowed a touchdown on Minnesota’s opening drive, limiting the Vikings to field goals the rest of the way, outside of one last desperation touchdown late in the game
The talent for this kind of performance on defense has always been there, but injuries and inexperience played a big role in those early-season troubles. Now, they are healthy, and the rookie class is firing on all cylinders. The defensive front still needs to improve, but they took strides this past Sunday in Dre’Mont Jones’ Baltimore debut, and they should continue to put more pressure on opposing quarterbacks moving forward.