On Sunday, the Baltimore Ravens had a massive 24-0 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. By all accounts, it was the Ravens' best wire-to-wire win of the season. However, one devastating part of this game is that rookie linebacker Teddye Buchanan suffered a torn ACL. Buchanan had been a bright spot for the Ravens' defense all season long. He recorded 93 combined tackles and forced a fumble.
Now, without Buchanan, Trenton Simpson will earn a bigger role. Simpson was a third-round pick back in 2023, but he's struggled to find his footing thus far. The Clemson product started 13 games last season but has started in just three games this year. Simpson's last start came in Week 6 against the Los Angeles Rams. Overall, he's posted just 132 combined tackles in three years.
After Buchanan exited Sunday's game, Simpson saw his first real opportunity in some time. Notably, Simpson played in 35 snaps on Sunday (46 percent of the plays). Before that, he hadn't played in more than 10 snaps since his Week 6 start. Simpson played fairly well on Sunday, recording nine combined tackles. However, it's unclear if he will be able to maintain his production as consistency has been an issue for Simpson.
As the 7-7 Ravens are fighting for a playoff spot, Simpson will clearly be a key X-factor.
Simpson will play a big role as the Ravens fight for a playoff spot
The Ravens' defense has been up and down this season. Yes, on Sunday, they looked awesome. Regardless, if your defense has one weakness, good teams can easily expose said weakness. Simpson could certainly be a player teams will attempt to expose over the next three weeks. How he holds will be a key factor in the Ravens' playoff chances.
Simpson has struggled with his football awareness in his limited playing time this season, most notably when he slid into the endzone instead of downing the ball at the one-yard line. Of course, this is a special teams play, but these lapses can also be seen when he plays defense. Despite his athletic gifts, Simpson hasn't been a great pass rusher, generating 10 pressures for his career.
Perhaps he plays well, and none of this matters; Simpson has certainly had his high points throughout his career. But he's also had some super low points. Which version of Simpson the Ravens get will be a key question in the final stanza of the season.
Between Dre'Mont Jones, Roquan Smith, Kyle Van Noy, Mike Green, and Tavius Robinson, the Ravens have the personnel to cover up for Simpson somewhat. Nevertheless, as mentioned earlier, defenses will attack a weakness, so if Simpson isn't playing up to par, that will spell trouble for Simpson.