At this point, everyone knows that the Baltimore Ravens struggle to play with a lead. Sunday's 35-13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals (in which they were up 13-0 at halftime) marked their 17th blown double-digit lead since 2020, and that comes after their 16th last week. That's embarrassing.
One of the common themes in these games has been the defense collapsing. Hiring the defensive-minded Jesse Minter seemed like the ideal remedy to this problem. Unfortunately, this John Harbaugh-era problem is very much alive.
In fact, giving up 35 unanswered points in the second half is arguably the worst defensive collapse of the decade. And this isn't the first defensive collapse of the Minter era. In Week 2, the Ravens gave up 15 fourth-quarter points to the New Orleans Saints. They also blew a 10-0 halftime lead to the Cleveland Browns last week, though the defense is less at fault for that one. Heck, they almost lost a big lead against the Tennessee Titans in Week 4.
Even with a new coach, the Ravens' second-half defensive problems remain.
The Baltimore Ravens' second-half defense keeps falling apart
To be clear, I don't think you can put all of the blame on Minter. He was touted as a defensive mastermind, and he's flashed this upside. The Ravens' Week 5 win over the Atlanta Falcons was especially impressive defensively. Compared to Zach Orr, his schemes are a clear upgrade, and the Ravens' ability to generate pressure has improved a lot.
Some of the Ravens' defensive struggles are clearly on the players. Whether it's missed tackles or struggling to finish sacks, the Ravens' players need to be better. This is especially true since they overhauled their defense by adding Trey Hendrickson, Calais Campbell, and getting Nnamdi Madubuike back in the fold.
Minter isn't blameless, though. The Ravens' defensive aggression wavers down the stretch of games because he isn't always bringing the heat. That was certainly the case on Sunday.
Oftentimes, there are major gaps in the secondary or the middle of the field, which lead to big plays. Yes, busted coverage is part of the problem, but another factor is that Minter's schemes give up too much space. The most blatant example on Sunday was leaving Drew Sample wide open, allowing him to walk into the end zone.
Furthermore, the Ravens' top corners Nate Wiggins and Marlon Humpmhery thrive playing physical defense, while Minter mainly opts for a soft zone. This clearly isn't working, as the Ravens are still susceptible to big plays.
Minter's game feel also needs to improve. The complete defensive collapse was more of a concern on Sunday. Still, he foolishly opted to go for it on 4th-and-2 while a field goal would've put them up 16-14.
After the game, Minter took the blame for the Ravens' struggles. That's exactly what a coach should do; blaming players would be an awful look.
Regardless, Minter needs to match his words with actions, or else these problems will pop up again. While I still have faith in Minter long-term, these problems must be stopped, and so far they've only gotten worse.
Truthfully, it will take a collective effort from both Minter and the players to solve the Ravens' late-game defensive woes. If they want to be a Super Bowl-level team, these problems have to be solved. Heck, at 4-3 in a competitive division, the playoffs are far from a guarantee.
One thing is for sure, though: hiring Minter alone wasn't enough to solve the Ravens' late-game defensive struggles.
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