On one hand, the Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions gave fans everything they could have desired in a classic Monday Night Football clash. This very well could have been a Super Bowl preview, but Ravens fans would hope for a different outcome, in the end, on the sport's biggest stage.
After the Ravens ultimately went down to the Lions in this one, it was a tough reality that set in. Baltimore is 1-2 to start the year and the fact of the matter is, their defense has been the pain point. Following the game, star safety Kyle Hamilton was asked about his defense's performance and he got right to the point.
"Definitely not where we want it to be. No excuses can be made at this point. If it's not one thing, it's another," the 2-time Pro Bowler said.
Kyle Hamilton didn't mince words when assessing the Ravens' poor defense
Sadly, Hamilton isn't wrong. Both he and 2-time All-Pro Marlon Humphrey said very similar things when speaking after the game. The tone was the same. It was somber. It was that of a reality check. Humphrey noted this fan base having seen greatness in the past, and what this unit is putting out on the field is far from it.
The facts speak for themselves. The Ravens' defense, to this point, has been atrocious. Through three games, no team is giving up more total yards than the Ravens (415.0 per game).
Baltimore is 31st against the pass and 30th against the run. It doesn't get a whole lot worse than that. And, oh by the way, they are 31st in points given up per game at a shocking 32.0.
What the Lions did to Baltimore on Monday night ended up being a good, old-fashioned punch in the mouth. The Lions rushing attack went for 224 yards between David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, and Baltimore didn't have an answer.
Clearly, this team missed Nnamdi Madubuike on this occasion. But, for one player to be expected to clean up this type of mess would be an absurd expectation. The Ravens are looking for answers, and there isn't one single answer in the form of Madubuike.
These issues go deeper. As Hamilton said, if it isn't one thing, it's another. It isn't just the run defense. It isn't just the secondary. It is truly all three levels, right now, that aren't clicking.