The Baltimore Ravens buckled down and iced away a tight game against the Los Angeles Chargers, 20-10. The Ravens had control for most of the game, but the score also is not quite indicative of how close the game was. Baltimore has continued to improve, and they made a few changes to prepare for the late-season rush.
3. The Baltimore Ravens got a full game out of Ronald Darby
Ronald Darby has now started six games for the Baltimore Ravens. However, Sunday was the first time that he gave the Ravens a 100% snap effort. Darby did not miss a single snap for the defense.
In week one, Darby played 89.6% of the snaps, but he was pulled late. After that, the Ravens got Rock Ya-Sin back and started to platoon the duo. Darby went to 58.3% of the snaps in the next game, then 65.5%, and finally 63.8% in his last start before Marlon Humphrey returned from injury.
It made sense because Darby tore his ACL in 2022, and Rock Ya-Sin missed week one with an injury. So, why not ease them both back in? However, in week 11, they were both eased in. We needed to see a full game from Darby.
Ya-Sin replaced Humphrey when he injured himself in week 10, but Darby started in week 11. Though he played 50.8% of the snaps, Ya-Sin committed a penalty, and the team finished the game with Jalyn Armour-Davis.
There was too much shuffling, and neither cornerback could get into a groove. The Ravens had to decide who would start and play a full game. They went with Darby, who played well. Keenan Allen got him, but a lot of that was against zone, and it was in the slot. The other receivers were shut down as Alex Erickson was the next highest receiver, hauling in a 17-yard pass as his only yards of the night.
Humphrey should be back soon, but now we know that the Ravens can trust Darby to finish the game if needed.