The Baltimore Ravens delivered the Buffalo Bills their first loss of the season on Sunday Night Football, with a commanding 35-10 victory. This dominant win over a top NFL team shows Baltimore is officially on the rise.
Additionally, Baltimore’s defense is making waves, putting the league on notice by shutting down one of the NFL’s most prolific scoring offenses heading into the game. One player who made a name for himself was Ravens rookie cornerback, Nate Wiggins.
Wiggins logged 38 defensive snaps and finished as the third-highest-rated Ravens defender in the game. This ranking speaks volumes, as the defense held the Bills to just 236 yards and 10 points.
Ravens' top @PFF grades vs. Bills:
— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) September 30, 2024
Offense
🥇 QB Lamar Jackson (88.8)
🥈 RB Justice Hill (87.2)
🥉 FB Pat Ricard (83.0)
RB Derrick Henry (81.5)
RT Roger Rosengarten (75.9)
Defense
🥇 OLB Kyle Van Noy (93.9)
🥈 OLB Odafe Oweh (89.1)
🥉 CB Nate Wiggins (80.9)
Wiggins’ impressive 80.9 game grade lifted his overall PFF grade to 67.3 on the season. While a grade in the 60s might seem underwhelming, it’s actually the league average. In fact, New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner and Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II have lower grades than Wiggins this season. Albeit, take the stats with a pinch of salt.
It's an incredibly small sample size, but Wiggins' early impact on the game is clearly positive. Though he may not outpace Gardner or Surtain this season or ever, Wiggins is playing well enough to secure a key role on this defense, which is promising.
What will set Wiggins apart from being good to being great will be his ability to create turnovers for a Baltimore defense that has thrived on them for the entirety of its existence. Wiggins had a few chances against Bills quarterback Josh Allen but failed to capitalize.
Nate Wiggins dropped two potential interceptions last Sunday night against the Bills
Nate Wiggins missed out on two golden interception opportunities but still had a solid game, along with the rest of Baltimore’s secondary—except for the lapse on the long pass to Shakir during Allen’s scramble. As Allen tried to play the hero, Wiggins had two chances to capitalize but couldn’t haul them in.
Hamilton was quick to tease the rookie about the missed turnovers, even calling him out jokingly during the post-game presser. Jackson also made sure to remind Hamilton to poke fun at Brandon Stephens for his own dropped interception.
“I thought DBs covered really well, even though Nate dropped some money today – ‘B-Steve’ , too, so we have two culprits,” Hamilton said.
Kyle Hamilton: “Nate (Wiggins) dropped some money today.”
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) September 30, 2024
Ravens rookie first round pick dropped two potential INTs.
The dropped interceptions aren’t a knock on Nate Wiggins—he’s already proving to be a solid cornerback with the potential to become great. Though lighthearted, the focus on the missed picks highlights the need for Wiggins to secure those chances as he develops into a top corner.
We're big fans of Nate Wiggins and hope he continues developing into an elite cornerback.