For the first time all year, the Baltimore Ravens have strung together back-to-back wins. Not only have they won two in a row, but they have delivered two outstanding performances. The offense is back in shape, and the defense has been one of the better units in football over its past three games.
Everyone knew the Ravens were going to reignite their electric offense with quarterback Lamar Jackson returning. After backup Tyler Huntley’s standout showing in the team’s Week 8 win over the Chicago Bears, Baltimore was poised to see their dynamite offense back in action on Thursday Night Football, and they did just that.
The bigger turnaround obviously comes from Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr’s group, though. After a historically bad start, they have put together an encouraging stretch, emphasized by an electric performance in their Week 9 win over the Miami Dolphins. They held the Dolphins to just six points in the 28-6 win, forcing three turnovers in the process.
The defense is truly becoming a game-changer, and after a 1-5 start, it is the exact spark that Head Coach John Harbaugh and the Baltimore Ravens need to make a playoff run.
Ravens’ inspiring defense is igniting midseason spark
Admittedly, the Ravens are giving up a ton of yards. They gave up 332 yards to the Dolphins and 372 to the Bears. However, they only gave up 22 combined points between the two contests. The reason? The newfound bend-don’t-break mentality that Orr and his defense are now enforcing.
Baltimore has been allowing opposing offenses to get comfortable early in drives, moving chains and ripping off moderate gains. As soon as the offense gets closer to scoring range, though, the defense has been tightening up. They are making plays when it matters most, and it is the type of philosophy that has Dean Pees’ name written all over it.
Pees led the Ravens’ defense for six years from 2012 to 2017. Throughout his tenure, his units thrived on the teaching of limiting the big plays and tightening up in the red zone. While it caused some issues at times, it worked more often than not and propelled Baltimore to the top of defensive rankings for several years. This has been the exact type of defense Ravens fans have been seeing in this three-game stretch, and after Pees helped the defensive staff in 2024, it is clear Orr is adopting the same philosophy.
If the game is left in the offense’s hands, they are going to come on top. They have all the pieces necessary surrounding Jackson, but the defensive struggles caused an unbelievably bad start. After nine weeks of action, though, it seems like the defense is ready to play a competitive brand of football, and they should help bring the Ravens back to life in 2025.