Baltimore / Munich – When you talk about the Baltimore Ravens, you think of Lamar Jackson – currently the most spectacular quarterback in the NFL and the logical MVP of the 2019 season. You might also think of running back Mark Ingram, who ran 1018 yards, or Wide Receiver Marquise Brown, who is playing a remarkable season as a rookie.
It is often forgotten that defense also played a large part in the fact that the Baltimore Ravens were the best team of the regular season with 14 wins and only two defeats.
The defense allowed an average of just 300.6 yards per game – the fourth best value in the league. The opponents achieved only 17.6 points on average against the Ravens – the third best value in the league.
A defense with no weak points
Particularly important: The Ravens are not among the teams that shine against the running game, for example, and are holey in defending the pass or vice versa. The Baltimore defense is balanced: fifth best run defense, sixth best pass defense. Weak points? Nothing!
This development was not to be expected at the beginning of the season. The Baltimore Ravens provided the NFL’s best defense by the yards in 2018. The bloodletting in the offseason, however, was great.
CJ Mosley was unstoppable in Baltimore
6-time Pro Bowl safety Eric Weddle was fired to save $ 7.5 million in Cap Space. The supposed plan behind it: The Ravens wanted to pool all financial resources to bind star linebacker CJ Mosley in the long term. As I said: That was the plan.
In fact, however, Mosley migrated to the New York Jets and mutated there into one of the NFL’s best-paid linebackers. And as if that wasn’t serious enough, two top pass rushers left the Baltimore team. Franchise icon Terrell Suggs moved to Arizona and later to Kansas City and Za’Darius Smith went to Green Bay with the Packers.
Suddenly the defense was without its four key players – and that’s exactly how it played.
The fact that the only two defeats of the season occurred in weeks 3 and 4 was mainly due to the weak defense. Both the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cleveland Browns were granted over 500 yards each. This has never happened twice in a row in the history of the Ravens franchise.
Marcus Peters & Co .: The clever additional commitments
General Manager Eric DeCosta had to react. And he did: The two linebackers Josh Bynes and LJ Fort without a contract were signed. Two weeks later, cornerback Marcus Peters, who was kicked off in exchange for linebacker Kenny Young and a five-round pick from the Los Angeles Rams, was added.
It was exactly the players who took the Ravens defense to a new level. Bynes has booked 46 tackles, one sack and two interceptions for the Ravens in twelve games. Fort acquired 35 tackles and two sacks in the same period. Peters immediately became a top performer, catching three interceptions, two of which he carried back directly to the touchdown.
Cornerback Jimmy Smith said of his position mate Peters: “He was a real bargain for our team. Given his talents, it’s almost disrespectful that he was given so cheaply.”
The Ravens have just proven that no major investments are necessary to bring a complete part of the team into shape. Domata Peko (nose tackle) and Jihad Ward (defensive end), who were also signed during the season, are not superstars, but have fulfilled their roles well in some games and also came to Baltimore as players without a contract.
“Eric should be named Executive of the Year for all of the help he has done to us,” said Defense Coordinator Don Martindale of the general manager.
9.5 Sacks – Matthew Judon is playing season of his life
“A big compliment to our management,” says linebacker Matthew Judon: “They analyzed the weaknesses and deficiencies and brought in the right people to get the ship upright again.”
Judon is also a key factor in strong defense. The outside linebacker is playing the best season of his career with 9.5 sacks and four forced fumbles and was rightly called up to the Pro Bowl.
Stop Henry, pressurize Tannehill
In the playoff game against the Tennessee Titans (on the night of Saturday and Sunday at 2:15 a.m. on ProSieben and ran.de), the main goal is to stop running back Derrick Henry. Henry ran the New England Patriots into the ground last weekend with 182 rushing yards and 22 receiving yards.
This is not to be done against the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens will not only focus on Henry, but will probably also put Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill under permanent pressure.
In 54.9 percent of all plays, the Ravens had a flash. That means: A linebacker or defensive back tries to get through to the quarterback. No other team in the NFL has used this tactic so often this season. The only problem is: Tannehill is good at handling pressure.
The defense of the Ravens will be required to stop the Titans after they defeat the New England Patriots. But the self-confidence is great. Judon says: “There are some people on our team who haven’t lost a game as Ravens players. We want to continue this trend.”
And if possible until the Super Bowl.
Oliver Jensen
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