Where Have You Gone Ravens Defense? Baltimore Misses You
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Written by: Marco Romanell
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The first that comes to any football fans mind when they think of the Baltimore Ravens is not just defense but great defense. This season the Ravens sit at 6-6 and their defense has looked tamer than it ever has. No longer does the Ravens defense instill fear in the hearts of opponents and it may never reach that level again, at least not this season. If the Ravens are going to make a playoff push, their defense will have to leave the witness the protection program and reassert itself as a force. If you look at the stats for defensive sacks you have to scroll almost all the way down the page to find the Baltimore Ravens. They are right there with the likes of the St.Louis Rams and Detroit Lions, defenses who were never previously in the same stratosphere, let alone the same stat page as the Ravens. The Ravens come into Sunday’s game with just 22 sacks on the season ranking them one sack ahead of Detroit and two ahead of the Rams. While the Ravens defense has a whole is not nearly as poor as the Rams and Lions, there sudden lack of pass rush this season has been a major reason for their struggles this season. Both the Lions and Rams combined for one win last season and have never been known to have great defenses. The fact that Ravens are in the same sentence as them in any defensive category should say something. While I am using the stats to support in my argument when it comes to sacks, I am going to use them against my argument regarding the Ravens defense overall. The Ravens rank 10th in overall defense, but anybody who has seen them play argues that they are from a top 10 defense. While they have only allowed 215 points per game, equaling out to about 18 points per game, this defense does not pass the “eyeball” test of an elite defense in the league. Giving up points has not been the problem for this team; instead it has been when they gave up the points and their inability to get other offenses off the field. Every Ravens fan remembers the game in Cincinnati this season when the Bengals seemed to convert every single 3rd conversion, keeping the Ravens defense on the field for an extended period of time. On the season opponents have converted on almost 40 percent of their 3rd down conversions, an equal number coming through the run and pass. For years we have seen the Ravens defense spend a lot of time on the field because their offense failed to move the ball; however this season they remain on the field because of their inability to stop opponents. This is something that needs to change if this defense is to improve this season. Those who are supporters of how the defense is playing will quickly point to the number of points allowed to back up their argument but looking at the stats deeper will show otherwise. The Ravens have allowed over 24 points four times this season, one of those time being to the Kansas City Chiefs. Prior to the Packers game they allowed 17 points or less to their previous five opponents including the Colts. Let’s look more closely at these games to see what an “accomplishment” it was. In the second Bengals game, the Ravens fell down by 17 points but allowed no points in the second half. This was more due to the Bengals running the ball and controlling the clock knowing that the Ravens offense could not score on their defense than it was anything the Ravens defense did. Against the Steelers, it took the Ravens almost three quarters before they finally realized that not blitzing Dennis Dixon was a better idea then blitzing him and they still allowed a big play late in the game that almost led to a loss. In their 30-7 victory over the Broncos, the Ravens faced a quarterback that was more interested in managing the game then making big plays down the field. Kyle Orton played right into the Ravens hand and posed no threat to them. Looking at the stats can be deceiving and that proves true in this case. Ultimately, there is only one thing a person needs to see that the Ravens defense is struggling and that is their eyes. The Ravens have only forced 20 turnovers and have allowed more big plays then I can ever remember. Ray Lewis missed a crucial tackle on the goal line in the Colts game that was huge in a game that was decided by just two points. The Ravens are getting out-physicaled and continue to miss tackles at the line of scrimmage and in the secondary. There are so many problems with this defense and they don’t look like they will be fixed anytime soon. The days of tenacious defense are over now, and it is time to accept the Ravens defense for what it is: aging and average. Maybe one day hard-hitting, tenacious, shut down defense will be back in the blue collar town that supported it so much. For now it is missing, and who knows when it will return? Where have you gone Ravens defense? Charm City turns its lonely eyes on you.
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