The Baltimore Ravens’ defense has had an uncharacteristic start to the 2019 season. After finishing last year with the top ranking in the league, this year’s unit has struggled for several weeks in doing even the basic things properly. As the Ravens slipped to 2-2 this week, panic and frustration have started to boil over.
For two consecutive weeks, Baltimore’s defense has allowed opponents to gain 500-plus net yards. The Ravens have also allowed quarterbacks to throw for more than 300 yards for three straight weeks. In Week 4 against the Cleveland Browns, they missed tackles and had blown coverages — two things Baltimore’s defenses have typically done well in the past.
While there are myriad reasons why the Ravens are struggling defensively, coach John Harbaugh thinks it’s due to players trying to do too much.
“I think we’re overplaying some of our zone coverages. We’re overplaying some routes; we’re chasing some patterns that really fall into the category of trying doing too much,” Harbaugh said at Monday’s press conference. “You just need to do your job, be in your right spot and play football.”
But it wasn’t just the secondary that has struggled. Browns running back Nick Chubb ran 20 times for 165 yards and three touchdowns, including an 88-yard run in the fourth quarter when Baltimore was down by just six points. The Ravens had similar issues in Week 3 against the Kansas City Chiefs, letting running backs LeSean McCoy and Darrel Williams average nearly 7 yards per carry. Baltimore has given up 333 yards on the ground over the last two weeks.
“That’s not Ravens football and we’re not going to do it. Whatever it takes to get it fixed, we’ll get it fixed,” Harbaugh said. “By whatever means necessary, it’s going to get fixed.”
The schedule isn’t doing the Ravens many favors either. Four of the next five games come against passing attacks that rank no worse than 12th in the league. Baltimore’s next two games come against AFC North rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals. If the Ravens defense can’t figure out their problems quickly, Baltimore could go from a shoo-in playoff contender to a team struggling to keep pace in the AFC.
