The Baltimore Ravens squeaked out a victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 5, taking it to overtime to get the job done. The win brings them to 3-2 and momentarily back at the top of the AFC North as the Ravens attempt to get back to the postseason.
Lost in the close victory and tough loss of safety Tony Jefferson to a season-ending injury was just how well the secondary played overall. While far from perfect, especially considering Pittsburgh turning to their backup and then third-string quarterback this week, it was a pretty big turnaround for Baltimore after weeks of major struggles.
The Ravens allowed just 192 net passing yards this week, their second-lowest total behind Week 1’s dominant win over the Miami Dolphins. There were significantly fewer instances of players being left completely wide open and fewer missed tackles in spite of a lackluster pass rush.
At the center of the big changes were linebacker Josh Bynes and cornerback Maurice Canady. It’s not surprising the pair had the biggest jump in snap counts from Week 4 to Week 5 alongside the improved play of the team.
Bynes was also all over the field. Wearing the No. 57 jersey and rocking dreads out of the back of his helmet, you wouldn’t be alone in wondering if Baltimore had quietly traded for C.J. Mosley after letting him leave in free agency. Bynes played 72% (43 defensive snaps) of the game just five days after being signed by Baltimore. Though he showed some endurance issues later in the game, no one can question his impact from the very beginning of the game. Bynes came up with an interception in the first quarter. That turnover gave the Ravens’ offense a short field and ultimately put seven points on the board in a game that was decided by just three in overtime.
As he gets back into true game shape over the next few weeks, we should continue to see improved play at linebacker thanks to Bynes.
But I’d be remiss if I didn’t bring up Canady’s performance this week. With second-year cornerback Anthony Averett a healthy scratch against Pittsburgh, Canady had the pressure fall squarely on his shoulders. Playing 92% (55 defensive snaps) of the time, he did well.
Canady switched from inside where he typically plays to outside. It was a bold move by defensive coordinator Don Martindale but one that paid off well. Canady lead the team in tackles, which is to be expected with Marlon Humphrey having a Player of the Game type performance on the opposite side. Though Canady gave up a good number of the targets that went his way, being able to limit the Steelers to mostly short-yardage results is why Pittsburgh wasn’t able to sustain drives.
With Canady quietly playing well, the Ravens’ secondary looks poised to make a major comeback over the next few weeks. He’ll have to continue to play well in absence of starter Jimmy Smith but Baltimore seems to have confidence in him.
Check out the next page for the Ravens’ snap count breakdowns.
Ravens offensive snap counts – Week 5:
| Player | Position | Snaps | % of total |
| Bradley Bozeman | G | 81 | 100% |
| Orlando Brown | T | 81 | 100% |
| Ronnie Stanley | T | 81 | 100% |
| Matt Skura | C | 81 | 100% |
| Marshal Yanda | G | 81 | 100% |
| Lamar Jackson | QB | 81 | 100% |
| Willie Snead | WR | 56 | 69% |
| Mark Ingram | RB | 53 | 65% |
| Seth Roberts | WR | 53 | 65% |
| Nick Boyle | TE | 52 | 64% |
| Mark Andrews | TE | 43 | 53% |
| Marquise Brown | WR | 37 | 46% |
| Hayden Hurst | TE | 33 | 41% |
| Gus Edwards | RB | 21 | 26% |
| Chris Moore | WR | 20 | 25% |
| Miles Boykin | WR | 20 | 25% |
| Patrick Ricard | FB | 12 | 15% |
| Justice Hill | RB | 5 | 6% |
Ravens defensive snap counts – Week 5:
| Player | Position | Snaps | % of total |
| Marlon Humphrey | CB | 60 | 100% |
| Brandon Carr | CB | 58 | 97% |
| Earl Thomas | S | 58 | 97% |
| Maurice Canady | CB | 55 | 92% |
| Patrick Onwuasor | LB | 54 | 90% |
| Matthew Judon | LB | 47 | 78% |
| Tony Jefferson | S | 46 | 77% |
| Pernell McPhee | LB | 45 | 75% |
| Josh Bynes | LB | 43 | 72% |
| Brandon Williams | DT | 41 | 68% |
| Michael Pierce | NT | 41 | 68% |
| Jaylon Ferguson | LB | 21 | 35% |
| Tyus Bowser | LB | 19 | 32% |
| Chris Wormley | DE | 17 | 28% |
| Chuck Clark | S | 16 | 27% |
| Anthony Levine | S | 16 | 27% |
| Patrick Ricard | DT | 13 | 22% |
| Zach Sieler | DT | 6 | 10% |
| DeShon Elliott | S | 3 | 5% |
| Chris Board | LB | 1 | 2% |
