After entering this season with a world of hype, the Baltimore Ravens stunningly find themselves at an early crossroads. Arguably possessing the most talented roster in the AFC, the back-to-back AFC North champions sit at 1-3 and look nothing like a team poised to bathe in a confetti shower at the end of Super Bowl LX.
Though the Ravens can climb back into the playoff race after a dismal start, it’s an uphill battle, to say the least. In prior seasons going back to 1990, 252 teams started at 1-3, with just 35 (13.9%) ultimately making the postseason. Only one — the 2001 New England Patriots, led by an upstart quarterback named Tom Brady — won a Super Bowl.
To get back on track, Baltimore needs to fix a putrid defense, rediscover its offensive identity and rehabilitate a collection of banged-up Pro Bowlers, including quarterback Lamar Jackson (hamstring), who’s already been ruled out of this week’s game against Houston. Moreover, the Ravens need to rediscover their confidence and swagger after losing to three league heavyweights (Buffalo, Detroit and Kansas City) in a series of marquee matchups that exposed their warts as a purported Super Bowl contender. While the losses have put the Ravens squarely behind the eight ball, the lessons learned from those setbacks ultimately could make John Harbaugh’s squad a more formidable opponent in the tournament — IF they make the necessary corrections to maximize the talent on hand.
Studying the All-22 coaches film from Baltimore’s three losses, the defensive woes jump off the screen. Baltimore is surrendering big plays at an alarming rate, with miscommunication, poor execution and shoddy tackling leading to too many explosives on the perimeter. As a result, the Ravens have given up at least 37 points in each of their losses. They rank near the bottom of the league in total defense (31st), pass defense (31st) and rush defense (27th).
In his first season as defensive coordinator last year, Zach Orr overcame early struggles to propel the Ravens on a run that ended in a heartbreaking loss at Buffalo in the Divisional Round. This time around, Orr must tweak the scheme while also navigating an injury-ravaged defensive roster, with DT Nnamdi Madubuike out for the season and a number of additional key cogs currently compromised. Despite the litany of absences, Baltimore must improve its communication, alignment and execution of assignments to fare better against elite squads. The unit makes too many avoidable errors, and the self-inflicted mistakes lead to extended drives that eventually wear down the defense.
From a schematic standpoint, the Ravens need to maintain their gap discipline on blitzes and stunts to prevent the huge running lanes at the point of attack. In a gap-controlled scheme, where every defender is assigned a gap, defenders must understand where they are expected to fit and how they should disengage from blocks to secure their position in the hole. Additionally, the carefully coordinated defensive line, linebackers and safeties must be on point to eliminate any leaks at the point of attack. Against run-heavy squads like the Lions, in particular, the lack of gap integrity resulted in several big runs on the perimeter. Detroit finished that game with a whopping 224 yards on the ground.
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