I have a question. With Tavius Robinson and Ar’Darius Washington back in the mix, is the Ravens’ defense stronger than it’s been all season?
I think so, which means the Ravens, at 7-7, can’t be dismissed as a contender in the AFC heading into Sunday night’s home game against the New England Patriots.
It was wild watching Thursday night’s offensive shootout won by the Seattle Seahawks, 38-37, over the Los Angeles Rams. No lead was safe, with one score after another.
While highly entertaining, that’s not the Ravens’ style this season. They’re leaning on their defense. Over the past eight weeks, Baltimore has allowed the fewest touchdowns in the NFL (nine). The Ravens have ranked No. 1 in red zone defense, third in points allowed (15.3), third in quarterback hits (53), and tied for fifth in takeaways (13).
That’s two months of consistent play from Baltimore’s defense – fact, not fiction.
Since Week 5, the Ravens have allowed 30 points just once. That was Thanksgiving during their 32-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. However, the Ravens had five turnovers in that game, which didn’t give the defense a fair chance.
Baltimore’s defense got its rematch against Cincinnati last weekend and dominated. The 24-0 victory was Baltimore’s first shutout since 2018 – the first time Joe Burrow had been blanked during his NFL career. Burrow is a bad man, but Baltimore’s defense was better.
Which brings us to Sunday night, when the Ravens’ defense will face Drake Maye, the second-year quarterback who has led the Patriots (11-3) to prominence. If the Ravens lose to Maye, there may not be a postseason for Baltimore.
However, a Baltimore victory that includes another stellar defensive performance would be more reason to believe the Ravens might be peaking at the right time.