It played no small part in former coordinator Wink Martindale being shown the door and it was something former coordinator Zach Orr managed to compound, and even the man tucked between them \u2013 the great Mike Macdonald now holding a Lombardi Trophy as head coach in Seattle \u2013 couldn\u2019t entirely solve this riddle during his two years running Baltimore\u2019s defense.<\/p>\n
The numbers are staggeringly poor, they run through three defensive coordinator regimes and they paint a bleak picture for Minter to fix on the fly. I have no doubt Minter will make great strides with this unit right away. And the addition of Trey Hedrickson \u2013 a \u201ccloser\u201d as Minter put it <\/a>in the introductory press conference \u00a0– took aim at some of the root issues in these lingering weaknesses with the game on the line. Minter, if you recall, deigned to speak about much specifically about the defense he inherited at his intro press conference, but did take aim at the fourth quarter failings.<\/p>\n Personnel upgrades to multiple levels of the defense should help \u2013 Baltimore had lacked playmakers affecting the ball in flight trying to protect leads for years as well \u2013 and despite all of their losses on offense in free agency its telling that the veteran additions have come on the other side of the ball. Minter\u2019s scheme should carry some inherent tendencies to help the defense make gains when it matters most.<\/p>\n Ugly Numbers<\/p>\n When you quantify all that went into this collective abyss, it certainly seems to go beyond what one individually brilliant pass rusher might offer. And when you consider the remarkably advantageous positions this defense was in entering so many fourth quarters with the offense hitting new heights in this period, it\u2019s even tougher to stomach. Through three quarters of games from 2020-2025 the Ravens were second in the NFL with a +609 point differential; they ranked fourth in points scored in that span and ranked first, yes first(!) in points allowed through three quarters in that span of 101 games. <\/p>\n Now, consider these rankings, since 2020, in overall fourth-quarter defense:<\/p>\n 29th \u2013 5.4 yards\/play<\/p>\n 28th \u2013 Points allowed (742)<\/p>\n 28th \u2013 INT\/ATT (1.9%)<\/p>\n 29th \u2013 1st downs\/qtr (6.0)<\/p>\n 30th \u2013 Total Defense EPA (-1.57)<\/p>\n 30th \u2013 Defensive Penalty EPA (-39.66)<\/p>\n 20th \u2013 Pressure Rate (34.8%)<\/p>\n 30th \u2013 Completions of 15+ yards (185)<\/p>\n 28th \u2013 OTDs allowed of 15+ yards (30)<\/p>\n That screams of a collective mindset and mentality that was hardwired to collapse. The best scoring defense in the NFL through three quarters over six season is somehow, on the whole, the worst unit in the league after the third quarter? That\u2019s going to require a holistic reset in every aspect of defensive play. There are three critical areas that must be addressed ASAP, and in a forthright manner both in ongoing transactions and through systemic strategy and scheme decisions.<\/p>\n Pass Rush\/Takeaways <\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\"){kind=icon}
Add us as a preferred source on Google