OTL: Ravens Defense Needs More Takeaways

At first, following Baltimore’s tough loss at home against the Philadelphia Eagles, I thought a deep dive into the locker rooms, practice fields, facilities and gameday atmospheres of the AFC North would be the last thing I wanted to see. Nevertheless, I remain excited for the new season of “Hard Knocks” that dropped last night:

TONIGHT

A new era of #HardKnocks begins pic.twitter.com/JhZwAaHFVL

— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) December 3, 2024

While I haven’t had the chance to watch it yet (blame my professors), I do expect to see a ton of awesome content, as well as possibly some that illuminates some of the issues we’ve suspected this year:

Hold up… Hard Knocks might expose the Diontae Johnson saga and what’s going on behind the scenes with Tucker pic.twitter.com/QJIJguxluU

— Kyle (@ImKyleMangum) December 3, 2024

Add Marcus Williams and Eddie Jackson onto that list, and it should make for an intriguing watch. Of course, the Ravens probably won’t let anything too juicy get off the cutting room floor…but we can hope.

Further, being able to see the way Cincinnati is handling its disappointing campaign and how Mike Tomlin coaches should be cool. And last but certainly not least, it’ll be great seeing Jameis Winston lead in his unique, funny way.

Overall, I can’t wait. But it is worth noting that the “Hard Knocks” recording and fanfare around it brings distractions, and that’s the reason Baltimore hadn’t participated in so long. It sounds like the first episode was pretty light on Ravens content, so if you missed it, no need to rush to the screen.

If you’re watching Hard Knocks for Ravens content particularly, I’d probably just skip the first episode.

— RAMEY (@HoodieRamey) December 4, 2024

Speaking of Marcus Williams and the overall play of safeties this year, Chris Hewitt mentioned that it’s a jolt to the system.

Ravens pass game coordinator Chris Hewitt on Marcus Williams, who has gone from a starting safety to a healthy scratch: pic.twitter.com/jlD4lRIxAW

— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) December 3, 2024

It seems to have been a positive jolt for the defense overall, as they’ve looked significantly improved against fairly strong opponents the last few weeks. DC Zach Orr spoke to what the defense can continue to work on during the BYE to improve further:

Zach Orr said the biggest focus for the Ravens defense moving forward is getting more takeaways. Also wants to be better in the red zone. pic.twitter.com/Bjmequpe7E

— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) December 3, 2024

Turnovers have been a missing piece for Baltimore, apart from Marlon Humphrey. Overall, the team has seven interceptions (five of which came from Humphrey) and four fumble recoveries. While a number of the turnovers have been clutch, it would be nice to see them happen more frequently. An average of 0.8 per game isn’t getting it done (Pittsburgh leads the league with over two per game).

Now, if only the offense and Justin Tucker can get back on track, the Ravens can finally look to play a complete game. First and foremost, OC Todd Monken will have to avoid the rumors about his coaching future:

Todd Monken, who is the play-caller for the No. 1 offense in the NFL, will likely get linked to head coach openings.

How does he handle that? “I don’t pay attention to it,” he said. pic.twitter.com/AmLeM2EnZ9

— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) December 3, 2024

For now, it seems like he’s doing a good job of it. As for QB Lamar Jackson, Monken knows how badly he wants to win. The two have always seemed like a great tandem, but the last few weeks have been shakier.

Could it be because of the O-Line that got so much attention this offseason? According to PFF, their play has dramatically declined in recent weeks. At the same time, Cole Jackson points out how the numbers highlight Jackson’s brilliance:

The #Ravens OL efficiency is now down to 13th in the NFL, per PFF.

What’s interesting is that they’re the 2nd lowest in sacks and 3rd lowest in QB Hits, BUT they’re the 5th highest in hurries.

That shows the Lamar Jackson effect. Lamar can’t scramble away from hurries, but he…

— Cole Jackson (@ColeJacksonFB) December 3, 2024

Meanwhile, though Jackson’s escapability is certainly an asset, how early and often do we want our QB running for his life? Ramey points out here that the earlier Jackson has to become superman, the harder the rest of the game becomes for him.

11:31 in Q1 and your quarterback is being asked to do stuff like this. Lamar off schedule plays are great but ultimately it makes his job harder as the game goes on. pic.twitter.com/8MCl7vL4ww

— RAMEY (@HoodieRamey) December 3, 2024

This was mentioned following the Chiefs loss and continues to be a problem. If Jackson has to do everything all game, his ability to carry the team when they need him late is minimized, no matter how badly he wants to win.

And yet, as Nic Mason highlights, he continues to be “sent into a buzzsaw.”

The #NFL is very much an adapt or fail league, you can only learn lessons from a loss if you action the findings from tape.

Sending a team into a buzzsaw every week with the blind hope things will get better is willingly accepting fragility! #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/5GP1swSz5p

— Nic Mason (@British_Raven19) December 3, 2024

I’ve written about it a few times recently: I think this stems back to John Harbaugh. I’ll leave you with an interesting clip from ESPN’s Paul Hembekides:

Paul Hembekides on John Harbaugh and Lamar Jackson

“They’re just not a great problem solving tandem…they don’t do a good enough job at adjusting drive-to-drive as Mike Tomlin does, as Matt LaFleur, as Sean McVay, as Josh Allen, as Patrick Mahomes” pic.twitter.com/8vcnLRw6gl

— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) December 3, 2024

Where do you stand on the Harbaugh debate?

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