Albert McClellan

Baltimore Ravens Report Card: Grading The Defense

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 3:40 p.m. ET

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Sep 11, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens linebacker Zach Orr (54) reacts after Buffalo Bills kicker Dan Carpenter (not pictured) missed a field goal during the third quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. The Ravens won 13-7. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Ravens Asked Their Defense To Pick Up The Slack For A Struggling Offense. This Is The Defensive Report Card for Dean Pees and Company.

The Baltimore Ravens defense did well this season. It wasn’t a historically good defense like the Ravens saw in their first Super Bowl run. It was however one of the best defenses in the NFL. The Ravens finished the NFL regular season with the seventh ranked defense. The Ravens ranked 5th against the run and ninth against the pass. When you look at what the Ravens accomplished, it’s hard to have a problem with the defense.

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The Ravens defense will be unfairly remembered for allowing a last second touchdown to Antonio Brown and the Steelers. Dean Pees employed a prevent defense, that’s not the players fault. The prevent defense prevented the Ravens from winning. The Ravens gave up over 400 passing yards to Tom Brady and had a couple of stumbles along the way. Its easy to point to a couple bad moments but the Ravens put together a strong body of work defensively.

Overall Grade: A-

I have no problem giving this defense a pat on the back. The Ravens got teams off the field all season long. Many of their worst moments were caused by the offensive struggles breaking the back of the defense. The Ravens gave up just 20.1 points per game which is ninth best in the NFL. The Ravens held seven of their opponents to under 20 points. Baltimore dominated teams this year with their defense. Overall the defense did a phenomenal job. There is room for improvement but the defense is not what you should be mad about Ravens fans.

Sep 25, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Baltimore Ravens defensive end Timmy Jernigan (99) celebrates making a stop during the second half of a football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank FieldThe Baltimore Ravens won 19-17. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive Line: Overall Grade B+

The Ravens saw five sacks come from Timmy Jernigan who had an explosively good season. Baltimore saw Brandon Williams put on a clinic and Michael Pierce become a strong contributor. Lawrence Guy was a solid defensive end who helped in run defense. The Ravens defense was a well oiled space eating machine.

The only knock on the Ravens defensive line is the lack of pass rush. Other than Jernigan the Ravens don’t have a great penetrating defensive tackle that makes quarterbacks worry. The Ravens play a 3-4 defense. This isn’t the biggest problem in the world because of that, but it is an area the team can improve upon.

For most of the season the Ravens led the league in rush defense. If the Ravens didn’t have a hard time against Le’Veon Bell and Ryan Matthews down stretch, I think I would have given them an A.

Jan 3, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Baltimore Ravens inside linebacker C.J. Mosley (57) against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. The bengals won 24-16. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Inside Linebackers: Overall Grade A+

It is hard to knock the Ravens inside linebackers on anything. The Ravens had one of the best combinations at inside linebacker in the NFL. C.J. Mosley is going to the Pro Bowl and Zach Orr should have been voted in alongside him. Mosley and Orr are perfect for what the NFL has become. They are good in coverage and against the run. Mosley and Orr have a combined seven interceptions.

The Ravens heartbeat of the Ravens defense is Zach Orr and C.J. Mosley. Orr had 91 solo tackles and assisted on 41 tackles. Orr was the leading tackler of the Ravens and it was not even close. Mosley had 56 tackles and assisted on 36. Both linebackers flew around to the football with reckless abandon. They trusted their keys and they played fast.

Orr was ninth in the entire league in tackles. The two linebackers worked in perfect harmony. I could go on and on about how good these two players did, but you get the point.

Dec 18, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs (55) reacts during the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Outside Linebackers B-

The Baltimore Ravens could have gotten more pass rush from their outside linebackers. Terrell Suggs stood out from the rest of the Ravens edge players, but that surprises nobody. Suggs had eight sacks and forced three fumbles, playing most of the season with a biceps injury. With Elvis Dumervil missing a huge chunk of the season, the Ravens needed other players to step up.

The Ravens got some decent play from players like Albert McClellan and Matt Judon. Judon was a rookie out of Grand Valley State. He showed that he could be a player to look out for with four sacks. A guy that took a bit of a step back in his second season was Za’Darius Smith. Smith had just 20 tackles and one sack this season.

The Ravens have a clear need for more pass rush moving forward. The Ravens only got 31 sacks this season. The run defense is pretty good. The pass rush needs to be improved. At the outside linebacker position it is Terrell Suggs and then everybody else.

Dec 12, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; Baltimore Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith (22) leaves the game on cart with an injury during the first half against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

Secondary: Overall Grade C+

The secondary was clearly better when Jimmy Smith was on the field. The Ravens are pretty thin at the cornerback position and it really showed. The Ravens did some pretty good things in the back end though. Without a top-tier pass rush the Ravens had a top 10 pass defense. That is something that cannot get overlooked. The Ravens secondary was not perfect but when Smith was on the field it was pretty good.

The Ravens were tied for the most interceptions this season. Intercepting 18 passes is pretty darn good. The Ravens only gave up eight passes over 40 yards which is 11th best in the NFL. Lardarius Webb prevented a ton of big plays. Eric Weddle showed great range at the strong safety position. Weddle was a physical safety that the Ravens could count on.

The Ravens secondary ultimately needs to improve. With Smith on the field, the Ravens have a secondary that is more than respectable. Without him the secondary is suspect. It is because of that drop off that the secondary misses out on a B grade. The Ravens need more speed and youth at the cornerback position. Getting Tavon Young in the draft was a good start on that.