In the last several posts I’ve pointed out the unstoppable nature of the Ravens offense. I’m not going to spend much time in this post reviewing the wonderful play by the offense against the helpless Buccaneers defense. It has all come together for the offense at the highest possible level. Rather, the focus here is on the atrocious Ravens defensive play by the back seven. Against Tampa, the Ravens defense was even worse than it appeared on the broadcast.
After weeks of mediocre to downright poor performances, last week was disheartening. Scoring 41 points helps to hide all of this, but the mistakes against Tampa were downright alarming. Folks, it hasn’t gotten one iota better. I’m going to review some of this in even more (hopefully not boring) detail than usual.
Ravens Defensive Mistakes – Part I: Zach Orr Calls and Player Confusion
It all started on the third snap of Tampa’s first possession. Two veterans, Kyle Hamilton and Marlon Humphrey, failed to get into their proper positions pre-snap. At the snap, Coach Orr lined up both Roquan Smith and Trenton Simpson in the A gap showing blitz. And they did. This left Odafe Oweh tasked with covering the running back in the flat. Lord knows why. Oweh did his best, but he was rubbed as he attempted to get there leading to an 18 yard gain. Another example of “exotic” play design hammering the Ravens.
Let’s highlight a play from the fourth quarter. Tampa aligned four receivers wide. Ar’Darius Washington took the tight end deep down the seam and was in position to make an interception. He missed, and the tight end caught the ball for a big gain. On this play Kyle Hamilton was aligned as an inside linebacker and was frozen in his tracks. Roquan Smith was accounting for the running back, and presumably Hamilton should have dropped down the field. But he did nothing on the play and was useless.
Four plays later, Eddie Jackson was in an up position. He inexplicably let a tight end run right past him and down the field. The Ravens had a single deep safety look, and that safety was occupied elsewhere. Jackson had no help, nor was he assigned any on this play. Big gain by Tampa to the Ravens four yard line.
On the very next play, Zach Orr called a real clunker. Tampa was in a five receiver set, yet Orr still had Trenton Simpson on the field in coverage. To make matters worse, Orr had Brent Urban (believe it or not) drop into coverage in the middle of the field, leaving the Ravens with a three man rush. On the side of the field away from Simpson, Ar’Darius Washington did not know who to cover, as he dropped into a deeper area already occupied by Eddie Jackson. The ball was thrown in front of Washington in the open area.
Ravens Defensive Mistakes – Part II: Tampa’s Second Drive
On the next series Eddie Jackson appeared to be playing in quarters coverage on the left outside of the field. But he vacated that position in an attempt to get to a scrambling Baker Mayfield. At the same time the running back was crossing behind Jackson, who Jackson ignored, leading to a 15 yard gain.
Two plays later Coach Orr tasked Trenton Simpson with covering the slot receiver. That receiver blew straight past Simpson and was wide open for a touchdown. Simpson came off of that streaking receiver to cover the running back who slid over to the flat. Brandon Stephens attempted to roll back onto that slot receiver but was way too late while, at the same time and for some unknown reason, Marcus Williams at the back end rolled up into the middle of the field.
The Ravens were very fortunate on this play, as Baker Mayfield didn’t spot the wide open slot receiver for six, taking instead a seven yard gain on a pass in front of Roquan Smith.
On the very next play the Bucs lined up with trip receivers to the right. They put the running back into motion to the right. Roquan Smith, who was responsible for the running back, did not move over towards the running back’s motion. Nor did Eddie Jackson, on the back end, roll up toward that side. This left the Ravens defense with three backs covering four receivers. Only a great shoestring tackle by Kyle Hamilton prevented this from being another big play.
On the final play of the drive on a third and long the Bucs lined up with two wide receivers to the left along with a tight end. Mike Evans was aligned alone on the right. The tight end chipped on a Ravens defender and then moved down the field as a receiver. Roquan Smith, who apparently had the tight end responsibility, simply lost track of him, leading to a huge gain.
This drive ended in a field goal. Tampa should have had a touchdown.
More Ravens Defensive Mistakes – Marlon Humphrey’s Turn, Interception Notwithstanding
Humphrey’s second pick of the game on Tampa’s final first half drive was a turning point in the game. Yet, Humphrey was in the right place but for the wrong reason. On this play Tampa lined up two wide receivers right, along with a tight end. One receiver was aligned left. Humphrey aligned on Chris Godwin as the slot receiver, with Nate Wiggins lined up over the outside right receiver. Roquan Smith had the zone coverage on the same side towards the middle.
At the snap Humphrey moved into the underneath zone towards the sideline, where he briefly settled in, while Nate Wiggins began a retreat down the deep sideline. Godwin ran down the seam as Smith accounted for him. The tight end, after briefly blocking Odafe Oweh, released to the same seam, underneath.
For some reason Humphrey, instead of staying in his up zone, chased the outside receiver down the sideline. But Nate Wiggins was already down the field in his zone to pick up that receiver. All of this action left the releasing tight end on that side wide open for a big gain. But Mayfield didn’t see him (there was no Raven within ten yards) and opted to throw to Godwin, who had slanted out of the seam and towards the sideline. Both Wiggins and Humphrey were in position to make the interception, executed by Marlon, who was injured on the play.
Now Humphrey, having fallen further down field then he should have, at that point spied into Mayfield as Baker targeted the area. Perhaps Marlon saw Godwin out of the corner of his eye heading towards him, perhaps not. But Marlon’s spy saved the day, and he made a great pick. Mayfield should have thrown to the wide open tight end instead of Godwin.
One More Highlighted Mistake
I could site a bunch more, but Tampa’s last touchdown in the fourth quarter was just shockingly poor defensive play by the Ravens. On this play Ar’Darius Washington was aligned on the slot receiver who crossed the field from left to right. Washington stayed with him, apparently in man coverage. Roquan Smith was in a zone in the middle of the field about six yards deep. The running back leaked out of the backfield right at Smith. But Roquan was not in man coverage, and as the crossing slot receiver reached him, Roquan picked him up. Washington, on the other hand, was in man coverage and he continued to carry that receiver across the field. Result? No one covered the running back, who was left totally alone for a catch and uncovered 20 yard jaunt for a touchdown. Abysmal!
Trouble With Receivers in Motion and Zone Overloads
Tampa ran a bunch of plays where they put a receiver in motion at the very last instant. This consistently caught the Ravens unprepared. On Tampa’s second drive of the third quarter, they aligned two receivers left, then put the tight end in motion left at the last second, running a wide receiver screen. But on that motion, neither Ravens inside linebacker shifted towards that side to account for the motion and the extra receiver. Tampa had a nice gain. There were other similar examples of struggles with late motion.
Zone overloads, which often result from late motion, are also causing adjustment problems for the Ravens.
Defensive Summary
I could go on, but let me summarize the big picture. Zach Orr continues to call on players to perform tasks for which they aren’t equipped. Mistakes inside of the zone schemes literally happen on every drive, and no one seems immune. Late motion gives the Ravens all kinds of adjustment troubles, and we should expect opponents to feature this until, if at all, the Ravens fix it. On the handful of occasions where the Ravens play man, they have generally performed better, man coverage obviously being simpler.
It hasn’t gotten better at all. I think Eddie Jackson is a problem. Ar’Darius Washington, who I think is a talented player, is making too many mistakes. Kyle Hamilton is not playing nearly as free as he was last year, sinking more into zones and not always grasping his responsibilities. Marlon Humphrey has made mistakes too, though he’s been very competitive when in the right position.
Yes, this is the area where the Ravens should make a move. Perhaps the offense alone can win the Super Bowl, but it’s a lot to ask. With just a bit of help from the defense they should be a very tough out. An experienced safety should be the focus for any trade, and I hope the Ravens can find one. Pass rush is not yet screaming for help. The back end is.
Nate Wiggins
I saw more plays last week where Wiggins performed better. He was sticking more tightly to wideouts when asked to do so. He made his mistakes too, but he progressed a bit.
Trenton Simpson
Let me say this about Simpson. I think he’s performed very well given the tasks to which he’s been assigned. He typically makes the correct read on running plays, and has been a very sure tackler. When given a straight zone assignment (such as accounting for a running back in the flat) he’s done a decent job. Simpson leaves the field on most passing downs as he generally should at this point, replaced by a defensive back. But I see upside to his pass defense ability, as he runs very well and processes information well. Not this year but next year, he’ll be on the field more often.
The Run Defense
Travis Jones injured his ankle sometime during the first half of the Tampa game. He lacked push and drive after, and though he gave it a go for a few plays in each of the third and fourth quarters, he wasn’t himself. This was a large reason why Tampa had more success running the ball than we expected. Michael Pierce was OK, Brent Urban was on the field more than we’d like, and with Broderick Washington out the Ravens wound up thin up front. Jones was in a walking boot earlier in the week. We will see what he can bring against Cleveland.
I don’t see the run defense as a larger problem because of the down play against the Bucs. Cleveland will undoubtedly bring out their running attack. Washington should be back. We hope Jones plays.
Odafe Oweh and the Defensive Rotations
I still don’t get Zach Orr’s overall rotations on the front side. Oweh is stuck in the rotation, and it makes zero sense to me, unless Oweh’s conditioning is so poor that he can’t go more than 35-40 plays. Without question, Oweh is the best edge defender on the team, and if tasked with holding the edge and rushing the quarterback, he’s very good. Don’t drop him into coverage! Oweh had a beautiful sack against Tampa, dipping very low at full speed against the right tackle, in the best tradition of T.J. Watt. I’ve never seen him dip lower and maintain his balance and power.
I’m highly critical of Orr here. Oweh is your best player, yet you rotate him as if he’s just a piece. There are too many series overall where Orr has four second stringers in the front group. Typically, Michael Pierce, Brent Urban, David Ojabo, and Tavius Robinson. To me, this borders on the absurd. Travis Jones and Madubuike seem to be in terrific condition. Sure Kyle Van Noy needs more plays off, but that’s easy to achieve. In the red zone, you’ve just got to have your best defenders on the field, all things being equal. And Zach Orr isn’t doing that.
Yes, I’m critical of Orr. Sure, he’s a rookie play caller. But we don’t give breaks to rookies in this game. You have to get the job done, whether you’re a rookie or a 40 year coach.
Errata
Now let’s take a look at this week’s potpourri.
Rashod Bateman
I feel like George W. Bush: “Mission accomplished!” I won’t lament how long it took to get there. We are there. Now Ravens opponents, try stopping this machine. I think the Ravens can be stopped, but almost exclusively by themselves. We’ll know for sure after the Steelers game.
Pass Protection
The offensive line’s pass protection prowess has exceeded all expectations. Roger Rosengarten perhaps struggles the most, as he’s been inconsistent and gave up a few pressures last week. But the other four are performing very well, and Justice Hill has been phenomenal picking up blitzes. Kudos to the group, so far.
Injuries Into the Cleveland Game
Marlon Humphrey is out. Nate Wiggins didn’t travel with the team and appears out as I pen this. T.J. Tampa, who severely limped around in the fourth quarter, is now on the injured list. Even with Jalyn Armour-Davis coming back, the Ravens will be light one corner in this game. Now maybe Arthur Maulet can bring some stability, we’ll see. Cleveland isn’t exactly loaded with wide receivers. They’ll bring Jerry Jeudy and Elijah Moore as their top two. We’ll likely see a lot of David Njoku, who always gives the Ravens fits. It’s probably enough for a full test of the Ravens secondary.
But this is a game where the Ravens defense must start getting it together. We’ll see.
