Here come the Ravens.\u00a0 The new Roquan Smith Ravens defense was spectacular in the Saints game.\u00a0 Mike Macdonald is remolding this group in-flight.\u00a0 His defense has a clear flight path to dominance.\u00a0 There was an awful lot to like about Macdonald\u2019s game plan.\u00a0 And if this is a precursor the upside to this defense is much higher than it was two weeks ago.<\/p>\n

Here Come the Ravens: The New-Look Defense<\/h2>\n

What hit me immediately in the Saints game was the extent to which Macdonald moved away from reliance on a base 3-4 alignment.\u00a0 Over the past 15 years each of the Ravens\u2019 defensive coordinators has utilized a hybrid 3-4 approach.\u00a0 Early downs typically saw a base 3-4, and passing downs often witnessed a 4-3 look frequently augmented by one or more blitzers.\u00a0 Although I haven\u2019t yet seen the formation count for the Saints, I was struck by the heavy usage of a four down-lineman look, using only two defensive linemen with two edge linebackers lined-up over the tackles.<\/p>\n

Unlike the past, this four down-linemen grouping did not lead to three traditional linebackers stacked behind them.\u00a0 Instead, Macdonald most frequently deployed Kyle Hamilton in a three safety format.\u00a0 Hamilton typically lined up over the tight end or slot receiver and, to my recollection, rarely on the back end.\u00a0 Macdonald judiciously utilized blitz packages, and then using mostly only one blitzer.\u00a0 The Ravens generated pressure on plenty of occasions sans blitz.<\/p>\n

This is What It Takes to Get to the Super Bowl<\/h2>\n

Before I even get to the impact of Roquan Smith, let’s take a 2000 foot view of what might be happening here.\u00a0 Most observers believe that the Chiefs and the Bills are the teams to beat in the AFC.\u00a0 Perhaps the Eagles are the same in the NFC.\u00a0 The Titans made a clear point yet again Sunday night against the Chiefs.\u00a0 To beat Patrick Mahomes, one has to both rush him without blitzing, and contain him in the pocket while doing so.\u00a0 The same is also true with Josh Allen.\u00a0 Both of those guys will just kill you once they break contain, or you blitz without getting home.<\/p>\n

The Titans, without a quarterback and in spite of Mahomes throwing almost 70 passes, almost won that game.\u00a0 Their front four got consistent pressure.\u00a0 And on the one drive where Mahomes ran for a score, almost 40 yards of gains were the result of Titans\u2019 defensive ends rushing too wide up the field, giving Mahomes free reign to run.\u00a0 He dominated on those plays.<\/p>\n

The new-look from the Ravens, if it becomes more prevalent, is best suited to contain Mahomes and Allen (and Jalen Hurts, if it comes to that).\u00a0 With Tyus Bowser back, and David Ojabo likely slated to be a rotational pure rush piece, the Ravens are stacked for bringing the heat with only four rushers.\u00a0 Calais Campbell, Justin Madubuike, and Travis Jones can each bring solid penetration from the inside.\u00a0 This could get fun.\u00a0 A lot of fun.<\/p>\n

Then you add in Roquan Smith manning the middle of the field.\u00a0 He\u2019s the ultimate chess piece in the context of the myriad of looks and uses he offers.\u00a0 He can attack on the blitz, pick up a running back, man the middle of the field against crossers and slants, or carry tight ends down the field.\u00a0 Having a third safety instead of a third inside linebacker should provide more speed and flexibility both across the field and in the box.<\/p>\n

Bowser and Ojabo Will Further Augment the Looks Macdonald Can Bring<\/h2>\n

There\u2019s a lot to get excited about here.\u00a0 The Campbell-Madubuike-Jones monster will provide a real challenge on the inside for opposing guards and centers.\u00a0 They each bring different attack modes to the table.\u00a0 Then you add in a rotation on the outside of Justin Houston, Tyus Bowser, David Ojabo and, yes, even Odafe Oweh, and Macdonald is loaded with modes of attack against quarterbacks.<\/p>\n

Houston, Bowser and Oweh can each be moved to the inside.\u00a0 One can be lined up outside the other.\u00a0 Ojabo could be tasked alongside Houston on one side.\u00a0 The combination possibilities are enormous.\u00a0 And then you add in the blitzing capability of Smith and Queen.\u00a0 Make no mistake, this defensive front \u2013 if it stays healthy \u2013 will be in the best position of any playoff team to attack quarterbacks.\u00a0 It will be fascinating to see how Macdonald develops it all.<\/p>\n

Kyle Hamilton Making Strides<\/h2>\n

I was certainly wrong concerning the impact that Smith would have on Kyle Hamilton\u2019s playing time.\u00a0 And I can see why Macdonald turned to him against the Saints.\u00a0 Hamilton provides the size, length, and strength that neither Pepe Williams nor Brandon Stephens can offer.\u00a0 Hamilton offers more flexibility in the box and more versatility in potential looks.\u00a0 Now I don\u2019t expect him to be tasked with covering top slot receivers.\u00a0 We’ll yet see which direction Macdonald prefers there.\u00a0 Hamilton is just not suited for that.\u00a0 But with the type of attacking defense that could be unfolding for Macdonald, Hamilton is a good chess piece that presents challenges for offenses.<\/p>\n

Roquan Smith\u2019s New Best Friend \u2013 Patrick Queen<\/h2>\n

Did you spot the one special blitz Patrick Queen masterfully pulled off in the game?\u00a0 You\u2019ve just got to watch this play (several times) which is linked here<\/a>.\u00a0 It\u2019s not one where Queen got the quarterback.\u00a0 The play was not even designed for Queen to get a sack.\u00a0 In this instance, Justin Houston was lined up on the inside over the guard, with Tyus Bowser outside Houston\u2019s right shoulder over the tackle.\u00a0 Houston lightly engaged the guard at the snap \u2013 just enough to completely occupy him.\u00a0 Queen exploded from five yards back \u2013 right into the blocking guard, freeing Houston and creating an open path to the quarterback.\u00a0 A beautifully crafted blitz by Mike Macdonald.<\/p>\n

The play\u2019s success hinged on Queen\u2019s ability to get to the guard quickly and decisively.\u00a0 Because if he failed, Alvin Kamara was sliding through the hole Queen abandoned, and would have been wide open for a direct dump-off from the quarterback.\u00a0 But Queen delivered, and it was impressive.<\/p>\n

As I\u2019ve said several times, Queen\u2019s strength is attacking forwards.\u00a0 He launches full speed where he\u2019s not first tasked with reading and diagnosing.\u00a0 He brings a strong power force to the point of impact when he launches.\u00a0 This was all on display on that blitz play.<\/p>\n

As expected, Smith\u2019s presence allows Macdonald to slice and dice on any given play with the utilization of Queen and Smith together.\u00a0 Both are strong blitzers.\u00a0 Flashing them both at the line of scrimmage pre-snap will cause a world of confusion.\u00a0 And Smith\u2019s presence will excuse a degree of Queen\u2019s indecisiveness in read and diagnose cases.\u00a0 I spotted at least one play in the Saints game where Queen mentally flopped, but Smith exploded into the lane that Queen should have spotted, making the play.\u00a0 Josh Bynes would never have been able to get there.<\/p>\n

It’s All Coming Together<\/h2>\n

As I alluded to a few weeks ago pre-Roquan Smith, this defense was coming together on the back end.\u00a0 And now, with that gaping hole in the middle filled, and with Bowser and soon Ojabo adding real talent to the pass rush, this defense has a much higher ceiling.\u00a0 With Marcus Williams this will be the best equipped Ravens defense in over a decade.\u00a0 Here come the Ravens.<\/p>\n

One More Smith Dividend<\/h2>\n

The impact of Smith and the emergence of a four-man pass rush has another beneficial impact.\u00a0 It allows the Ravens to play more man on the back end.\u00a0 Too many times this year zone coverages have been ineffective.\u00a0 In many cases zones have yielded huge yardage chunks to opponents and frequently rendered the Ravens helpless.<\/p>\n

Again, to beat Mahomes and Allen, the Ravens will have to play more man.\u00a0 Think Bengals game, man coverage under with zone looks over the top.\u00a0 And you can only really do it if you are able to eschew the blitz, like the Titans.\u00a0 Marlon Humphrey has really come on.\u00a0 But then . . .<\/p>\n

Marcus Peters<\/h2>\n

We can\u2019t fool ourselves much on this one.\u00a0 Marcus Peters is just too slow right now.\u00a0 And his quickness is not all there.\u00a0 It\u2019s painfully obvious.\u00a0 Maybe it\u2019s lingering effects from his injury, maybe not.\u00a0 Time will tell.\u00a0 Peters still brings the smarts, cunning, and edge needed for island players.\u00a0 But he\u2019s the weak link on the outside at this point.\u00a0 Now it\u2019s not a disaster.\u00a0 But he\u2019s got a target on his back every week, likely for the rest of the season.\u00a0 We\u2019ll see if any more speed comes back as he plays on.<\/p>\n

The Stanley Gamble Has Paid Off \u2013 In Spades!<\/h2>\n

I\u2019ll give tons of credit to Eric DeCosta for something he might not deserve.\u00a0 But the gamble \u2013 and it was a gamble \u2013 that he made on Ronnie Stanley has paid off dramatically.\u00a0 This wasn\u2019t exactly the $2 billion Powerball \u2013 but it was close!<\/p>\n

Stanley has been sensational given his almost two year layoff.\u00a0 Lamar has enjoyed a clean backside, and Stanley deserves all of the credit.\u00a0 Stanley\u2019s looked very good on the move, and has consistently pulled without any problem.\u00a0 He could still use a little more drive at the point of attack, but to say his return hasn\u2019t been a grand slam would be unfair.\u00a0 It\u2019s huge \u2013 much more important to the Ravens success than Rashod Bateman\u2019s loss is as a detriment to the balance of 2022.\u00a0 And that\u2019s not to diminish Bateman\u2019s importance.\u00a0 It\u2019s to underscore that Stanley has completely solidified the offensive line.\u00a0 The Ravens have a dominant left tackle again.<\/p>\n

One More Comment on the Smith Trade<\/h2>\n

If the Ravens had known before the trade deadline that Bateman was out for the year, should they have traded for a second-tier wide receiver (say, Jerry Jeudy) instead of Roquan Smith?\u00a0 Unequivocally, no.\u00a0 Smith\u2019s addition elevates the Ravens defense to Super Bowl caliber.\u00a0 The Ravens simply could not have gone all the way with the giant hole their defense was carrying pre-Smith.<\/p>\n

The Ravens can get to the big one without an ace wide receiver.\u00a0 Let\u2019s face it, though.\u00a0 The problem in the Ravens\u2019 passing game is Lamar\u2019s inability to hit wide open receivers from among the current group.\u00a0 DeMarcus Robinson should have had two receiving touchdowns in the Saints game.\u00a0 He was running free twice with easy touchdowns, and on both occasions Lamar never gave him a chance to catch the ball.\u00a0 And Robinson is no number one receiver.\u00a0 Nor even number two.\u00a0 The Ravens create a lot of open opportunities for their receivers as the direct result of their schemes.\u00a0 Investing more in the receiver room \u2013 at this point \u2013 would only bring marginal returns given Lamar\u2019s throwing issues, which I discussed at length before<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Give me Roquan Smith any day, wide receivers be damned!\u00a0 And here come the Ravens.<\/p>\n

<\/i><\/a><\/span>\n<\/i><\/a><\/span>\n<\/i><\/a><\/span>\n<\/i><\/a><\/span>\n<\/i><\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here come the Ravens.\u00a0 The new Roquan Smith Ravens defense was spectacular in the Saints game.\u00a0 Mike Macdonald is remolding this group in-flight.\u00a0 His defense has a clear flight path to dominance.\u00a0 There was an awful lot to like about Macdonald\u2019s game plan.\u00a0 And if this is a precursor the upside to this defense is … Continue reading “Here Come the Ravens – It\u2019s All About the Defense”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[6],"tags":[92],"class_list":["post-2954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-opinions-thoughts","tag-ravens-2022"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n