Baltimore Ravens Brandon Stephens - 'The Island Is Not For Everybody'
Baltimore Ravens cornerback Brandon Stephens has been one of the best in the NFL at his position through 11 weeks of the season. He talked about the mental aspect of playing cornerback at a high level.
"Shoot, the island is not for everybody," Stephens said. "It's mainly just confidence, confidence in your technique. Just being fearless out there and knowing that whoever is in front of you, you're in front of them. It's definitely a mindset."
Heading into a Week 11 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Stephens had not allowed a touchdown all season, shutting out opposing receivers on 427 coverage snaps. In the 34-20 win over the Bengals, Stephens gave up a touchdown from quarterback Jake Browning to Ja'Marr Chase with one minute remaining in the fourth quarter, ending his season-long streak.
Brandon Stephens has a career-high eight passes defended through 11 games this season.
USA Today Sports
Still, Stephens has had a phenomenal year for Baltimore in his third NFL season. He has collected 49 tackles, eight passes defended and two interceptions, with the last two being career-highs.
Stephens has started in all 11 games that the Ravens have played this year, after starting in 15 of the first 32 games that he played in for his career.
His emergence has been a blessing for Baltimore, who has struggled with injury problems this season. Multiple cornerbacks, including Marlon Humphrey, Jalyn Armour-Davis, Rock Ya-Sin and Arthur Maulet have dealt with injuries this season, with some having to miss extended time.
Next up for Stephens and the Ravens is a trip to Los Angeles to take on the Chargers for Sunday Night Football on Nov. 26 at 8:20 p.m.
