'The Best Front Seven!' Ravens vs. Chiefs: Baltimore D Anchoring Super Bowl Run

'The Best Front Seven!' Ravens vs. Kansas City Chiefs: Baltimore Defense Anchoring Super Bowl Run

Jeremy Brener | Jan 22, 2024

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Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is en route to an MVP season, and he deserves a lot of credit for getting the team to the AFC Championship. In addition to Jackson, however, the Ravens defense is also worthy of flowers.

The Ravens defense surrendered just one drive with points in Saturday's 34-10 win against the Houston Texans. The one touchdown came on a punt return from Steven Sims late in the second quarter.

The defense, especially the front seven, has been key towards the team's overall success this season.

"I think we have the best front seven in football," linebacker Roquan Smith said. "Starting with our four up front and then the best two combo in the league, me and Patrick Queen in the middle."

Smith recorded seven tackles in Saturday's win after putting 158 in the box score throughout the season. If he didn't sit out of the team's regular season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers, there's a good chance he would have had a new career-high for a season.

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While the Ravens failed to generate any sacks, the defense pressured C.J. Stroud into five quarterback hits and 14 incompletions, stalling any progress the Texans offense could make.

If the Ravens are going to win the AFC Championship and the Super Bowl, Smith and the front seven will have to play how they have all season long.

The Ravens will play next week in the AFC Championship at 3 p.m. ET.

Published Jan 22, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.