Ravens Coach Confirms Change at Safety

The Baltimore Ravens are officially making a change in the secondary.

Nov 3, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens cornerback Nate Wiggins (2) and =safety Ar'Darius Washington (29) celebrate after tackling Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton (14) on the one yard line on fourth down the during the half at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Ravens have had issues in the secondary for essentially the entire season, but in Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, it looked like they may have reached a turning point.

In that game, the Ravens allowed just 181 passing yards for their second-lowest total of the season and didn't allow a single touchdown. Russell Wilson may not be as good as some of the other quarterbacks the Ravens have faced this year, but he's still a solid passer and the Ravens kept him in check through the air.

Part of the reason for the Ravens success comes from their decisions at safety. Ar'Darius Washington played all 78 defensive snaps, marking his first career game playing every rep. Kyle Hamilton also played 77 snaps, only missing one near the end of the first half after a mild injury.

It seems the Ravens found a solution to their safety woes, and sure enough, head coach John Harbaugh confirmed that Hamilton and Washington will be the main duo going forward.

"Yes, that was the plan going in," Harbaugh said Monday. "We were trying to attack some issues that we had in the back end, as everybody knows, and I thought they played well back there. Those guys did a good job. Ar'Darius [Washington] had earned that opportunity, and he had earned that chance by the way he practiced and by also by the way he played when he was in there during the course of the season.

"We put Kyle [Hamilton] back there as well; I thought he played very well back there. He did a great job communicating – they both did, and they played well. That would definitely be a formula going forward, and then still the guys that are here with us, are still going to be working to do whatever they can to help us win."

In fairness, the Ravens were all but forced to play Hamilton and Washington for most of the game. Marcus Williams has essentially played himself out of the game plan - only appearing on one snap when Hamilton went out - while Eddie Jackson did not travel with the team for non-injury related reasons. Still, it's hard to argue with the results.

The Ravens have an extra day before their next game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football, so Hamilton and Washington will have some time to build their chemistry. That is if they even need to, because they looked pretty good on Sunday.

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