Ravens' Kyle Hamilton Takes Blame For Breakdown

One miscue by the Baltimore Ravens; defense had disastrous consequences.

Oct 1, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton (14) runs after intercepting a pass in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images / David Richard-Imagn Images

Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton demands the best from himself, and at least in his eyes, he didn't give his best in Week 1.

Most of Hamilton's self-criticism focuses on one play: Xavier Worthy's touchdown in the fourth quarter. In a massive breakdown in coverage, Worthy got wide open behind the defense for an easy 35-yard score. This was just a few minutes after the Ravens cut the lead to just three points, and effectively sapped any momentum they had.

From Hamilton's point of view, that breakdown was an error on his part. The third-year pro publicly took accountability for the miscue after practice on Wednesday.

"That was on me 100 percent," Hamilton told reporters. "I was supposed to go back to the half; I played the wrong call. It wasn't on [defensive coordinator] Zach Orr, it wasn't on Marlon [Humphrey] or anybody else – it was on me. If you watch the play, you can probably tell that we're missing a half safety. I got kind of mixed up and was supposed to go back to the half, and I take the blame for that."

That may have been the standout play (in a bad way), but Hamilton wasn't happy with his play as a whole last week. Again, a testament to the high standard he holds himself to.

"Obviously, we didn't play our best football – especially me personally – I don't think I played well at all," Hamilton said. "It's a week-to-week league. [I'm] excited to go back out this weekend and make up for it. There was a lot of good stuff on that film to learn from, and like I just said, it's a week-to-week league, and I think we're moving on."

The silver lining is that it's just the first game of the season. So while the loss and his performance still hurts, he has plenty of chances to make up for it.

"I didn't feel like I played well, and I'm like, 'I cannot wait to get back out there on Sunday.' I literally dreamt about the Raiders game – going out there, making plays and stuff like that. It makes you that much more hungry, and I feel like a lot of guys are in that same thought process with it. I think that's what makes us great – we're all competitive and want to do well. We're just bred that way."

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