Baltimore Ravens DC Mike Macdonald Facing ‘Million Dollar Question’ In Stopping Los Angeles Rams Offense
The Baltimore Ravens defense will face a stout test out of the bye week when they face the Los Angeles Rams offense.
The Rams have won three straight games and are coming off a 36-19 win over the Cleveland Browns. Los Angeles’ 36 points is the second-most Cleveland has allowed this season.
With an offensive guru in head coach Sean McVay, whose offense is averaging 30 points per game during its three-game win streak, Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald acknowledged the challenge at hand and how unique it is compared to stopping other offenses.
Mike Macdonald
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“That's the million-dollar question right there – is how they marry their run and their pass game with the actions and the movements on early downs,” Macdonald said. “It's definitely a big challenge of what you're trying to take away at any given moment. They do it just as good as anybody in the league, and a lot of it looks the same with the guys, so a lot of it comes down to our communication, diagnosing the play and then obviously handling our responsibilities.“
The Ravens' (9-3) defense has been one of the best in football, leading the league with 47 sacks and they’ve allowed the fewest points (15.6) and second-fewest yards per game (273.9).
While Los Angeles’ (6-6) offense is 11th in points per game and in the middle of the pack in other categories, they possess one of the better receiving duos in football with Cooper Kupp and rookie Puka Nacua. Injuries have limited Kupp to eight games, and he has 33 catches for 432 yards plus two touchdowns. Nacua has 77 catches for 1,029 yards, both of which lead all rookie receivers, and four touchdowns.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford has also played better of late, throwing for 508 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception in the Rams' last two games.
Along with Nacu and Kupp's ability in the passing game, Macdonald noted their blocking in the running game and how unique that is, along with the challenges they present in the receiving games for defenses.
“Not all receivers are willing to do that and do it effectively,” Macdonald said of Kupp and Nacua’s blocking in the run game. “They're able to do that. It's very unselfish of them, which speaks to their program and how they operate there. Then obviously in the pass game, they're able to get to the spots they need to get to. I don't know how fast they're going, but they get to the right spots to me, and obviously [they're] great players and are able to finish plays and [catch] the ball in traffic. Definitely have our hands full with those two."
Baltimore hosts the Rams on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at M&T Bank Stadium.
