Veteran Ravens LB Guarantees Defensive Improvement

The Baltimore Ravens defense has gotten torched in the passing game this season.

Sep 5, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith (0) during the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Ravens defense failed the team in Week 8's disappointing loss to Jameis Winston and the Cleveland Browns.

But Roquan Smith isn't worried. He knows that things will improve.

The veteran linebacker said that the defense is making sure to "keep receipts" this season about all the negative talk they've heard.

"We're going to be fine. There's a lot of outside noise and there's a lot of adversity as well, but you can't get rattled," Smith said, per the team website. "We keep receipts. At the end of the day, just got to make cats pay for it when the time comes. We're going to be perfectly fine. We'll look back at this interview pretty soon and you'll be like, 'You were right.'"

The Ravens are currently tied for the fourth-most sacks (24) but are still surrendering a league-high 291.4 passing yards per game this season. It's the opposite end of the list for the running defense, which is allowing a league-low 69.9 rushing yards per game. Overall, Baltimore has the seventh-worst scoring defense (26.1 points per game).

The Ravens will take on Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix on Sunday, and Smith wants fan to "tune in."

"Just trust the process. I'm trusting that," Smith said. "I have the utmost faith in each and every guy that's in the back seven, including myself, that we're going to get things the way things need to be done. Just tune in Sunday."

As for Smith, he leads the team with 82 total tackles so far this season while adding one forced fumble, three pass breakups and one interception. Eight games in, he could potentially set a personal career high for the most tackles in a single season.

Smith and the Ravens will kick off against the Broncos at M&T Bank Stadium in Week 9 at 1 p.m. ET on CBS.

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