Ravens LB Did Something Eagles Haven't Seen Since Luke Kuechley

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith had a strong showing in his return to action.

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

Roquan Smith returned to the Baltimore Ravens' lineup Sunday after missing one game with a hamstring injury, but just by watching him, one might not know that he missed any time at all.

Just like usual, Smith was all over the field in Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The two-time All-Pro finished with a team-high 11 total tackles, adding half a sack for good measure. Despite the 24-19 loss, the play of Smith and the defense in general was very encouraging.

Smith is renowned across the league for his physical play, but his mental game is arguably even more impressive. Longtime Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson sung Smith's praises after the game, comparing him to a future Hall of Fame linebacker.

Lane Johnson puts Eagles offensive effort against Ravens into perspective.

Said Roquan Smith was calling out their plays at a level that he hadn’t seen from an LB since Luke Kuechly. pic.twitter.com/KcZfOoNQzk

— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) December 2, 2024

"I thought they were a pretty stout defense," Johnson said. "You've got Roquan Smith calling out lots of plays we were about to run. For me, seeing a MIKE linebacker doing that? Since Luke Kuechly, he's probably the guy calling out the most stuff. Very smart player. Instinctive player. That's why he's had so much success."

Kuechly, who is a semifinalist for the upcoming Hall of Fame class in his first year of an eligibility, was a star throughout his eight-year career with the Carolina Panthers, earning seven Pro Bowl selections, five first-team All-Pro nods, a Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2012 and a Defensive Player of the Year in 2013. He retired in 2019 after numerous concussions, but he's still revered around the league.

The fact that Smith is drawing comparisons to Kuechly, especially from one of the game's best offensive linemen shows how special he is. He may not have quite the same accolades, but he's arguably just as effective on the field, or very close at the least.

Baltimore's defense continued to improve with Smith's return, allowing just 252 total yards against a high-powered Philadelphia offense. However, it's hard to feel too good about it considering the loss. With the bye week coming up, Smith knows he and the team have a lot of work to do.

"It just gives me more fuel, honestly, more fuel going into the bye week, just knowing that this game got away from us, but we can't let this game beat us twice," Smith said postgame. "We have to recharge, knowing that [with] a four game stretch at the end, if we do what we have to do in the four-game stretch at the end, we'll win the division, and [we] just have to have that mindset, but just have to do it one game at a time."

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