Fixing Pass Defense Ravens’ Top Priority

The Baltimore Ravens have a potentially fatal flaw staring them in the face.

Baltimore Ravens safety Marcus Williams (32) tackles Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) in the first quarter of the NFL game at M&T Banks Stadium in Baltimore on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. / Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Baltimore Ravens had a few extra days of rest after Thursday's 35-34 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, and boy did they need it.

Baltimore may have won that game, but its biggest flaw was on display for the world to see. That would be its horrendous pass defense, which allowed Joe Burrow to complete 34 of 56 passes for 428 yards and four touchdowns and Ja'Marr Chase to catch 11 passes for 264 yards and three touchdowns. With a performance like that, it's no surprise that the Ravens weren't especially happy after the game.

Moping won't get them anywhere, though. The Ravens addressed the problem head on during their extended break, and they will continue to do so going forward.

"We have to play our coverages better in those situations, especially the deep middle and the intermediate middle part of the field," head coach John Harbaugh said Monday. "[Those] are the areas that have been a problem for us. We're just very inconsistent back there in that sense, and we're going to be attacking that. That's probably the one major thing, if I was going to be a priority thing on it. Obviously, probably everybody would agree with that.

"That's the number one target that we have to get better at, is that aspect of our pass coverage. So, we worked at it through the weekend, and we'll continue to work at it, and everybody is determined to get better, and we have a growth mindset to get better at everything with a high sense of urgency, but that one area has to get better."

Through Week 10, the Ravens have allowed 294.9 passing yards per game, which is not only the most this season by a country mile, but the most by any team in nine years (the 2015 New York Giants allowed 298.9 passing yards per game). Most importantly, no team has ever won the Super Bowl while possessing the worst pass defense in the league.

The Ravens have their work cut out for them in that department, but all they can do now is just try to improve. In that regard, nothing is off limits.

"Of course you consider everything. Everything is on the table, always," Harbaugh said. "I don't think that's any news story; it's definitely not headline-worthy, because that's what you do. That's what I spent the weekend doing, and that's what our coaches spent the weekend doing, and that's what our players spent the weekend doing in the back end."

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