Defensive coordinator Zach Orr enjoyed the Baltimore Ravens’ 35-34 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals for all of two seconds, he said. As he left M&T Bank Stadium in the wee hours of Friday morning, he was “crushed” by what he’d just witnessed.
His unit allowed 34 points, 470 yards, 67- and 70-yard touchdowns and 6.3 yards per play. The latest head-scratching defensive performance in a season that’s featured far too many.
“In this building, the standard is high, and that’s what we like,” Orr said Thursday. “I know I like that — I’m a competitive person. For this defense, we have high expectations for ourselves, and we’re really competitive. And when we don’t go out there and perform the way that we feel like we should go perform, it hurts. I was hurt, honestly. It took me a couple days to get over that and move forward, but I’m always grateful to win.”
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After a long night at M&T Bank Stadium, Orr barely slept. It set the stage for another long week for a much-maligned defense as the Ravens (7-3) prepared for Sunday’s showdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2) at Acrisure Stadium with first place in the AFC North on the line.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, Orr and the defensive staff spent the mini-bye weekend reviewing all aspects of the defense, including the teaching tape from “day one” and the team’s coverage principles. Orr said the Ravens are “looking at everything” in terms of how the defense is being called and executed.
When the players returned to the building Tuesday, Orr hosted a spirited film session where feedback was encouraged. The conversation continued throughout the week. Before Wednesday’s practice, Harbaugh was locked in a lengthy conversation with outside linebacker Odafe Oweh on the field. After the workout, Harbaugh and cornerback Arthur Maulet stayed on the field for a discussion.
“It was holding each other accountable and having an open forum conversation,” Orr said. “What is the problem when we go out there on game day? It’s a combination of things, and it’s not just them. I asked them, ‘What can I do better?’ Maybe I can cut out some things to make us lock in better. We’ve done some stuff this week. I’m excited to see it come to fruition on Sunday.”
Roquan Smith, the leader of the defense and one of several players on that side of the ball having down seasons, used the word “embarrassing” to describe the defense’s effort against the Bengals. He challenged himself and his teammates to look in the mirror.
The Ravens are dead last in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game. They are 27th in yards allowed and 25th in points allowed. They are 30th on third downs and 20th in the red zone.
In their longstanding rivalry, the Steelers, whose offense looks potent again with Russell Wilson at the helm, are accustomed to facing a highly ranked Ravens defense adept at contesting everything. That hasn’t been the story with the current Ravens, and Orr and his players understand that has to change fast.
“Time is clicking,” Orr said. “It’s only seven weeks left in the season, and things are not where they need to be.”
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During game weeks, we’ll examine some of the storylines, matchups and questions the Ravens face heading into the contest. This week’s first-and-10:
1. The most concerning part of quarterback Lamar Jackson’s struggles against Pittsburgh are the turnovers. Jackson has seven interceptions and three lost fumbles in four career meetings against the Steelers. Jackson’s improved decision-making and ball security will be tested Sunday. The Steelers have 16 takeaways this year, tied for the seventh most in the league. Five of those forced turnovers have come in the red zone. In beating the Ravens in seven of the last eight matchups, the Steelers have won the turnover battle 16-9. Taking care of the ball is the biggest key for the Ravens. When they haven’t stopped themselves with penalties and mistakes, they’ve moved the ball at will.
2. Former Ravens safety DeShon Elliott leads the Steelers in tackles and will probably spend plenty of time near the line of scrimmage with Derrick Henry in his sights. It was Elliott who put a thunderous hit on Henry in the Ravens’ regular-season game against the Tennessee Titans in 2020. Henry’s Titans were 0-4 against the Steelers during his time with the team, and he never exceeded the 75-yard rushing mark. The current Steelers have allowed just one back to eclipse the 90-yard mark: the New York Giants’ Tyrone Tracy Jr. It could be tough sledding against a good run defense, but this is the type of game the Ravens got Henry for.
3. Was Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin engaging in mind games this week when he said he hasn’t thought much about former Steelers and current Ravens receiver Diontae Johnson because “he’s not on a lot of their video (and) they’ve got more significant pieces with larger roles that occupy my attention”? Tomlin knows how much Johnson wants the ball and how the wide receiver hasn’t always channeled his emotions in the right way. With those comments, Tomlin put more attention on Johnson’s limited role since he was acquired by the Ravens (one catch on two targets for 6 yards) and raised the stakes. The Ravens want to get Johnson involved, but the biggest challenge to that — beyond the fact that the wide receiver is still learning the offense — is that Baltimore is in such a good rhythm offensively, it’s tough to mix in new pieces. If Jackson tries to force the ball to Johnson at the expense of Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely and Henry, that’s a win for Pittsburgh. Tomlin knows that.
4. There’s little ambiguity about where Steelers star edge rusher T.J. Watt will be. The six-time Pro Bowl selection has lined up outside the right tackle on 98 percent of his defensive snaps this season. That means rookie second-round pick Roger Rosengarten will draw one of the league’s toughest blocking assignments. Rosengarten has had his ups and downs, but the Ravens have been pleased with his development. That doesn’t mean they won’t help him with chips and double teams. In the last 10 games against the Ravens, Watt has 15 sacks, 28 quarterback hits and 18 tackles for loss. Baltimore’s first priority is preventing Watt from wrecking the game. He’s done it to them before.
5. There’s been a lot of talk this week about how beneficial it was for the Steelers defense to face another dual-threat quarterback in Washington’s Jayden Daniels last week. However, the Steelers defense has eliminated quarterback running all season. In nine games, the Steelers have allowed only 61 rushing yards to quarterbacks despite playing Daniels (three carries, 5 yards), Daniel Jones (three carries, 1 yard), Bo Nix (four carries, 25 yards) and Anthony Richardson (three carries, 24 yards). Jackson has averaged just under 59 rushing yards per game against the Steelers in his career, but he has yet to score a rushing touchdown.
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6. Former Ravens inside linebacker Patrick Queen provided some headlines in an otherwise subdued week of talk between the rivals when he lamented Baltimore not making him a contract offer this past offseason before he hit the open market. Queen will be fired up to show the Ravens what they are missing. It would be a good time for Queen’s replacement, Trenton Simpson, a 2023 third-round pick, to play one of his better games and silence that talk. Simpson has had some nice moments and played with good energy and effort, but his inconsistencies have factored into some of the defensive issues.
7. Wilson will test the Ravens deep, where they’ve struggled, because that’s what he likes to do. Since taking over as the Steelers starter, Wilson is completing a league-best 53.3 percent of his 20-plus-yard passes, according to Pro Football Focus. He also is throwing 20-plus-yard passes on nearly 18 percent of his attempts. One potential positive for the beleaguered Ravens pass defense is Wilson mostly avoids the middle of the field. He’s throwing the ball in the middle of the field on just 1.7 percent of his dropbacks, per Pro Football Focus. The Ravens have been exploited in the middle defensively all year long, so maybe they’ll get a reprieve.
8. Harbaugh vowed to leave no stone unturned in trying to fix the league’s worst pass defense. What he didn’t say is whether personnel changes will occur. Maulet was a candidate to play increased snaps, but he hurt his calf in Thursday’s practice and won’t face his old team Sunday. The Ravens have the option of working recent trade acquisition Tre’Davious White on the outside and moving Marlon Humphrey into the slot. Rookie first-round pick Nate Wiggins has played well and could find himself matched up with star Steelers receiver George Pickens at different points of the game. But the biggest question is at safety where Marcus Williams and Eddie Jackson have struggled mightily and Ar’Darius Washington is probably better suited to play nickel. Kyle Hamilton not being 100 percent only exacerbates the issue.
9. Baltimore’s special teams, a major disappointment this year, will face arguably its biggest challenge of the season, particularly when Justin Tucker and Jordan Stout are lining up to kick. The Steelers have blocked a league-high 11 kicks and punts since the start of the 2021 season. A Pittsburgh blocked punt and safety when the teams last met in Pittsburgh proved to be one of the turning points of the game. The Steelers rank third in special teams DVOA and are getting a big play in that area just about every week. The Ravens, who rank 19th in special teams DVOA, will need to match the Steelers in that phase.
10. The last eight Ravens-Steelers matchups have been decided by seven points or fewer, so the odds are that the outcome of this game will be hanging in the balance well into the fourth quarter. That could be a big advantage for Tomlin’s Steelers. The Steelers have outscored the Ravens by an 82-32 margin in fourth quarters and overtimes over the past eight meetings. Pittsburgh has also been the best second-half team in football this year, outscoring its opponents 135-55. The Ravens, meanwhile, have surrendered 106 fourth-quarter points this year. Given the recent history of these matchups, the Ravens can’t afford to play a bad fourth quarter and expect to win.
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Prediction
Ravens 23, Steelers 20
The Ravens like to talk about their mental and physical toughness, and this would be a good time to show it. They are coming off a mini-bye and are pretty healthy for this time of year. Their offense is playing as well as any group in football, and their defense has to start carrying more weight at some point. It just feels like the Ravens are overdue to go to Pittsburgh, limit their mistakes and play a quality four quarters of football. It will be a tight game as they always seem to be in this matchup, but Tucker has won games in Pittsburgh before.
(Photo: Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)
