As we’ve been doing for several years now, we’ll break down the Pittsburgh Steelers’ opponent each week, telling you what to expect from a scheme and individual standpoint. This year, Jonathan Heitritter and I will cover the opposing team’s defense. I will focus on the scheme, Jonathan on the players.
Today, for the final time in the regular season, scouting the Baltimore Ravens’ defense.
ALEX’S SCHEME REPORT
Ravens’ Run Defense
If there’s a group of starters still expected to suit up in this game for the Ravens, it’ll be their defensive line. Without options to rotate and sub their starters, expect to see most of their “names” play, though they could have a reduced role. However, their two studs at inside linebacker are less likely to see time. Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen will have limited or no roles in this game. Smith is a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate with 158 tackles and is always around the ball. Queen could get paid in the offseason with a strong breakout year. He has 125 stops. The Ravens are likely to lean to on more youth and depth, including rookie third round pick Trenton Simpson, who has logged just 20 snaps all year.
On the season, the run defense has been a mixed bag but overall been pretty strong. They are tied 22nd in YPC allowed at 4.5 and have given up 48 runs of 10-plus yards, tied for 17th. But they have allowed an NFL-low five rushing touchdowns this season. If they can maintain that mark through this weekend, it’ll be the fewest by a team since the 2018 Chicago Bears.
It’s a 3-4 defense with big pluggers up front and DT Justin Madubuike, having a career year.
On tape, they seemed vulnerable to crack tosses and perimeter runs. Especially without Smith and Queen, Pittsburgh could find success on the edges, though teams like Miami have better personnel on these types of runs. Sometimes, the Ravens will align inside tight ends, allowing them to be washed and sealed.
They defend the cutback in zone runs well and it’s hard to bend runs backwards. Their secondary supports the run well and can hit, including ex-Steelers CB Arthur Maulet, whose five tackles for a loss this year tie a career-best.
Some other defensive stats. On the season, the Ravens are allowing a league-low 16.4 points per game. They have allowed more than 25 points in just two games this season. They take the ball away at an extreme rate, also leading the league with 29 of them this year. Situationally, they’re great as you would expect, the sixth-best third-down defense (36.2 percent) and second-best red zone defense (40.4 percent).
Ravens Pass Defense
As of this writing, it’s harder to project who in the Ravens secondary will play. A banged-up group that suffered multiple injuries in last week’s win over Miami, I would expect stud S Kyle Hamilton to sit out after hurting his knee two weeks ago. With a first-round bye, the Ravens can take a real opportunity to rest and get him healthy. Beyond that, they will sit CB Marlon Humphrey Saturday while CB Brandon Stephens is questionable to play in the nationally televised game.
Statistically, their pass defense has been stifling. Opposing quarterbacks are completing just 59.6 percent of their passes against Baltimore, third-lowest in football, while the 5.8 yards per pass the Ravens are allowing is the top mark of any defense. They have a slight uptick in allowing 45 completions of 20-plus yards, which is 10th leaguewide, but they also have 18 interceptions, third-most. Their 57 sacks are also No. 1 in the NFL despite a low blitz rate (21.4 percent, tied for 22nd) and pressure rate (19 percent, 23rd).
Madubuike has a career-high 13 sacks this year as he enters a contract season. It’s the most sacks by a Raven since Elvis Dumervil in 2014. Their defensive backs have combined for six sacks, Maulet has two, while S Geno Stone leads the way with seven interceptions. That’s the most by a Baltimore player since Ed Reed in 2010. Pretty wild.
Schematically, this is an opportunity to attack the middle of the field. Baltimore plays lots of two-high, Cover 2 and Cover 6, and the MOF should be open. And with Smith and Queen either limited or not playing, it’s a little less scary to throw over the linebackers’ heads.
The Miami Dolphins took advantage last week. Here’s a cut-up of them making plays to that area of the field.
That’s my biggest takeaway from this unit overall. As a rush team, the Ravens like to run defensive back blitzes from the field side and will use 3×1 d-line looks that set up some of their twists and stunts. But that’s become pretty popular in the NFL today and isn’t anything new or radical to see.
Jonathan’s Individual Report
The Steelers find themselves in a do-or-die scenario as they enter their Week 18 matchup against the division-rival Baltimore Ravens. The team is right on the playoff bubble and likely needs to land a win and get some help to make the postseason. They will look to do so against a Ravens defense that has been stout for the entire regular season, ranking first in the league total points allowed and fourth in yards allowed. They currently rank sixth in the NFL against the pass and 13th against the run, boasting playmakers at all three levels as well as core pieces that make up the rest of the unit.
Defensive Line
No. 92 Justin Madubuike has developed into quite the starter for Baltimore after being a third-round pick in 2020. He is a stout, powerful run defender who can anchor at the line of scrimmage to control gaps. Madubuike also brings some serious pass-rush juice to the table, having broken out with 13 sacks, 32 quarterback hits, and a forced fumble this season as an athletic defender who can chase the ball with great pursuit. The Ravens also have big run stuffer No. 58 Michael Pierce, who is every bit of 6-0, 340 pounds. He clogs up the interior, eating blocks and allowing the linebackers to flow to the football.
Baltimore also has No. 98 Travis Jones, whom it drafted in the third round in 2022, nabbing a hulking 6-4, 327-pounder man who can single-handedly overwhelm interior offensive linemen. Jones has great strength and size to hold his own at the point of attack. He also has the quickness to get off blocks and push the pocket as a pass rusher. With Pierce healthy, Jones is more of a rotational player this season along with No. 97 Brent Urban. Urban started his career in Baltimore then bounced around the league for a few seasons before coming back last year. The 6-7, 205-pounder wins with sheer size and the power to overwhelm interior blockers while also having a knack for batting down passes.
No. 96 Broderick Washington will also rotate in as big-bodied run defender who doesn’t bring a lot of pass-rush juice to the table but holds his own against the run.
EDGE
The Ravens have gone to the veteran pool for multiple starters on defense, including former No. 1 overall pick EDGE No. 24 Jadeveon Clowney. Clowney has become a bit of a hired gun since his Texans days, spending time with Seattle, Tennessee, and Cleveland before coming to Baltimore. He is more disruptive than productive as a pass rusher, never surpassing nine sacks in a season. However, Clowney has amassed 8.5 sacks with Baltimore in 2023, having one of his best seasons in his career. He is a solid run defender who wins with strength and power combined with his freaky athleticism that can give tackles problems when he comes hard off the edge.
The Ravens lost No. 90 David Ojabo to IR and No. 54 Tyus Bowser was unable to return this season for Baltimore as well after being on the NFI list. No. 99 Odafe Oweh has played in 12 games for Baltimore this season and started five. The former first-round pick has 23 total tackles, five sacks, and two forced fumbles on the year as a long, athletic pass rusher. He is still working on the nuances of the position and wins more with his freakish athleticism.
Baltimore signed No. 50 Kyle Van Noy to step in for injuries opposite Clowney, giving the Ravens a proven veteran in the pass-rush department. He has logged eight sacks, nine tackles for loss, a forced fumble, and four pass deflections as a rotational player. Van Noy has provided solid run defense on the edge as well as being able to cover in zones. Baltimore also has No. 95 Tavius Robinson, who rotates with Van Noy on the edge as well as No. 48 Jeremiah Moon, who is mainly a special teamer while providing depth.
Linebackers
The Ravens got their cornerstone linebacker last season, acquiring LB No. 0 Roquan Smith in a trade with the Chicago Bears. Since arriving in Baltimore, Smith has been everything the Ravens could have hoped for, providing an athletic, instinctive linebacker excels in run-and-chase situations. He reads extremely well pre-and-post snap and flows to the football with ease, covering ground laterally against the run. He has 158 total stops, five tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble, eight pass deflections, and one interception this season. A field general in the middle of the defense who has stabilized Baltimore at the second level, Smith can run, hit, and cover with the best of them in the NFL.
Smith plays beside another former first-round pick in No. 6 Patrick Queen. Queen is an athletic, explosive defender who accelerates quickly to the football and brings nasty intentions as a big hitter. He struggled at times during his young NFL career in terms of pass coverage and getting off blocks against the run but rebounded in 2022 to post a big season for Baltimore. He currently has 125 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, six pass deflections, and one interception this season. Queen gives Baltimore a dynamic duo in the middle as another linebacker who can run, hit, and cover when allowed to move freely to the football.
Behind Smith and Queen is No. 40 Malik Harrison, who used to have a bigger role before Smith came to town and is a better downhill run defender than pass-coverage defender. No. 30 Trenton Simpson factors in mostly as a special teamer for Baltimore as the Ravens have brought him along slowly during his rookie season as well as No. 53 Del’Shawn Phillips.
Cornerbacks
The Ravens have arguably one of the best CBs in the game in No. 44 Marlon Humphrey. Humphrey missed time early this season recovering from a foot injury and has already been ruled out for Saturday’s game. No. 21 Brandon Stephens missed last week’s game with an ankle injury and is questionable to play against the Steelers. He’s developed into a serviceable starter opposite of Humphrey, logging 70 total tackles, two tackles for loss, 11 pass breakups, and two interceptions on the season.
Baltimore also has No. 28 Ronald Darby starting in the secondary, and the veteran has logged seven pass breakups in seven starts. No. 10 Arthur Maulet has become an integral piece of the Baltimore secondary after coming over from Pittsburgh last offseason. He has been a physical presence near the line of scrimmage against the run while also covering the pass, logging 31 total stops, five tackles for loss, two sacks, a fumble recovery, five pass deflections, and one interception.
No. 23 Rock Ya-Sin has gotten some run in sub-packages this season and represented himself well as an aggressive player to contest passes as well as aid in run defense. The Ravens also have No. 25 Kevon Seymour and No. 5 Jalyn Armour-Davis, who primarily play on special teams.
Safeties
No. 32 Marcus Williams missed time in 2022 with a dislocated wrist, and he’s missed three weeks this season with a pectoral injury but has managed to start all 10 games he’s played in 2023. Williams is a certified ballhawk, having the instincts and range to roam the back end of the defense and make plays on the football. He has 46 total stops, seven pass deflections, and one interception on the year, being a safety who can play well and coverage and will come up in run support.
No. 26 Geno Stone has filled in well for Williams and Kyle Hamilton this season. The Iowa product has provided steady play on the back end, picking up 68 total tackles, nine pass deflections, and seven interceptions to lead the team. Stone, who has started 10 games, isn’t the greatest athlete, but he is a fast processor who can break on passes and also is an effective tackler. He still should see a lot of defensive snaps this weekend.
No. 14 Kyle Hamilton was brought along slowly as a rookie last season but has become a full-time starter in Year Two, being that hybrid defender who can play near the line of scrimmage as a strong safety/linebacker as well as in the slot over tight ends. Hamilton has the size, athleticism, and closing speed to be a menace against the run as well as playing chase to ball carriers in the open field or along the sideline. He missed last week’s game against the Dolphins with a knee injury, and he is listed as questionable for Saturday.
