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, we are scouting the Baltimore Ravens’ defense.
Alex’s Scheme Report
Ravens’ Run Defense
Baltimore’s run defense remains the best in football by a wide margin. They’re allowing just 80.1 yards per game and 3.6 yards per carry, both tops in the NFL. The 12 rushing touchdowns given up is top 10.
The Ravens have allowed a mere 25 runs of 10 or more yards this season. Not only is that fewest in the league but second place comes in at 39, far away from Baltimore’s mark. They’ve only allowed runs of at least 10 yards in 11 games this season. Most teams are happy if they prevented it in one contest.
Linebacker Roquan Smith continues to lead the team and finished 2024 with 154 tackles. Safety Kyle Hamilton also hit triple digits at 104. As we noted in our previous report, off-ball LB Malik Harrison has replaced Trenton Simpson, a change that occurred around the first Steelers-Ravens game.
It’s a stout and gap-sound front without any real weaknesses. They keep the runner down the line and allow the rest of the defense to rally and swarm.
They won’t play a true five-down front like the Eagles or Bengals but the SAM linebacker, usually Harrison, will roll up on the line of scrimmage against 12 personnel.
The Browns sprinkled in a bit of mobile quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson in Week 18 against the Ravens. Nice BASH concept that produced a couple of yards and had the Ravens’ defense playing a step behind. Maybe some wrinkles and motivation for Pittsburgh to utilize Justin Fields to bolster its running game.
The gain here wasn’t huge but the hole was open. Fields might be able to make more out of it.
Running on this front won’t be easy and the Steelers can’t beat their head into the wall.
Some other defensive stats. On the year, they’re the ninth-ranked scoring defense allowing 21.2 points per game. But they’ve had a late-season turnaround. Baltimore hasn’t given up more than 24 points in seven-straight games and over that span, is allowing 15.4 points per game.
They’re an okay situational team, 18th on third down (39.8 percent) and 12th in the red zone (54 percent). But those are seasonal numbers and don’t fully capture the growth the defense has shown. On the year, Baltimore’s been a great tackling team. Per Pro Football Reference, they have just 76 misses this year, second fewest on the year only behind Pittsburgh’s 69.
Ravens’ Pass Defense
A much-improved unit that always had talent and is simply playing up to it. There have been some personnel and responsibility shuffling. Star S Kyle Hamilton is playing more post safety while CB Marlon Humphrey is playing more in the slot to finish out the year. In fact, he’s seeing about 85 percent of his snaps there down the stretch.
Opposing quarterbacks are completing 63.4 percent of their passes, averaging 7.1 YPA, and have thrown for 27 touchdowns, and tossed 12 picks. The Ravens’ rush produced 54 sacks this year, second in the NFL and only trailing the Philadelphia Eagles. Veteran Kyle Van Noy has 12.5 of them, including at least one sack in five-straight games. That’s the NFL’s longest active streak and second-longest of 2024, one behind the Denver Broncos’ Nik Bonitto. Odafe Oweh has 10 sacks, including 2.5 against the Steelers in Week 11.
The secondary is led by Humphrey’s six interceptions, which account for half of the team’s total. The team has two pick-sixes, one from Humphrey against Russell Wilson and one from CB Nate Wiggins against Cleveland last week. Different coverage and circumstances but both were in the right flat.
To illustrate the Ravens’ turnaround best, look at their completions allowed of 20 or more yards. On the season, it looks poor giving up 58 on the year. That’s 30th among all defenses. But from Weeks 11-18, they allowed only 11, tops in the entire league.
On the Wiggins pick-six mentioned above, the Ravens played a trap coverage with Wiggins trapping No. 2 out, QB Bailey Zappe never sees him, turning into an easy defensive score. Gotta be aware of this Palms-type of coverage to avoid the same mistake.
Baltimore plays zone on early downs and Pittsburgh needs to flood it. Cleveland effectively did so with a three-level concept for a good gain while this other one was open and simply missed.
On third-and-long, they’re blitzing less and just rushing four mixing in stunts and twists. They’re trusting their front to get home and dropping seven into coverage. Baltimore’s disciplined and attacks and swarms the running back and receiver screen game well.
Jonathan’s Individual Report
The Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves facing a familiar foe in the AFC Wild Card Round, battling the Baltimore Ravens on the road. The Ravens look like a legit title contender, ranking third in the league in points scored and first in total yards, but also have a notable defense full of talented players. Their passing defense hasn’t fared well this season (31st in the league), but their run defense has been stout, ranking first in the league.
Defensive Line
No. 92 Nnamdi Madubuike has developed into quite the starter for Baltimore up front after being a third-round pick in 2020. He is a stout, powerful run defender who can sit in and anchor at the line of scrimmage to control gaps. Madubuike also brings some pass-rush juice to the table, having 13 sacks last season and 6.5 in 2024. He is an athletic defender who plays with great pursuit.
Baltimore also has No. 98 Travis Jones, whom they drafted in the third round in 2022, nabbing hulking 6-4, 327-pounder who can single-handedly overwhelm interior offensive linemen. Jones has great strength and the 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.
No. 58 Michael Pierce is in his second stint with the Ravens after spending two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. The 6-0, 355-pounder is a brute of a man who possesses the size and strength to anchor the middle against the run. He is also a good athlete for his size, having 19 total tackles, two sacks, two pass deflections, and even an interception.
No. 97 Brent Urban started his career in Baltimore then bounced around the league for a few seasons before coming back in 2022. The 6-7, 309-pounder wins with sheer size and power, overwhelming 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 but holds his own well against the run.
EDGE
No. 99 Odafe Oweh has become a full-time starter in Year 4 after being a first-round pick in 2021 and has 39 total tackles, 10 sacks, and a forced fumble on the year. Oweh is a long, athletic pass rusher who is still grasping the nuances of the position and wins more with his freakish athleticism. He has flashed at times this year with his cross chop and ghost moves while also using his blend of size and speed to defeat blocks and chase down ball carriers in the open field.
Baltimore signed No. 53 Kyle Van Noy last year as more of a rotational player, but the veteran pass rusher racked up nine sacks, opting to stay with the team in 2024. Van Noy has brought that productivity to this season, posting 41 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss, a career-high 12.5 sacks two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and two pass deflections. Van Noy provides solid run defense on the edge as well and can cover in zones.
Baltimore also has No. 90 David Ojabo, who is in his third season after coming off a season-ending injury last year as well as one prior to the 2022 NFL Draft. He is an athletic pass rusher who plays 33% of the snaps and has two sacks on the year. No. 95 Tavius Robinson rotates in and has 3.5 sacks on the season as another long (6-6, 262 pounds), athletic edge rusher. No. 50 Adisa Isaac also provides depth for Baltimore on the edge.
Linebackers
The Ravens got their cornerstone linebacker in 2022 after trading for LB No. 0 Roquan Smith from the Chicago Bears. Since arriving in Baltimore, Smith has been everything the Ravens could have hoped for, providing an athletic, instinctive LB who 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 154 total tackles, four tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, four pass deflections, and one interception on the season. Smith is a field general in the middle of the defense who has stabilized Baltimore at the second level. He can run, hit, and cover with the best of them in the NFL.
No. 23 Trenton Simpson had been tasked with filling Patrick Queen’s shoes this season but hasn’t played in the last four games after suffering a concussion as well as a decision to decrease his snaps due to his play. Simpson was a third-round pick in 2023 and was an athletic player coming out of Clemson, though a bit of a tweener. He runs well in pursuit but can be exploited in pass coverage.
No. 40 Malik Harrison has seen his snaps increase with Simpson’s drop-off, having started seven games this season with 372 snaps on defense. Harrison is known for being a stronger run defender than pass coverage defender. No.49 Chris Board is primarily a special teams contributor but has made a start this season and has contributed on defense, logging 30 total tackles and a sack.
Cornerbacks
The Ravens have arguably one of the best CBs in the game in No. 44 Marlon Humphrey. He makes plays all over the field as a physical corner who can go toe-to-toe with a team’s WR1 and come downhill against the run or on a designed blitz. He has perfected the Peanut Tillman punch to jar the football free as a tackler and is dangerous in coverage, having six interceptions on the season, including one pick-six. Pittsburgh must be mindful of where Humphrey is always.
No. 21 Brandon Stephens has developed into a serviceable starter opposite of Humphrey after being a former third round pick out of SMU, logging 70 total tackles, three tackles for loss, and 10 pass breakups on the season. He is the one to pick on in coverage, having allowed 906 yards and four touchdowns this season. Rookie No. 2 Nate Wiggins has been impactful in his first season in Baltimore, having logged eight pass deflections along with a 50% completion rate allowed and zero touchdowns.
No. 10 Arthur Maulet has seen less time this season for Baltimore, playing just 72 defensive snaps in sub-packages. The Ravens acquired No. 25 Tre’Davious White at the trade deadline from the Los Angeles Rams, and he has gradually seen more run in the team’s sub-packages with 10 total tackles and three pass deflections on the year. No. 27 T.J. Tampa primarily plays on special teams.
Safeties
No. 14 Kyle Hamilton was brought along slowly as a rookie, but became a force in Year 2 with Baltimore, earning Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors after a stellar 2023 season. Hamilton is 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 chasing ball carriers in the open field or along the sideline. He has 107 total stops, four tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, one interception, and nine pass deflections on the season, having the size (6-4, 220 pounds) and athleticism to be a chess piece in Baltimore’s defense.
No. 29 Ar’Darius Washington has been an impactful contributor to the secondary, logging 10 starts. He has 64 total tackles, five tackles for loss, a sack, one forced fumble, eight pass deflections, and two interceptions on the year. Washington is a shorter, quicker defensive back who can make smooth transitions in coverage and brings some stopping power for his size.
No. 32 Marcus Williams hasn’t seen the field since mid-November before Baltimore’s first meeting with Pittsburgh. His play as well as nagging injuries have kept him from getting back on the field. Also providing depth at safety are No. 24 Beau Brade and No. 28 Sanoussi Kane, who are more special teamers.
