Detroit Lions' Dan Campbell on Baltimore Ravens Defense: 'We've Got Our Hands Full'
When the Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens square off on Sunday, two of the best units will go head-to-head.
The Lions (5-1) have had one of the best offenses in football, averaging 28 points per game, which is the fourth-best in the NFL. On the other side, the Ravens (4-2) defense has only allowed 15.4 points per game, which is also the fourth-best in the NFL. They're also tied for the league lead in sacks with 24.
Even with one of the best offensive units in football, Lions head coach Dan Campbell understands the task at hand when they face the Ravens.
"This defense, as always, is an aggressive defense," Campbell said. "They have rushers, they have cover guys and these two [linebackers] are really good. We've got our hands full."
Geno Stone (26) leads the Baltimore Ravens with three interceptions.
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The Lions are on a four-game winning streak and have outscored their opponents by an average of 14 points. Quarterback Jared Goff has been one of the NFL's best through six games, as he's completed 69.5 percent of his passes, thrown for 1,618 yards, and has 11 touchdowns compared to just three interceptions. Detroit's offensive line has also done a stellar job of keeping him upright, only allowing 10 sacks, which is tied for the fifth-fewest in the NFL.
Eleven different players have at least one sack for the Ravens. The pass rush unit has been led by defensive tackle Justin Madubuike (4.5), linebacker Patrick Queen (3.5), outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney (3.5) and safety Kyle Hamilton (3).
Baltimore had six sacks in its 24-16 win over the Tennessee Titans in London.
"You can nudge one side but when you're getting it from multiple threats on both sides of the center, it makes it a little more difficult," Campbell said. "Inevitably, what's going to come down is you can use your resources to take away one, maybe two, but at some point, somebody's going to have to one-on-one and that guy's got to win ... This is a good defense."
Along with their ability to generate pressure, Campbell also noted Baltimore defensive coordinator Mike MacDonald's ability to have a different game plan depending on the team's opponent.
"When you watch them over these last five weeks, they're different on how they play every opponent," Campbell said. "They were different in the way they played Pittsburgh, the way they played Tennessee [and] the way they played Indianapolis. This coordinator, he'll have what he feels like is the recipe for us on how he wants to attack us."
Two of the NFL's best teams will clash at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday when the Ravens host the Lions at M&T Bank Stadium.
