Ravens Defense Ranked Top Five In NFL

The Baltimore Ravens have one of the best defenses in football.

Nov 7, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton (14) reacts after tips a Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) pass during the first quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

For the Baltimore Ravens, it was a tale of two halves of the season when it came to their defense. From Weeks 1-10, Baltimore ranked 27th in defensive EPA per play. From Weeks 11-18, they ranked first.

And after Baltimore figured things out down the stretch, they became one of the toughest units in the NFL. Now, after adding both Malaki Starks and Mike Green to their defense, it's easy to see why many expect the Ravens to have one of the top defenses in football in 2025. Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report ranked Baltimore the No. 5 unit in the NFL.

"The Ravens were nearly impossible to run on — no team allowed fewer yards on the ground last year than Baltimore’s 80.1," Davenport writes. "The Ravens were also a respectable ninth in scoring defense, ranked second in the NFL with 54 sacks and posted a plus-six turnover differential. But the Ravens struggled against the pass — only the Jacksonville Jaguars were more porous in terms of yards allowed per game through the air. Baltimore’s first draft pick was used to strengthen that secondary — with Georgia’s Malaki Starks joining Kyle Hamilton at safety, the Ravens have potentially the best one-two punch at safety in the league. The Ravens also replaced the departed Brandon Stephens with Chidobe Awuzie at cornerback, which appears a net positive."

The Ravens' defense has stepped up to the plate in the team's biggest games. They held Patrick Mahomes and Co. to just 17 points in the 2023-24 AFC Championship Game, and very nearly helped the squad pull off an upset on the road in Cincinnati without Lamar Jackson. It's the offense that has been questionable in the playoffs. In the AFC Championship Game, the Ravens scored just 10 points. Most recently against the Buffalo Bills, three turnovers were the difference for the Ravens. If the offense can play better and more consistent in the postseason, their odds of making the Super Bowl would go up.

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