Ravens' Secret Weapon in 2023 Has Been Elite Defensive Coordinator
Mike Macdonald has been with the Baltimore Ravens for nine seasons. Of those nine, the 36-year-old defensive coordinator has built some elite defenses that have altered games every week.
It's his second stint with the organization though that might just be the most important for the team's chances of winning a championship in 2023.
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At the age of 34, Macdonald turned heads when he left Baltimore to be the defensive coach of the Michigan Wolverines. His unique schemes and ever-changing blitz packages helped Jim Harbaugh's squad win the Big Ten championship and secure a berth in the College Football Playoff.
After a year away from the Charm City, Macdonald returned under the eldest Harbaugh brother and has helped turn the corner for the once-dominant defense.
In a single season, Macdonald improved the Ravens' defense in total yards (26th to ninth in 2021) and has the unit giving up the least amount of points in the game this season.
Perhaps the crowning achievement of Macdonald's run with the Ravens to this point came on Monday Night against the NFC-leading San Francisco 49ers, though.
Heading into the game the 49ers were considered an offensive juggernaut with quarterback Brock Purdy as the front-runner for MVP. San Francisco was ranked second in total yards and points scored by the offense.
On Monday in Santa Clara, the Ravens held the 49ers to just 19 points and forced five interceptions - effectively ending any hope for Purdy's MVP case and shutting down a vaunted display of weaponry.
"They’re the 1 seed in the AFC for a reason,” 49ers tight end George Kittle said. “They did a really good job the first couple series [with] different defensive fronts the whole time. You’re trying to go against nickel, against base, five down, four down. You’re trying to call the right play to go against those things. They obviously did a great job of taking away our middle stuff.”
It wasn't just the five interceptions that showed Macdonald's important to the Ravens defense on Monday.
Due to the ever-changing looks and brilliant blitz packages, Baltimore's defense finished the day with four sacks, 11 passes defended, nine quarterback hits, five tackles for losses, and massive hits throughout the night.
It affected the way an unflappable quarterback like Purdy thought of himself on the field, and where he would go from there.
“I have to look myself in the mirror and ask myself why or how that happened, and why I made those decisions,” Purdy said after the loss. “Our team came ready to play and for me to make some decisions like that, it pains me. And it’s not fair to those guys. I have to realize that and understand that."
Lamar Jackson may be well on his way to winning the MVP award, and Harbaugh could very well win the Coach of the Year award.
The unsung hero of the organization, though, has been their young and dominant defensive coordinator. So long as he keeps disguising his coverages and frustrating opposing quarterbacks, the Ravens could be well on their way to a third Lombardi Trophy.
