Ravens' Marlon Humphrey on Pass Defense: 'Numbers Don’t Lie'
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey knows the secondary can play better.
Right now, though, they are ranked last in the NFL against the pass.
Until the Ravens play better, Humphrey believes all of the criticism is justified.
“The numbers don’t lie," Humphrey said. "So, as much as that sucks to say, it just … To me, it’s unacceptable; I feel like it falls on the weight of my shoulders. So, I really want to get that number down.”
The Ravens have three former first-round picks — Humphrey, Marcus Peters, and rookie Kyle Hamilton — in the secondary.
Cornerback Kyle Fuller was also a first-round pick, but he suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 1 against the Jets.
The Ravens also have two established veterans at safety, Marcus Williams and Chuck Clark.
Yer, the secondary is still finding their footing and learning how to communicate better.
The first three opposing quarterbacks they played — Joe Flacco, Tua Tagovailoa, and Mac Jones — threw for a combined 1,099 yards and seven touchdowns.
In Week 5, the secondary played better and Bills quarterback Josh Allen completed 19 of 36 passes for 213 yards with a touchdown and interceptions for a mediocre 68.4 rating.
Buffalo still won the game 23-20.
The Ravens (2-2) face an even bigger challenge in Week 5 against the Bengals, who embarrassed them twice last year.
Quarterback Joe Burrow played two of his finest games against the Ravens, throwing for 941 yards with seven touchdowns.
Cincinnati (2-2) has a talented group of wide receivers.
It's the perfect time for the Ravens to rebound.
"They all have wide receiver ‘one’ caliber guys," Humphrey said. "I remember three years ago, going into the week it was like, ‘If you can stop Tyler Boyd, you can be OK.’ Then, [Tee] Higgins comes, it’s like, ‘If you can stop Tyler Boyd and Higgins, you can get the job done.’ Then, they get [Ja’Marr] Chase, and it’s like, ‘Oh, he’ll be a little rusty, he’s a rookie guy.’ Then it’s like, ‘Crap, this dude is looking like an All Pro.’ So, it’s really tough. I think they all bring a different dynamic to the game."
