What Impact Has Nnamdi Madubuike Made On Ravens Defense? We Quantify And Explain

Nnamdi Madubuike is getting better by the week.

Progress won’t always be linear, especially with the former All-Pro defensive tackle coming off neck surgery in the spring, and assignments vary from week to week based on the prowess of the opponent, but there is no doubt that this lineman is back to being a disruptive force, it’s hard to imagine the Ravens would have had nearly as much success neutralizing Atlanta’s vaunted rushing attack without him, and the best is still to come with just three games under his belt.

Especially with the Ravens having to play without $30M/year pass rusher Trey Hendrickson the last two weeks, Madubuike’s presence has been vital and he is making a major impact across the board already. His mere ability to log more playing time, and impactful playing time, has allowed everyone else in their defensive line rotation to perform on at a less-demanding rate (and 40-year-old Calais Campbell is coming in right at the pitch count talked about this summer).

Here’s how Madubuike, 28, is already making everyone else better by being in the middle of this defense:

Carrying A Heavy Load

Madubuike has played 140 snaps over three games, which has settled everything else down. He is sixth on the team in reps in that span, but only middle linebacker Roquan Smith and the regulars in the secondary have played more. By comparison, Travis Jones – a Robin who has to be Batman when Madubuike is out – is second on the team in snaps on the defensive line over the last three weeks with just 107.

It’s like Madubuike has played one more game than the rest of this group since he’s come back. That’s a tall ask and the Ravens did quite well to take the approach they did with his return, not activating him until they believed he could take on a significant role rather than a very gradual ramp up.

Pass-Rush Push

Guess who leads the Ravens in pressures over the last three weeks?

Yup, Madubuike with 11. He’s playing a heavy load, as noted above, and still getting a 13% pressure rate and that’s despite there not being a proven disruptor off the edge and him facing some stout offensive lines in that span.

Madubuike is second on the team in QB hits since he came back and tied for first with six QB hurries. He’s seeing the double teams again and extra attention and also had to deal with a trip to Brazil for his first game back in over a year, so he’s only really getting into the flow of a normal schedule now.

It’s only a matter of time before the sacks start coming and getting the chance to play some games up from with Hendrickson should help in that regard. The Ravens need to get the edge pressure rates cranking.

Run -Game Gains

If you recall, a Dallas team that can’t run on anyone ran all over the Ravens in Brazil. That was Madubuike’s first game back, it was essentially his preseason all in one afternoon and he was just getting back used to rotations and playing with this defensive line. And, uh, the run defense the last two weeks has been excellent

Tennessee’s Tony Pollard entered Week 4 on a tear for two weeks averaging round 5.5 yards per carry on under center runs; those went nowhere against the Ravens with Madubuike anchoring. Pollard ran 16 times for 48 yards (3.0/carry).

Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson came into Week 5 the best back in the NFL, averaging 7.4/carry on outside zone and with the Falcons rolling up 477 rushing yards in the past two games. Robinson ran 17 times with just three rushes of five yards or more against the Ravens; he had one carry for 38 yards and 16 for 48.

If this defense becomes the top five unit many believed it could be in Jesse Minter’s first season as head coach, Madubuike will have everything to do with it. So far, so very good.

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