The Baltimore Ravens failed to win a Super Bowl last season despite having a great defense. Now there's a growing fear that the 2024 Ravens' defensive downtick could hurt their chances at a title this season.
Those concerns resurfaced after last Thursday's 35-34 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in which the Ravens allowed 470 yards and five long touchdown drives.
First-year Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr told reporters on Thursday that he was "crushed, honestly" after the win, enjoying it for "two seconds" before settling into a two-day funk over his unit's performance.
"I'm always grateful to win," Orr said. "That's the number one thing -- if we win, I'm going to be good -- but I always have to look at how we perform on defense, and if it's not up to the standard, I'm not going to be happy [for] too long after I celebrate the win."
The 7-3 Ravens have rebounded from their 0-2 start to win seven of their past eight games, including two straight. But the competition level increases significantly between now and the Week 14 bye, with the Ravens facing the Steelers, Chargers and Eagles -- all of whom are playing well offensively.
Sunday's showdown at Pittsburgh will be a massive battle for AFC North supremacy, and Orr knows just how much is at stake. He also knows the bitter Ravens-Steelers rivalry well back to his playing days.
"Definitely, the rivalry is still there," Orr said. "... This game Sunday is going to be for first place in the division. I think it's been a while that this game has actually had the stakes this high in a long time.
"We know how they feel about us; they know how we feel about them."
But how does Orr feel about his defense heading into Pittsburgh?
Baltimore turned in one of its best defensive efforts in Week 9 against the Broncos but followed that up with the poor showing against the Bengals, the second time Cincy has moved the ball with ease against the Ravens. They have had tough defensive outings in victories (Dallas, Washington, Tampa Bay) but also in losses, including the surprising setback to the Browns in Week 8.
Orr knows that there is plenty of room for improvement, especially compared to the standard reached last season, when the Ravens ranked near the top of most major categories under the direction of former coordinator Mike Macdonald, who took the Seahawks' head-coaching job this past offseason.
This year's defense ranks last in passing yards allowed per game (294.9) and touchdowns allowed through the air (22), while sitting near the bottom in yards per attempt (7.4) and opponents passer rating (101.8).
The Ravens' coaching staff has turned over every stone and pored over tape, even going back to the offseason to see what details or teaching points they might have missed. Orr said everything is on the table as far as changes are concerned.
"(We) got in with the players [and] had a really good film session starting on Tuesday, and then [we're] really just looking at everything," he said. "We're looking at what we're calling, what we're running (and) looking at what we're asking the guys to execute and just trying to figure out the best way to go out there and put the best product on the field.
"It's definitely been a work in progress -- not just this past week -- but I feel like this week has really amped up, because time is clicking with the (season), truth be told. It's only seven weeks left in the season, and things are not where they need to be at … especially in the pass defense. So, we've been working hard, coaches and players, to try to get this thing figured out."
The Ravens received some good news on defense when safety Kyle Hamilton's ankle injury against the Bengals was not considered a long-term worry, and though his status remains unknown for Week 11, Orr said he was "optimistic" Hamilton could play. The Ravens also added CB Tre'Davious White via trade from the Rams at the deadline, but it's not clear when he'll join the secondary rotation.
The Ravens are going to need all the reinforcements they can find, but Orr is also hopeful that the Ravens' tough-love introspection during this week's tape sessions can also prove therapeutic during the games.
"It's something that we always do, but it was really good," Orr said. "There were some really good conversations."
