The stats suggest the Baltimore Ravens have a poor secondary.
The Ravens have allowed 291.4 passing yards per game — most in the NFL — and the defense overall has allowed 26.1 points per game, seventh-most in the league.
Baltimore has had some injuries — cornerback Arthur Maulet (neck) did not practice Wednesday and fellow corners Marlon Humphrey (knee) and Nate Wiggins (shoulder/illness) were limited — and the unit has struggled in recent weeks.
Despite the numbers, Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix had a diplomatic response when asked about the Ravens’ secondary this week.
“I see a lot of teams having to go to the pass because they’re down by a few scores,” Nix said after Wednesday’s practice. “You can’t chase points, but essentially that’s what they force teams to do. They get an early lead and teams stop running the ball on them, and they have to go to the pass.
“Because of that, naturally teams are going to gain yards through the air if they’re one dimensional. I think in saying that, we have to do a good job of staying balanced this game.”
To Nix’s point, Baltimore has allowed just 69.9 rushing yards per game, fewest in the NFL. The Ravens are also scoring 30.3 points per game, second-most in the league. So teams are having to throw to keep up. Nix didn’t mention that teams have been able to throw to catch up.
Six of Baltimore’s eight games this season have been decided by a touchdown or less, in part because their secondary has allowed opponents to score and stay in games. Coming off the best game of his career, Nix will aim to continue that trend on Sunday.
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