By far, the Baltimore Ravens‘ biggest weakness and biggest surprise through 11 weeks of the 2024 season has been the secondary’s play. The Ravens entered the season with what looked like one of the league’s top coverage units on paper, but reality disagreed once the pads came on.
All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton, cornerback Marlon Humphrey, and rookie first-round cornerback Nate Wiggins have all had good seasons. Still, the drastic falloff from veteran free safety Marcus Williams and cornerback Brandon Stephens to go with poor play from newly acquired safety Eddie Jackson has tanked Baltimore’s pass defense. Through 11 weeks, the Ravens have allowed the most passing yards in the league.
After allowing quarterback Joe Burrow to throw for 428 yards and four touchdowns, with wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase going for 264 yards and three touchdowns through the air against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 10, Baltimore decided to make changes on the backend of the defense. Williams was benched for the second time this season, while Hamilton and Ar’Darious Washington formed the starting safety duo against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 11. This was a change for Hamilton, as the do-it-all star is best known for his game-wrecking ability closer to the line of scrimmage, but after the results against the Steelers, he may have found a new home on the defense to finish this year.
The Ravens’ secondary stifled quarterback Russell Wilson, holding him to 205 passing yards, zero touchdowns, and -7.41 expected points through the air. Wide receiver George Pickens was held under 100 yards and out of the endzone, with cornerback Tre’Davious White having a pair of impressive pass deflections against him to prevent touchdowns. White played 24 snaps against Pittsburgh, eating into Stephens’ role on the boundary.
While the Steelers offense has not been one of the league’s best this season, Wilson’s ability to connect with Pickens down the field was something to fear coming into the game, and Baltimore kept a lid on the duo for the most part. The Ravens will face more formidable challenges to see if reshuffling the secondary has fixed the issues plaguing the defense, starting with a Monday Night Football showdown against star quarterback Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers.