Baltimore Ravens: OLB Matthew Judon
No defense blitzed more than the Ravens did in 2019 — in fact, it wasn’t even close. Baltimore sent more than their base line at the opposing backfield on 54.9% of its snaps; the Buccaneers finished second by blitzing on 43.4% of their snaps. The Ravens are able to blitz so often because they’re so locked in with their secondary, they also do so because they don’t have an obvious snap-to-snap pass-rusher who can affect opposing blockers with sheer athletic talent. But Matthew Judon is the closest to that the Ravens have.
Selected in the fifth round of the 2016 draft out of Grand Valley State, Judon has developed into Baltimore’s primary purveyor of quarterback pressure, especially with the offseason departures of Za’Darius Smith and Terrell Suggs. He totaled a career-high 62 pressures in 2019, making his first Pro Bowl, and he’ll need to be on point against the Titans, who have one of the NFL’s best passing offenses since Ryan Tannehill took over for Marcus Mariota in Week 7.
This sack of Deshaun Watson in Baltimore’s 41-7 Week 11 win over the Texans didn’t come on a blitz per se; instead, it was Judon’s (No. 99) patience on a mush-rush in which he was focused just as much on keeping Watson in the pocket as he was on taking Watson down that made the difference. Judon also forced a fumble, recovered by outside linebacker Jaylon Ferguson.
So. as much as the Ravens do blitz, and as much as that does help Judon, he’s also capable of using his athleticism to prevent big plays against the league’s best quarterbacks.
Danielle Hunter | Dee Ford | Harold Landry III | Matthew Judon |
Duke Johnson, Jr. | Charvarius Ward | Poona Ford | Kenny Clark