Week 11: Tennessee Titans @ Baltimore Ravens
This is not to say that the Baltimore Ravens did not have their own issues to address in the offseason.
The Ravens finished 14-2, secured home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, and had MVP winner Lamar Jackson running their offense. On the defensive side of the football, they assembled a pressure-based unit that got after opposing quarterbacks relying heavily on the blitz.
Then they were handed an early-round exit from the playoffs, when Derrick Henry and the Tennessee Titans came to town and ran over, around and through them. Henry ripped off 195 yards on the ground, the bulk of the 217 rushing yards the Titans had on the night, in the upset. It was the only time last year the Ravens allowed over 200 yards a game. Of course, when you win 14 games the opposition will be doing more throwing than running, but a game like that is going to leave an impression.
So what did they do this offseason? They added to their defensive front. Derek Wolfe was added via free agency. They traded for Calais Campbell. They drafted Justin Madubuike and Broderick Washington Jr.., for their defensive line. They also addressed linebacker, drafting both Patrick Queen in the first round and Malik Harrison in the third, a potential Dont’a Hightower clone.
It’s almost like Eric DeCosta taped a picture of Derrick Henry to the mirror this past winter:
In Week 11, we’ll see if those moves made it any easier to slow down the Titans’ rushing attack.