Here come the Ravens. The new Roquan Smith Ravens defense was spectacular in the Saints game. Mike Macdonald is remolding this group in-flight. His defense has a clear flight path to dominance. There was an awful lot to like about Macdonald’s game plan. And if this is a precursor the upside to this defense is much higher than it was two weeks ago.
Here Come the Ravens: The New-Look Defense
What hit me immediately in the Saints game was the extent to which Macdonald moved away from reliance on a base 3-4 alignment. Over the past 15 years each of the Ravens’ defensive coordinators has utilized a hybrid 3-4 approach. Early downs typically saw a base 3-4, and passing downs often witnessed a 4-3 look frequently augmented by one or more blitzers. Although I haven’t yet seen the formation count for the Saints, I was struck by the heavy usage of a four down-lineman look, using only two defensive linemen with two edge linebackers lined-up over the tackles.
Unlike the past, this four down-linemen grouping did not lead to three traditional linebackers stacked behind them. Instead, Macdonald most frequently deployed Kyle Hamilton in a three safety format. Hamilton typically lined up over the tight end or slot receiver and, to my recollection, rarely on the back end. Macdonald judiciously utilized blitz packages, and then using mostly only one blitzer. The Ravens generated pressure on plenty of occasions sans blitz.
This is What It Takes to Get to the Super Bowl
Before I even get to the impact of Roquan Smith, let’s take a 2000 foot view of what might be happening here. Most observers believe that the Chiefs and the Bills are the teams to beat in the AFC. Perhaps the Eagles are the same in the NFC. The Titans made a clear point yet again Sunday night against the Chiefs. To beat Patrick Mahomes, one has to both rush him without blitzing, and contain him in the pocket while doing so. The same is also true with Josh Allen. Both of those guys will just kill you once they break contain, or you blitz without getting home.
The Titans, without a quarterback and in spite of Mahomes throwing almost 70 passes, almost won that game. Their front four got consistent pressure. And on the one drive where Mahomes ran for a score, almost 40 yards of gains were the result of Titans’ defensive ends rushing too wide up the field, giving Mahomes free reign to run. He dominated on those plays.
The new-look from the Ravens, if it becomes more prevalent, is best suited to contain Mahomes and Allen (and Jalen Hurts, if it comes to that). With Tyus Bowser back, and David Ojabo likely slated to be a rotational pure rush piece, the Ravens are stacked for bringing the heat with only four rushers. Calais Campbell, Justin Madubuike, and Travis Jones can each bring solid penetration from the inside. This could get fun. A lot of fun.
Then you add in Roquan Smith manning the middle of the field. He’s the ultimate chess piece in the context of the myriad of looks and uses he offers. He can attack on the blitz, pick up a running back, man the middle of the field against crossers and slants, or carry tight ends down the field. Having a third safety instead of a third inside linebacker should provide more speed and flexibility both across the field and in the box.
Bowser and Ojabo Will Further Augment the Looks Macdonald Can Bring
There’s a lot to get excited about here. The Campbell-Madubuike-Jones monster will provide a real challenge on the inside for opposing guards and centers. They each bring different attack modes to the table. Then you add in a rotation on the outside of Justin Houston, Tyus Bowser, David Ojabo and, yes, even Odafe Oweh, and Macdonald is loaded with modes of attack against quarterbacks.
Houston, Bowser and Oweh can each be moved to the inside. One can be lined up outside the other. Ojabo could be tasked alongside Houston on one side. The combination possibilities are enormous. And then you add in the blitzing capability of Smith and Queen. Make no mistake, this defensive front – if it stays healthy – will be in the best position of any playoff team to attack quarterbacks. It will be fascinating to see how Macdonald develops it all.
Kyle Hamilton Making Strides
I was certainly wrong concerning the impact that Smith would have on Kyle Hamilton’s playing time. And I can see why Macdonald turned to him against the Saints. Hamilton provides the size, length, and strength that neither Pepe Williams nor Brandon Stephens can offer. Hamilton offers more flexibility in the box and more versatility in potential looks. Now I don’t expect him to be tasked with covering top slot receivers. We’ll yet see which direction Macdonald prefers there. Hamilton is just not suited for that. But with the type of attacking defense that could be unfolding for Macdonald, Hamilton is a good chess piece that presents challenges for offenses.
Roquan Smith’s New Best Friend – Patrick Queen
Did you spot the one special blitz Patrick Queen masterfully pulled off in the game? You’ve just got to watch this play (several times) which is linked here. It’s not one where Queen got the quarterback. The play was not even designed for Queen to get a sack. In this instance, Justin Houston was lined up on the inside over the guard, with Tyus Bowser outside Houston’s right shoulder over the tackle. Houston lightly engaged the guard at the snap – just enough to completely occupy him. Queen exploded from five yards back – right into the blocking guard, freeing Houston and creating an open path to the quarterback. A beautifully crafted blitz by Mike Macdonald.
The play’s success hinged on Queen’s ability to get to the guard quickly and decisively. Because if he failed, Alvin Kamara was sliding through the hole Queen abandoned, and would have been wide open for a direct dump-off from the quarterback. But Queen delivered, and it was impressive.
As I’ve said several times, Queen’s strength is attacking forwards. He launches full speed where he’s not first tasked with reading and diagnosing. He brings a strong power force to the point of impact when he launches. This was all on display on that blitz play.
As expected, Smith’s presence allows Macdonald to slice and dice on any given play with the utilization of Queen and Smith together. Both are strong blitzers. Flashing them both at the line of scrimmage pre-snap will cause a world of confusion. And Smith’s presence will excuse a degree of Queen’s indecisiveness in read and diagnose cases. I spotted at least one play in the Saints game where Queen mentally flopped, but Smith exploded into the lane that Queen should have spotted, making the play. Josh Bynes would never have been able to get there.
It’s All Coming Together
As I alluded to a few weeks ago pre-Roquan Smith, this defense was coming together on the back end. And now, with that gaping hole in the middle filled, and with Bowser and soon Ojabo adding real talent to the pass rush, this defense has a much higher ceiling. With Marcus Williams this will be the best equipped Ravens defense in over a decade. Here come the Ravens.
One More Smith Dividend
The impact of Smith and the emergence of a four-man pass rush has another beneficial impact. It allows the Ravens to play more man on the back end. Too many times this year zone coverages have been ineffective. In many cases zones have yielded huge yardage chunks to opponents and frequently rendered the Ravens helpless.
Again, to beat Mahomes and Allen, the Ravens will have to play more man. Think Bengals game, man coverage under with zone looks over the top. And you can only really do it if you are able to eschew the blitz, like the Titans. Marlon Humphrey has really come on. But then . . .
Marcus Peters
We can’t fool ourselves much on this one. Marcus Peters is just too slow right now. And his quickness is not all there. It’s painfully obvious. Maybe it’s lingering effects from his injury, maybe not. Time will tell. Peters still brings the smarts, cunning, and edge needed for island players. But he’s the weak link on the outside at this point. Now it’s not a disaster. But he’s got a target on his back every week, likely for the rest of the season. We’ll see if any more speed comes back as he plays on.
The Stanley Gamble Has Paid Off – In Spades!
I’ll give tons of credit to Eric DeCosta for something he might not deserve. But the gamble – and it was a gamble – that he made on Ronnie Stanley has paid off dramatically. This wasn’t exactly the $2 billion Powerball – but it was close!
Stanley has been sensational given his almost two year layoff. Lamar has enjoyed a clean backside, and Stanley deserves all of the credit. Stanley’s looked very good on the move, and has consistently pulled without any problem. He could still use a little more drive at the point of attack, but to say his return hasn’t been a grand slam would be unfair. It’s huge – much more important to the Ravens success than Rashod Bateman’s loss is as a detriment to the balance of 2022. And that’s not to diminish Bateman’s importance. It’s to underscore that Stanley has completely solidified the offensive line. The Ravens have a dominant left tackle again.
One More Comment on the Smith Trade
If the Ravens had known before the trade deadline that Bateman was out for the year, should they have traded for a second-tier wide receiver (say, Jerry Jeudy) instead of Roquan Smith? Unequivocally, no. Smith’s addition elevates the Ravens defense to Super Bowl caliber. The Ravens simply could not have gone all the way with the giant hole their defense was carrying pre-Smith.
The Ravens can get to the big one without an ace wide receiver. Let’s face it, though. The problem in the Ravens’ passing game is Lamar’s inability to hit wide open receivers from among the current group. DeMarcus Robinson should have had two receiving touchdowns in the Saints game. He was running free twice with easy touchdowns, and on both occasions Lamar never gave him a chance to catch the ball. And Robinson is no number one receiver. Nor even number two. The Ravens create a lot of open opportunities for their receivers as the direct result of their schemes. Investing more in the receiver room – at this point – would only bring marginal returns given Lamar’s throwing issues, which I discussed at length before.
Give me Roquan Smith any day, wide receivers be damned! And here come the Ravens.
Outstanding analysis as usual !!!!
Thoroughly enjoyed