A letdown here and there is understandable, but sitting at No. 25 in total defense, No. 26 in points allowed, and last in pass defense is below the bar for a historically mighty Ravens defense.
This is not the defense they expected, or should be, midway through the season.
Coming off a 29-24 loss to the Cleveland Browns and backup veteran quarterback Jameis Winston, defensive leaders Kyle Hamilton and Roquan Smith talked about the unit's mentality, what's going wrong, and what it's going to take to turn things around.
"We're going to be fine. There's a lot of outside noise and there's a lot of adversity as well, but you can't get rattled," Smith said. "We keep receipts. At the end of the day, just got to make cats pay for it when the time comes. We're going to be perfectly fine. We'll look back at this interview pretty soon and you'll be like, 'You were right.'
"Just trust the process. I'm trusting that. I have the utmost faith in each and every guy that's in the back seven, including myself, that we're going to get things the way things need to be done. Just tune in Sunday."
Ravens Are Putting in Extra Work to Reel in Interceptions
The final horn didn't end Ravens practice Wednesday as the entire secondary and linebackers remained on the field for a while catching passes from coaches. Then a group of players also went to the JUGS machine for more extra work.
"It's just a repetition thing, and I can't blame the coaches for wanting us to get out there on the JUGS [machine] and catch extra passes," Hamilton said. "I feel like it's something we should do whether we're dropping picks or not dropping picks – [we should] just make a habit of it."
The Ravens lead the league with eight dropped interceptions, including three in Cleveland. Hamilton's dropped pick with about a minute left likely would have won the game.
"I was obviously pissed about it after the game. I was probably the most mad out of anybody," Hamilton said. "I feel like that's part of being a good football player. You have to let the good stuff go, let the bad stuff go [and] just move on. I feel like I've done that, and I'm ready to go play the Broncos."
Hamilton Blames One-on-One Execution, Not Disguises
While dropped interceptions could have dramatically changed the outcome of games, Hamilton isn't pinning the Ravens' defensive struggles on that.
"Picks are cool, but picks don't tell the whole story of the game, and we're close to the bottom of the league right now in pass yards per game as a defense, and that's something that picks aren't just going to solve," Hamilton said.
"I'd say just execution, winning one-on-ones – it really comes down to that at the end of the day – and guys just going out there and being confident in what they do and having the belief that we're going to go get it done."
The Ravens have also taken criticism this week for perhaps disguising too many of their coverages, leading to breakdowns and easy completions. Hamilton said he doesn't think Baltimore is trying to do too much.
"I think in its simplest form, we just have to run and hit better," he said.
Hamilton: It's Not a Coaching Problem
The Ravens' defensive staff was raided this past offseason, as coordinator Mike Macdonald became the Seattle Seahawks' head coach and Anthony Weaver (Miami) and Dennard Wilson (Tennessee) both left to become coordinators.
Baltimore turned to Zach Orr to lead the defense and step into a play-calling position for the first time in his coaching career. Dean Pees joined Orr's staff on Oct. 9 as a senior advisor.
That much change has led to questions about how much coaching is at the root of the Ravens' defensive issues, particularly with a roster that's loaded with stars on paper.
Hamilton flat-out denied that assertion Wednesday.
"I don't think that necessarily there was a loss of talent. I feel like we kept a good amount of people in our [defensive] room – players and coaches – and I don't feel like the room feels super different from last year," Hamilton said.
"It's just [about] executing, and last year, we were executing. I can't pinpoint or give you an exact answer on why that isn't happening right now, but that's still something that we're trying to figure out, we're trying to perfect."
Diontae Johnson Could Step in as Punt Returner
New Ravens receiver Diontae Johnson hasn't returned a punt since 2020, but he could renew that part of his game in Baltimore.
Johnson "knocked the rust off" fielding punts during Wednesday's practice, and Head Coach John Harbaugh confirmed they are considering using him on special teams.
"It's been a minute since I've been back on punt return," Johnson said. "Whatever they need me to do to help the team win, or any way I can contribute, right now that's my main focus."
With Deonte Harty on injured reserve, Tylan Wallace has filled in as Baltimore's punt returner. He's posted 21 yards on two returns and made a mistake fair catching a ball at the 6-yard line in Cleveland.
Johnson led the league with 12.4 yards per punt return in 2019, including an 85-yard touchdown return.
