Pundit Says Ravens Defense Has Had 'Most Dramatic Midseason Turnaround Ever'
The Ravens' explosive offense has deservedly gotten plenty of love from pundits all season, but FanDuel TV's Kay Adams said the defense's emergence the second half of the season isn't getting enough attention.
"The Ravens have had the most dramatic midseason turnaround I've ever seen on the defensive side of the ball. Ever. Ever," Adams said on the "Up & Adams" show. "Over the last eight weeks the Ravens have gone from the bottom 10 in pretty much every category to first."
Adams noted that the biggest improvement has been the pass defense and credited Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr's personnel changes in the secondary.
Orr said he appreciated having the players publicly support him at midseason when things weren't going well for the Ravens defense.
"Just for guys doing that, it made me want to go harder for them, and I think that just kind of shows the unity and the bond and the family-type atmosphere that we have here, because we say it's a family, but a lot of times, when things start going bad, you get tested," Orr said.
"Guys start turning their back on each other, and we never did that. That's what honestly gave me the confidence that we'll be able to get this thing going in the right direction. It's because we did stick together, and we did have each other's back, but those guys doing them, I can't thank them enough, because shoot, I'm human, too. Hearing that, I need a boost at times, and that definitely gave me a boost."
Rashod Bateman Primed to Step Up if Zay Flowers Can't Play
Wide receiver Zay Flowers (knee) is reportedly a “long shot” to play in Saturday's Wild-Card round game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Fortunately, the Ravens offense has a number of weapons who can pick up the slack.
One of them is wide receiver Rashod Bateman, who is having a breakout season and stepped up after Flowers exited last Saturday's game.
Spencer Schultz of the “Exit 52 Podcast” believes Bateman is primed to shine under the bright lights against the Steelers.
"I think this is the biggest game by 10 billion trillion of Rashod Bateman's career," Schultz said. "He has been so good. The chemistry in the red zone … the trust is definitely there."
Schultz praised Bateman's talent as a route-runner and ability to create separation. Bateman led the NFL in separation percentage during the regular season, per Pro Football Focus.
Bateman has scored four touchdowns over the past four games and has nine touchdown catches on the season, which is tied for the fifth-most in franchise history.
Nate Wiggins, Roger Rosengarten Make All-Rookie Team
One of the key players in the secondary's success is first-round cornerback Nate Wiggins, who was named to The 33rd Team’s All-Rookie Team.
"Nate Wiggins deserves recognition for a near-perfect rookie campaign," The 33rd Team's Tyler Brooke wrote. "He was one of three rookies who were full-time starters not to allow a single touchdown when targeted, generating an interception and 13 pass breakups in the process. Opposing quarterbacks only completed 50 percent of their passes when throwing his way for a passer rating of just 64.6.
"For a cornerback who is only 185 pounds, Wiggins plays like one of the most physical rookies at the position, and he will need to keep playing at this level to help Baltimore make a Super Bowl run."
Second-round right tackle Roger Rosengarten joined Wiggins on the all-rookie team.
"[Steelers' first-rounder] Troy Fautanu got all of the attention as an OL prospect out of Washington. However, Roger Rosengarten has had the early-career success coming out of the college football program," Brooke wrote. "Rosengarten has slotted into a tackle spot for the Baltimore Ravens and already looks like a veteran. He's played a key part in Derrick Henry's dominant season on the ground while protecting Lamar Jackson en route to what could be his third MVP award."
Analyst Looks at Whether Ravens Should Exercise Fifth-Year Option on 2022 First-Rounders
NFL.com analyst Marc Ross looked at every 2022 first-round pick and provided his opinion on whether their teams should exercise the fifth-year option.
Unsurprisingly, the answer was "yes" for the Ravens' two first-rounders that year – safety Kyle Hamilton and center Tyler Linderbaum.
"Hamilton has become a do-it-all playmaker for the Ravens over the past two seasons, earning a pair of Pro Bowl bids along the way," Ross wrote. "In this season alone, Hamilton made 107 tackles while taking snaps at outside linebacker, slot corner, wide corner and free safety. And since moving back to a full-time free safety role, he's been instrumental in the defense's second-half resurgence. Hamilton is the ideal defensive back."
Regarding Linderbaum, Ross wrote: "This is an easy one. Linderbaum might be the best center in the league at this point. He's missed just two games in three seasons and earned his first Pro Bowl nod this season. He's a staple for a very good Ravens offensive line, which is paving the way for one of the most explosive offenses in the league."
Quick Hits
Yesterday's Most Read: Late for Work: Ben Roethlisberger Picks Ravens to Beat Steelers, Praises Lamar Jackson
- Lamar Jackson and Hamilton were named to the Next Gen Stats All-Pro Team.
- The Baltimore Ravens offensive line finished the regular season ranked No. 3 in the league, according to former center A.Q. Shipley on the “Pat McAfee Show.”
