Three weeks ago, the Ravens held a pivotal meeting that helped galvanize their defense.
They had just surrendered 264 receiving yards and three touchdowns to Ja'Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals on "Thursday Night Football." The Ravens escaped with a 35-34 victory, but Marlon Humphrey had honest words for the defense in the locker room, and the coaching staff spent all weekend working.
During a film session the following week, there was real talk between players and coaches, and Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr said that session was a turning point.
"The meeting definitely had an impact, just because we had to do some deep soul searching, and it was a long meeting," Orr said. "I think it was good – from a player and coach standpoint – that we expressed what we wanted to get done, they expressed how they felt, and we were able to come together and figure out solutions, because that's all we're about.
"It's a partnership between players and coaches, and our jobs as players and coaches is to go out there and go play dominant, winning football, from a defensive standpoint. Everything that we do is trying to come to that solution, and I definitely think that meeting had a part in it."
Since then, the Ravens have yielded just four touchdowns over their last three games and have stopped surrendering big plays in the passing game.
Their secondary play has been cohesive since Ar'Darius Washington became a starting safety.Kyle Hamilton has excelled playing a more traditional safety role next to Washington, with Marlon Humphrey playing more slot and impacting both the run game and passing game near the line of scrimmage. Rookie Nate Wiggins has been a regular at outside corner opposite Brandon Stephens.
Snap counts have also been adjusted in the linebacker rotation. Tavius Robinson played a career-high 93% of the snaps against the Eagles, while Malik Harrison and Chris Board have seen their roles increase at inside linebacker.
The Ravens expect their defensive upswing to continue after this week's bye. It took time to find the right mix, but the Ravens believe they have a winning formula.
Orr gave Humphrey credit for imploring each player on defense to raise his game.
"Guys are going to make mistakes – but the tolerance isn't high for guys who don't play hard or guys who continue to make the same mistakes over and over again," Orr said. "We have to find guys who are going to go out there and play hard and do things the right way and do the things [the way] we want it to be done.
"I think guys have started seeing that, and the players, they take ownership in that. As a player, you don't want people out there with you who are not doing their job or not executing their job. So, I think Marlon was right on with what he said."
Humphrey is a three-time Pro Bowler having one of his best seasons with a career-high five interceptions after an injury-plagued 2023. As one of the longest-tenured players, Humphrey is leading by example and others have followed.
"When Marlon's healthy and playing at the level that he's playing at, he makes us a better defense," Assistant Head Coach/Pass Game Coordinator Chris Hewitt said. "He brings that grit; he brings the energy, and that's what this defense is made up of it. He embodies everything that we talk about as far as being a Raven, so when he's playing that way, we play better."
The bye week will be good for defensive tackle Travis Jones (ankle) and other players who have been nursing injuries. Nose tackle Michael Pierce (calf) could also be activated off injured reserve for the Ravens' next game after the bye against the New York Giants.
Already ranked No. 2 against the run, the Ravens will be looking to solidify their rush defense after Saquon Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles became the first back to top 100 yards against Baltimore on Sunday. But after a meeting that helped the defense find its voice, the defense feels ready to make more noise.
"Obviously, we tweaked some stuff with personnel, with scheme and communication, but I still think there's a whole other level we can get to," Orr said. "We're going to continue to work hard throughout this week, as coaches, while players get some time off.
"The expectation when we come back is, 'Man, we've got to be dominant on defense.' We took a step in the right direction, definitely, from early in the season, but there's still a whole lot we can get better at."
