So far, defense feeling greater pressure than opposition QBs
No quarterback, not even one as special as reigning Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Patrick Mahomes, can deter Ravens defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale from his philosophy on pressure.
In his eyes, if a quarterback is passing, he must be under duress.
SoMartindale dialed up blitzes, stunts and even packages Mahomes acknowledged he was unprepared for, but it was to no avail as the $450 million quarterback matched every look with a well-designed screen, pinpoint pass or timely scramble.
TheRavens failed to sackMahomesduring
a 34-20 loss Monday night and only hit him four times on 42 drop-backs.
“We tried a few different things, [but Mahomes] has great pocket presence; he knows how to drift,” defensive end Calais Campbell said afterMonday’s game.“He sees things. … He’s a great quarterback, and they
give him a lot of responsibility up front controlling protections.
“We had our opportunities, and when we did we didn’t get there. So we have to watch the tape, regroup, figure it out and be better nextweek.”
Of all the team’s questions after a 2-1start and disappointing showing on “Monday Night Football,” the state of the pass rush might be the most concerning.
Despite offseason changes throughout the front seven, the Ravens haven’t seen substantial improvement in the pass rush and have, in fact, experienced a statistical regression through three games. The defense remains one of the league’s most blitz-happy units but hasn’t seen appropriate pressure rates.
In three games, Ravens defenders have recorded just six sacks. Players and coaches will be quick to say that judging pass rush success solely off takedowns is an antiquated view, but total pressure rates are down too.
According to Pro-Football-Reference, the Ravens are blitzing on 45.9% of opposing drop-backs, second-most in the NFL behind the Pittsburgh Steelers (51.2%). Butwhile the team’shurry rate is in the top half of the league, its knockdown rate and sack total fall in the bottom half of the league. Furthermore, its pressure rate— which accounts for hurries, knockdowns and sacks — is 18%, which also lands in the bottom half. (The Steelers, who blitz on over half of opposing drop-backs, lead the league with a 46.5% pressure rate).
For comparison, in 2019 the Ravens blitzed on a league-high 54.9% of opposing drop-backs and their pressure rate was 23.4%, which ranked15th.
Three games of a16-game regular season might be a bit of a small sample size, but the performance is still worthy of being questioned after the team reconstructed its front seven in the offseason. The Ravens tradedforCampbell(one sack, onequarterback hit), signed defensive end Derek Wolfe (zero sacks, two quarterback hits) and drafted inside linebacker Patrick Queen (one sack, two quarterback hits) in not only an effort to stop the run but improve the pass rush.
Outside linebacker Matthew Judon, who is playing on the $16.8 million franchise tag, has zero sacks and three quarterback hits and is often asked to drop back in coverage inMartindale’s scheme.
Any outside help seems unlikely in the near future. When askedWednesday if the team has thought about bringing in a pass rusher, coach John Harbaugh replied: “I haven’t been given a name or an option on that. I haven’t heard anything about that at this point.”
Leaguewide blitz rates have increased from 27% to 30% from 2018 to 2020, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. However, during that same span, pressure rates have decreased from27% to 25% and the percentage of quick passes— when the ball is thrown in less than 2.5 seconds— has increased from 45% to 46%.
The Ravens aren’t the only team with pass rush problems, but that doesn’t make it any less bearable.
If there’s anygamefor theRavens to blitz less, it likely won’t be Sunday when they travel to Landover to play theWashington Football Team. According to Next Gen Stats, Washington quarterback Dwayne Haskins has struggled against pressure, completing just three of 18 passes for 30 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions, a 0.0 passer rating.
“I think it’s awork in progress. … It’s one of those things that the grass isn’t always greener,” Martindale said Thursday on a videoconference call. “Sometimes you just have towater your own grass that you have in your own yard and justwork every game. Every game has a different challenge.
“Obviously, the way that Patrick got rid of the ball faster than I’ve ever seen him do it, that was something that they did different. But also our execution needs to be better in our pass rush. Whether it’s a defensive lineman, a safety, a linebacker, whatever— we need to execute better.”