Getty The Ravens solved their Joe Burrow problem in a surprising way.
The Baltimore Ravens are playing defense in a different way in 2022 and it worked to solve the team’s problem with Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. Burrow scorched the Ravens for 941 yards and seven touchdown passes last season, but he wasn’t even close to that effective in the first meeting between the two AFC North rivals this year.
Burrow and the Bengals won both games last season by an aggregate scoreline of 82-38, but the Ravens gained revenge this year by keeping things close in Week 5. Justin Tucker’s clutch field goal gave the home team a 19-17 win on Sunday Night Football, but the bigger story was how the Ravens limited Burrow and his talented wide receivers, including nemesis Ja’Marr Chase.
Baltimore’s defense didn’t win with man coverage and the blitz packages often associated with last season’s coordinator, Don ‘Wink’ Martindale. Instead, new play-caller Mike Macdonald called a safer gameplan that worked a treat.
Vanilla Defense Made Burrow, Chase Look Ordinary
Rather than blitz freely against Burrow, the way they did in the past, the Ravens rarely sent extra rushers after No. 9. Macdonald’s blitz-averse strategy succeeded in taking big-play opportunities away from Burrow, per Next Gen Stats:
Joe Burrow averaged the fewest air yards per attempt in a game in his career (4.0), and was blitzed at the lowest rate in a game in his career (2.7%).
Burrow did not complete his only deep attempt of the game.
Rushing just three or four defenders was a bold strategy since the Ravens lack a standout pass-rusher up front this season. Yet, the conservative approach still yielded three sacks, with Jason Pierre-Paul, Josh Bynes and Marcus Peters all getting to Burrow.
Those up front had more time to win thanks to a subtle but significant shift in how the Ravens played coverage. Macdonald opted not to have his defensive backs challenge Chase and the rest of Burrow’s gifted receivers.
Instead, the Ravens shelved physical man coverage for soft zone shells. It was another ploy that denied the Bengals yards in chunks through the air and also protected the NFL’s leakiest pass defense, per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley:
The Ravens’ pass defense, which ranked last in NFL, held Joe Burrow to 217 yards passing. Baltimore allowed one pass over 20 yards.
Last year against Ravens, Burrow became 1st player in NFL history to record multiple games of 400-plus passing yards vs. one opponent in one season
Limiting vertical strikes had to be Macdonald’s priority after Chase and Co. burned the Ravens so often last season. While Chase made seven catches this time, those receptions tallied just 50 yards and he was never allowed to get behind the last line of the Ravens’ defense.
Keeping Chase and Tyler Boyd quiet on the outside meant the Ravens gave up the middle of the field, and tight end Hayden Hurst profited. The former Ravens first-round pick made his old team pay with six catches for 53 yards and a 19-yard touchdown, but the Bengals weren’t the same offense with Hurst acting as Burrow’s go-to target, instead of Chase.
Macdonald successfully forced the Bengals to play a different game. A slower, more methodical way of moving the ball that didn’t suit Burrow’s natural talents.
In the process, the Ravens might have found a new way forward for a pass defense that’s been savaged since the start of the 2021 season.
Ravens Have a New Edge in the Secondary
Protecting the secondary became even more pressing for Macdonald after free safety Marcus Williams was lost to a dislocated wrist. Head coach John Harbaugh revealed the team’s interception leader “will miss significant time,” according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport:
From last night: #Ravens coach John Harbaugh said that S Marcus Williams, who already has 3 INT and has been everything they thought since he signed, has a dislocated wrist and will miss significant time. Likely headed to IR.
Covering for Williams’ absence will demand more zone and two-deep safety looks. The formula can work if Pierre-Paul continues to add oomph to the pass rush, while another member of the secondary maintains his current form.
Marlon Humphrey is consistently winning in single coverage this season, per Pro Football Focus:
Lowest passer rating allowed in single coverage this season:
Marlon Humphrey – 5.4 👀
The cornerback is a player Macdonald can trust to match up with and shadow an opponent’s best receiver. Humphrey was trusted to play over Chase on Sunday night, and while the latter beat him for a key 13-yard grab on 3rd-and-5 on the Bengals’ touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, it was a rare blip for the Ravens’ best cover man.
Despite playing on an island against one of the league’s most explosive wideouts, Humphrey “allowed only one first down all game,” according to Baltimore Beatdown’s Kyle Phoenix Barber, citing stats from PFF.
Leaving Humphrey in single coverage and having the rest of the secondary play zone would give the Ravens more flexibility for different matchups each week. It worked to subdue the most dangerous offense in the division and helped the Ravens regain the upper hand against Burrow.