The Baltimore Ravens‘ defense has a nightmare matchup in Week 5 against the Atlanta Falcons.
Baltimore must find a way to slow down Falcons star running back Bijan Robinson. This season, Robinson is second in the NFL in rushing yards (494), third in yards per carry (5.8), fourth in carries (85), and tied for sixth in touchdown runs (4).
Ravens head coach Jesse Minter must slow the Falcons’ running game and keep Robinson from beating him. It will be tempting to play one of his star injured defenders more often, but he may need to be more cautious.
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Ravens On SI’s Jason La Canfora wrote about three changes Baltimore needs to make to slow down Robinson in Week 5. One of those changes is for the Ravens to avoid overworking star edge rusher Trey Hendrickson.
“The Ravens want to get their money’s worth out of $30M edge rusher Trey Hendrickson. But he just had a finger surgery, he was not the same the last few weeks dealing with that injury and he is not good against the run. He will be a target to attack in that regard on early downs with the sinister outside zone these guys run.
I’m not saying you don’t dress him if he is cleared, but I am being careful about how I use him, I am leaning into big bodies and they took Zion Young in the second-round – over basically any center in the draft – because he can anchor. He and Tavius Robinson might need to be the duo on the edge in base looks when they are feigning 4-3 front. And the Ravens are going to need run stuffers like Broderick Washington to make a real impact here and show more impact than they have to this point, and former Falcon Calais Campbell returning to Atlanta should bring out the best in him.”
Ravens Must Be Careful With Using Trey Hendrickson Too Much
Hendrickson was the team’s biggest offseason signing after the Maxx Crosby trade with the Las Vegas Raiders fell through. 2026 has been an up-and-down season for Hendrickson, so the Ravens have been anxious to get him going.
Even so, the Ravens need to be careful not to work him too much. If he hurts that finger again, it will only make things worse and cause him to miss time.
Instead, Baltimore needs to lean on their younger edge rushers like Tavius Robinson, Young, and Mike Green to step up. The Falcons will have some success running the ball with Bijan Robinson, but the Ravens can trust their other edge rushers more and not put Hendrickson in harm’s way.
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