Baltimore Ravens DC set new turnover goal

The Baltimore Ravens offense has been nothing short of stellar this season, but their defense? Not quite.

Everyone knows about the Ravens’ struggles pass the defenseas they allowed the team to gain 287.1 yards per game and finished last in the league. Another problem, somewhat related, is the lack of takeaways. They forced just seven turnovers (five interceptions, two fumble recoveries) in as many games, putting them on pace to finish the season with 17. For context, the Green Bay Packers are already tied for the league lead with 17 points scored.

It’s obvious, but the Ravens want to knock the ball out of their opponents’ hands much more often. After throwing two interceptions in Monday’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, both: Marlon Humphreythey believe they are on the right track in the sales department.

“It’s like at the end of the day, if you want to play good defense, yes, you can stop people and get them off the field, but the best way to play good defense is (to) take the ball” – defensive coordinator Zach Orr he told reporters on Thursday. “The most important thing in football is football and our job is to receive the ball and attack it. So two takeaways like that just show our guys that (if) you get the ball back, it can change the game.”

Last season, the Ravens recorded 31 goals scored (18 steals, 13 foul rebounds) and tied the New York Giants with any other team in the league. There has been a lot of turnover on defense since then, but it’s still a drastic decline.

However, there are other, potentially even bigger issues that need to be addressed in terms of defense. Not only against the pass, but also at the end of games. Baltimore allowed Tampa Bay to score 21 points in the fourth quarter, and that simply can’t happen in the future.

“So we definitely have to finish better,” Orr said. “It’s something we have to do if we want to be the team we want to be. We have to finish and close out games defensively. But we’ll look at it now – this is, what, Week 8 – and like I said, it doesn’t matter how you start, what matters is how well you finish the rest of the season, especially in the fourth quarter.

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