OWINGS MILLS — No team has been able to effectively run against the Ravens this season.
The Ravens are ranked No. 1 in the NFL, allowing 59.0 yards rushing per game. The team’s stout defensive front seven led by Nnamdi Madubuike, Travis Jones and Michael Pierce have dominated opposing offensive lines.
Coach John Harbaugh credited the other three parts of the defense — linebackers, ends and the secondary — with helping contain the run. Harbaugh still sees room for improvement.
“It’s really good and physical and tough and disciplined,” he said. “The other part of it is our DBs are showing up. Our DBs are showing up in the box and on the edge when they’re supposed to – crack, replace. [They’re] showing up on screens, which we consider part of the run defense. For the vast most part, our DBs are also doing a really good job, so, to me, it’s hand in hand.”
Jones is having a breakout season and leads the Ravens with the highest defensive grade — 80.6— against the run, according to Pro Football Focus. Safety Kyle Hamilton, one of the team’s best tacklers, is No. 2 at 78.9.
Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco had the best game against the Ravens, but he managed only 45 yards on 15 carries in the regular-season opener.
Opposing teams have been forced to throw the ball because they can’t run, and it has put added pressure on the secondary. While the Ravens rank No. 1 against the run, they are 31st against the pass, allowing 275.7 yards per game.
Teams have run the ball 117 times and attempted 229 passes against the Ravens in the first six games. Conversely, the Ravens have 209 rushes and 177 passing attempts.
Harbaugh said the team has to be better against the pass.
“Everything’s part of it probably for sure,” Harbaugh said. “The type of games that we’ve been in; the type of quarterbacks we’ve played against – the passing games; the receivers that we’ve faced – all that kind of stuff. We just have to focus on us. Not so much [the] ‘why,’ it’s just [the] ‘what.’ Playing things really well – really consistently – that’s our goal.”