The Baltimore Ravens currently have the NFL’s best defense by DVOA, passing a Cleveland Browns defense that looked downright historic in the first half of the 2023 season. Second-year head coach Mike Macdonald has dialed up fronts and pressures that lead the NFL in sacks with 31, while their blitz rate of 24.9% is middle of the pack.
While multiple good players are responsible for this on the field, the Ravens don’t necessarily have an alpha-dog pass rusher like a Myles Garrett, Maxx Crosby, T.J. Watt, or Aidan Hutchinson. What they do as well as any team in the league is to scheme pressure intelligently, deploying the disruptors they have in the ways that work best for their attributes.
