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Jamison Hensley, ESPN workforce editor
CLEVELAND — The Baltimore Ravens cruised to victory with 1:03 remaining Sunday when all-pro defenseman Kyle Hamilton got his fingers on an errant cross from Jameis Winston. But Hamilton floundered and then lost what would have been the game-winning interception, presenting the most painful future in what has been his order for the Ravens defense this year.
One play later, the Ravens lost in normal style when Cleveland Browns big receiver Cedric Tillman was placed behind Ravens defensive back Eddie Jackson for a 38-yard landing reception with 0:59 left in the game. game. The 29-24 loss to the Browns ended the Ravens’ five-game winning streak and prolonged Baltimore’s anguish over late collapses.
It marked the Ravens’ eighth loss when highlighted during the final two minutes of the fourth quarter since the start of the 2022 season. That is essentially the most such losses in the NFL in that span.
Midway through the season, the Ravens (5-3) have proven to have a championship-caliber offense and a vulnerable defense. The biggest impediment to a Super Bowl call is the defense’s late-game failures and struggles within the secondary.
When asked where the Ravens would be if the defense was playing at a better level, defensive back Ar’Darius Washington said, “I mean, we’d probably be undefeated right now.”
Washington is not exaggerating too much. In the Ravens’ last two losses, against the Las Vegas Raiders and Cleveland, who are closing out their sections, the winning score was ultimately meaningless.
“I feel like we worked hard,” Jackson said. “We come every week, we work hard in practice, [and] We just have to let it translate into the game. On the other hand, like I said, we have to make those plays when [the football] comes to us. I had a few of them around that made me sick. We just have to go out and do them. Coach [defensive coordinator Zach Orr] He’s putting us in that position to make those plays. “We just have to get out of this bad time we’re in.”
Hamilton and middle linebacker Roquan Smith did not speak to reporters about the sport. Others tried to explain how Baltimore has gone from a traditionally dominant defense last season (becoming the first to lead the NFL in points allowed, sacks and steals in a season) to one of the worst in 2024.
There have been some adjustments this offseason in free agent losses (pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney, inside linebacker Patrick Queen and safety Geno Stone) and coaching departures (defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald was the Seahawks’ head coach and two alternate assistants were defensive coordinators).
Under Orr, who is in his first season as defensive coordinator, the Ravens rank close in crossover defense (291.4 yards per game) and are fast in landing passes allowed (17) through eight games. Baltimore has allowed 40 completions of 15 yards or more, the most in the NFL.
“We’re the Ravens. We take pride in our defense,” he mentioned the Ravens’ defensive stance on Nnamdi Madubuike. “Obviously, everyone talks about how great we were last year and when you compare it to this year, it’s just not the same… This is a game we should have won, and we didn’t, so it’s very frustrating. “
Protection against suffering has been further undermined by accidents. Baltimore was missing its top two cornerbacks in Sunday’s game, with seven-year starter Marlon Humphrey (knee) and rookie first-round cornerback Nate Wiggins (shoulder/issue) being weak. Closer, the Ravens lost two defensive linemen in the first half, as Brent City suffered a concussion in the first quarter and Michael Pierce suffered a calf shock in the second.
All of this resulted in the Browns’ big receivers working unseen in the middle of the field and Winston getting more technology on the patch. The Ravens were the first defense to give up more than 20 points to the Browns this season.
“I mean it’s impossible to really put a metric [injuries]”Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “It’s obviously a factor.”
The Ravens also benched shooting defenseman Marcus Williams. In seven games, Williams has dropped two passes and denied interceptions.
It was just two years ago when Williams was the Ravens’ top free agent addition, signing a five-year, $70 million deal with $37 million locked in.
“I have a lot of confidence that Marcus will be playing great football the rest of the season,” Harbaugh said. “I’ll just talk about it being an internal situation.”
With Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, Baltimore can set things up to win games. But the Ravens can give things up just as quickly.
Baltimore has allowed the most fourth-quarter problems this season (93), a worrying development that players feel they can fix.
“We pride ourselves on finishing, and we haven’t, especially we didn’t today, but it’s going to take work, day in and day out, to excel,” Ravens cornerback Brandon Stephens said.
