Ravens head coach John Harbaugh’s decision to go for fourth-and-1 from his own 16-yard line while trailing 10-7 late in the first half said plenty on Monday night.
About his confidence in the best offense in franchise history despite another slow start.
About the math that’s long supported going for fourth down with less than a yard to go from just about anywhere on the field, regardless of how crazy most considered his decision to be.
About the “tush push” and how it’s become a game-changer from a strategic standpoint.
About how much he wanted to beat his brother.
It also reflected the perceived state of the Baltimore defense entering Week 12.
Yes, Harbaugh expressed the desire to play keep-away from the Chargers because the Los Angeles offense was “so challenging and so good,” but the flip side to that is the confidence level in his defense’s ability to get a stop if you punt the ball coming out of the two-minute warning. Even after Mark Andrews’ successful sneak, the Ravens seemed content to drain the clock until Zay Flowers’ catch and run for 22 yards got them near midfield and set up the highlight 40-yard touchdown pass from Lamar Jackson to Rashod Bateman with 24 seconds to go.
Even with that, the defense still managed to give up a 52-yard field goal to close the first half, so you could hardly blame the aforementioned thinking.
But if Harbaugh had known his defense would surrender just 3.2 yards per play the rest of the way and not allow another touchdown until the game’s final minute, he may have been a little more inclined to punt at the end of the second quarter.
While it turned out to be another banner night for Jackson, Derrick Henry, and the rest of the offense, the Ravens defense took a step in the right direction for a second straight week, which is more consequential to Baltimore’s championship aspirations as the calendar turns to December. That Zach Orr’s group did it without All-Pro Bowl inside linebacker Roquan Smith made it all the more encouraging.
Four different inside linebackers logged snaps in Smith’s absence, and Malik Harrison turned in the best performance of his career, registering a game-high 12 tackles and playing respectably in pass coverage after a rocky beginning. Harrison’s efforts earned him a game ball as he also played his normal special-teams snaps.
Despite entering Week 12 ranking last in the NFL in passing yards allowed and 31st in completions of 20-plus yards surrendered (50), the Ravens didn’t allow a touchdown pass or a single completion of 20 or more yards against red-hot quarterback Justin Herbert. Five different cornerbacks registered a pass breakup or a sack, continuing the ensemble defensive effort.
Even with the concerns about the second level of the defense without Smith, Kyle Hamilton once again lined up primarily as a deep safety next to Ar’Darius Washington, who played every defensive snap for the second straight week. Former starter Marcus Williams saw only one snap for the second consecutive game.
The pass rush wasn’t dominant from start to finish, but Orr dialed up more blitzing than usual and the Ravens finished with four sacks and 18 pressures as the coverage complemented the efforts to get to Herbert nicely. Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh each collected a sack to continue their strong seasons.
Multiple dropped passes and the loss of running back J.K. Dobbins changed the complexion of the Chargers offense as the night unfolded, but the Ravens kept everything in front of them in coverage, which is all anyone’s been asking for since the start of the season. With an MVP-caliber quarterback and an offense averaging an incredible 7.0 yards per play, this pass defense just needs to be decent to give the Ravens a great chance to play deep into the postseason.
On Monday, the defense exceeded expectations — perhaps even those of the head coach when Baltimore surprised everyone by going for fourth-and-1 from their own 16 late in the second quarter.
It all worked out for a 30-23 win that Harbaugh and the Ravens really wanted to have.
