OWINGS MILLS, Md. โ A meeting between the NFLโs top scoring offense and best scoring defense feels like a heavyweight fight, but Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs didnโt offer the anticipated bravado.
Not when youโre facing a quarterback who just broke the career passing yardage record and is still going strong at age 39 in an offense averaging 36.0 points per game.
โTheyโre the kind of explosive offense that gives you nightmares,โ said Suggs about Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. โItโs going to be a good, fun game. We get to play football against one of the premier quarterbacks, the premier offenses with explosive pieces.โ
At the same time, Brees spent his bye week watching the Ravens defense collect a franchise-record 11 sacks in a 21-0 road shutout against Tennessee. Baltimoreโs 12.8 points per game allowed this season looks like something out of 1978 rather than in 2018 when offense reigns supreme.
Heโs faced them only four times, but Brees is fully aware the Ravens are the only team heโs never defeated in his 18-year career. Suggs โ a rookie when Baltimore beat Brees for the first time when he was the quarterback of the San Diego Chargers in 2003 โ tried to chalk up that past success to โluckโ on Wednesday, but the future Hall of Fame quarterback has fallen prey to an abundance of defensive standouts from Ray Lewis and Ed Reed to Haloti Ngata and Elvis Dumervil over the years.
Now Brees will meet a deep and unpredictable defense that leads the league in sacks and has allowed only eight touchdowns in six games โ none after halftime.
โTheyโre all over the place, and I think thatโs just something we have to be aware of,โ Brees said in a conference call with Baltimore media. โMaking sure that weโre spot-on with our scheme and what weโre doing, making sure that the ball gets out on time, making sure weโre doing good things in the back end in regards to getting open. But yes, itโs a formidable defense. Itโs a formidable pass rush.โ
โAll over the placeโ is an appropriate description as new defensive coordinator Wink Martindale has employed extensive depth and more pre- and in-snap flexibility to keep opposing offenses guessing as to what the Ravens are doing. Whether disguising coverage and blitzes or even using โamoebaโ looks (see below) with upwards of seven or eight players at the line of scrimmage before the snap, the Ravens have confused quarterbacks, forcing them into mistakes or holding the ball too long as the pass rush gets home.
(Screen shot courtesy of NFL Game Pass)
Of course, the Ravens are unlikely to confuse the veteran Brees to the same degree they baffled Nathan Peterman, Case Keenum, or Marcus Mariota, but their style of play is already the blueprint for trying to slow down a quarterback who processes information quickly and makes plenty of pre-snap adjustments. The concern is Brees and Saints head coach Sean Payton have had an extra week to study the Baltimore defense, adding another layer to an already-intriguing chess match.
โIf he knows what youโre doing or what youโre going to do, youโre going to have a long day,โ said Ravens slot receiver Willie Snead, who spent the last three seasons with the Saints. โI think disguise is going to be huge with the [defense] because they do have a great offense. Drew Brees is one of the best. You guys know that.
โBut I think the way you get him off his game is you have to bring pressure. You have to mix it up, and you have to make sure that he doesnโt know what youโre doing. I think thatโs the biggest thing.โ
Knowing you have to pressure Brees and doing it are two different things as heโs been sacked just eight times in five games this season and has been dropped just 28 times since the start of 2017. The New Orleans offensive line ranks fifth in Pro Football Focusโ most recent rankings with offensive tackles Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk grading particularly well.
The challenge of pressuring Brees is compounded by how quickly he gets rid of the football, another obstacle for rushers trying to come off the edge. According to Next Gen Stats, Breesโ average time to throw of 2.52 seconds from snap to release is tied for second fastest in the league and is 0.04 seconds quicker than Cincinnatiโs Andy Dalton, whose quick throws frustrated the Ravens in a Week 2 loss in which they didnโt record a single sack.
Those variables are why itโs critical for the inside pass rush to get Brees off his spot and keep him out of rhythm. That effort will be led by the surging ZaโDarius Smith, who is coming off a career-best three-sack performance against the Titans. Smith estimated Wednesday that the coverage in the Ravens secondary just needs to give the front โthree to four secondsโ to get after Brees.
Easier said than done, but the Ravens donโt have to try to be something theyโre not, which is good news when playing such an explosive offense. Ultimately, theyโre hoping to give Brees some nightmares of his own while continuing their undefeated streak against one of the best quarterbacks of all time.
โWeโve got to do our best to not let him know what weโre in before the snap because weโre going to be dead if he does know,โ safety Eric Weddle said. โItโs a fun challenge. The great ones always bring out the best in you, and they can bring out the worst in you too. If you make a mistake, itโs a touchdown. Thatโs the pressure you like.โ
Ravens-Saints showdown capable of giving both sides "nightmares"
Luke Jones
Luke Jones is the Ravens and Orioles beat reporter for WNST BaltimorePositive.com and is a PFWA member. His mind is consumed with useless sports knowledge, pro wrestling promos, and movie quotes, but he often forgets where he put his phone. Luke's favorite sports memories include being one of the thousands of kids who waited for Cal Ripken's autograph after Orioles games in the summer of 1995, attending the Super Bowl XXXV victory parade with his dad in the pouring rain, and watching the Terps advance to the Final Four at the Carrier Dome in 2002. Follow him on social media @BaltimoreLuke or email him at Luke@wnst.net.
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