OTL: Defensive Meeting was “Very Vocal”…Will it Matter?

It is time to prepare for the biggest game of the season, bar none. Yes, opening week against the Chiefs was big, but it’s only the first game out of seventeen plus the playoffs. This is the first test this team will have with the Steelers coming up. Pittsburgh, as usual, has found ways to win games in wacky fashion.  Like last week, they benefited from a very questionable spot, then got the Commanders to jump offsides to seal a victory.

The Ravens have been awful against the Steelers in the last eight matchups, of which Pittsburgh has won seven. Yes, there are some caveats to that. It seems like every time they come to Baltimore, they face a team that is either resting starters or banged up. Add in games like last year’s, where they had a million drops and some awful play calling to end the first half, and you get that dismal number. Still, the Ravens have just flat out stunk against their arch rivals, and the only game they won against recently was when Mitch Trubisky threw the game away for the Steelers back in 2022.

In a game like this, we need all hands on deck, and we are getting healthier:

Injury Report: Ravens @ Steelers (Thurssday)

We need Kyle Hamilton in a matchup like this. His presence makes this defense different.

Last week, I went on a tirade, shredding the defense bit by bit. No, I don’t regret anything I said last week, and it seems like the players and DC Zach Orr are as embarrassed about it as we all are.

Orr said he was “crushed” with how defense played Thursday. Took him a couple of days to get over it. Said they had film session Tuesday where players and coaches were very vocal.

— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) November 14, 2024

No, this clearly isn’t enough. We need to see some kind of difference on the field, and actions speak louder than words, but this is a step forward. It’s good to hear that things are getting vocal and heated in the meetings, but now the question is this: can they turn it into something productive? Or will we see finger-pointing and frustration? Here’s hoping for the former, as this defense so far looks like it will hold back a historically good offense from any meaningful postseason success.

One thing I do hope Orr understands is this: Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins are the best corners on the team, and they need to be treated as such:

Nate Wiggins and Marlon Humphrey are both Top 5 in lowest passer rating allowed by CBs this season

3. Wiggins: 51.8
4. Humphrey: 55.6 pic.twitter.com/wk9tfeh85O

— The Ravens Realm (@RealmRavens) November 14, 2024

If it were me, I’d be willing to move Brandon Stephens to a smaller role and make Wiggins a full-time starter. These two have been great and have been the only bright spots in the dark clouded sky of a defense.

We’re all just hoping and praying when the Ravens defense is on the field. We have to hope that whatever was said in that meeting will lead to a renaissance and that they can become a league-average defense because that’s really all the Flock is asking for.

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