Lack of Sacks May Sack a Season

When the Ravens hired Pass Rush Coach Chuck Smith in 2023, many viewed it as a big plus for Mike Macdonald’s defense. And early on, the results suggested that the move was a great addition to the staff.

In 2023 the Ravens led the league in sacks with 60. In 2024, they finished second with 54 sacks. This season…

NINETEEN. SACKS.

Myles Garrett has more sacks (20) than the entire Ravens team.

During the last 8 games since Odafe Oweh was traded, the Ravens have posted 11 sacks, three of them registered in the November 16 game in Cleveland against rookie QBs Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. At the time of his trade, Oweh had zero sacks this season in Baltimore. Since moving on to LA, Oweh has 5 sacks in 8 games.

So why has the sack production for the Ravens fallen off a cliff while Oweh’s totals are now back on track with his 10-sack pace from 2024?

Is it scheme? Is it coaching? Is it the complementary personnel across the defensive front?

All the above?

When the Ravens named Zach Orr defensive coordinator in 2024, it was a bit of a surprise. Departing DC Mike Macdonald spoke highly of Orr and there were reports that he might take him along to Seattle to be Macdonald’s DC with the Seahawks. Perhaps concerned about the loss of Macdonald, Orr, Anthony Weaver and Dennard Wilson, John Harbaugh decided to name Orr his DC.

What Harbaugh promoted was a DC on training wheels.

Unfortunately, those wheels are still attached.

No one dislikes Zach Orr. Everyone wants him to succeed. But just as Johns Hopkins Hospital wouldn’t hire a pre-med student to be their Chief-of-Surgery, Harbaugh shouldn’t have elevated Orr so quickly, particularly without the help of another assistant or even a defensive-oriented head coach who might be able to guide him along. Surely Harbaugh isn’t capable of that!

So, they brought back Dean Pees in 2024 to provide some help. They hired Chuck Pagano in 2025. Look, if you need a babysitter for your DC, you probably hired the wrong guy.

Orr would have been better off going with Macdonald and Harbaugh would have been better off with Weaver or Wilson. But it’s water under the bridge. The damage is done. The Ravens have the 25th-ranked defense overall and the 26th-ranked pass defense. Last year the Ravens had the 10th-ranked defense overall and the 31st-ranked pass defense. In 2023 despite a very slow start, the Ravens ranked 6th overall and 6th against the pass. But since then, for some reason, the team refuses to invest in pass rushers. Maybe they thought that Kyle Van Noy would evade Father Time. Maybe they thought the light had come on for Oweh in 2024.

Well, not this year at The Bank!

Maybe Chuck Smith isn’t the pass rush whisperer that some believed him to be.

Hey, but if you listen to the players, it’s all starting to click. They are almost there.

Trouble is, so too is the end of the 2025 season.

[Related Article: The Curious Case of Lamar Jackson]

The post Lack of Sacks May Sack a Season appeared first on Russell Street Report.

Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2025/12/10/cup-of-joe/sacks-are-few-and-far-between/