Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey was left searching for words after a subtle jab from Pittsburgh Steelers safety DeShon Elliott on the “Punch Line Podcast” on November 13.
The rivalry between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens is famous for its tough, defensive-minded matchups. However, this season’s game may not quite follow that trend.
That’s because Baltimore has faced significant struggles in defending against the pass this season.
During his appearance on the “Punch Line Podcast” with Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey, Steelers safety DeShon Elliott took the opportunity to highlight Baltimore’s defensive woes.
“Defensively, I don’t know what y’all got going on over there. It has nothing to do with me,” Elliott said. “But the stat sheet says that y’all are No. 1 in run defense. But it says, I think, y’all are 32nd in pass defense.”
Elliott’s remark, made just five minutes into the podcast episode, left Humphrey nearly speechless for a few moments.
“Yeah. Honestly, yeah,” Humphrey finally replied, before adding, “That has been quite rough, I would say.”
Elliott’s stats were spot on. The Ravens are allowing just 73 rushing yards per game, the best in the league.
But they also rank dead last in the NFL in pass defense, giving up 294.9 passing yards per game. In fact, the Ravens are allowing 30 more passing yards per game than any other team in the league.
Topic Quickly Shifts After Elliott’s Shocking Stats
Elliott followed up by asking Humphrey about Baltimore’s sack numbers, offering him a chance to explain that the Ravens’ poor pass defense wasn’t just due to their secondary.
Whether Humphrey didn’t want to criticize teammates or simply didn’t feel like answering, the conversation quickly shifted to discussing the Steelers’ upcoming games against Jayden Daniels and Lamar Jackson.
To answer Elliott’s question, the Ravens are getting sacks, with 31 on the season, which ranks just behind the top three teams in the league.
However, they’re still 28th in net yards per pass attempt this season.
The sack numbers might be somewhat misleading, as opponents throw more against the Ravens’ defense than any other team, and Baltimore has yet to have a bye week. With a sack rate of 7.2%, the Ravens are ranked 14th in the league.
Why Are the Ravens So Strong Against the Run But Struggling in Pass Defense?
It’s unusual for a defense to be so dominant against the run but so vulnerable against the pass. Several factors are contributing to Baltimore’s unusual defensive stats.
While the high number of pass attempts has boosted the Ravens’ sack totals, it has also worsened their overall pass defense numbers. Baltimore has faced 22 more pass attempts than any other team in the league.
On the other hand, opponents have only run the ball 216 times against the Ravens, ranking seventh-fewest in the NFL this season.
This discrepancy has helped create the stark contrast between Baltimore’s run and pass defense.
From a percentage standpoint, the Ravens are still far better at stopping the run. Baltimore leads the NFL with just 3.4 yards per carry allowed, but they’re ranked 29th in passing yards allowed per attempt.
While Elliott’s jokes about the Ravens’ pass defense are certainly justified, the Steelers may not be able to exploit that weakness in Week 11. With their run-first offense, Pittsburgh’s strategy might not be the best approach to take down Baltimore.
