The Baltimore Ravens finished 2018 at the top of the AFC North, but their defensive worries didn't see them progress past the Wild Card round. However, head coach John Harbaugh is not overly worried about his team's defensive capabilities this coming season.
Some may look at the team's disappointing 23-17 exit against the Los Angeles Chargers, but the numbers they put up through the regular season suggests otherwise.
Harbaugh is confident that his players on the defensive end can fight toe-to-toe with the best offenses the NFL can offer. Of course, he's not dismissing the points of improvement his team can undergo.
Via Jeff Zrebiec in The Athletic:
“I’m certainly not as worried as you all are,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said before Wednesday’s practice when he was asked about the pass rush. “What little I read, it’s all I read about. So, I appreciate your concerns. We’ll see what happens.”
“I think you have plenty of them still in there, too,” (defensive coordinator Don “Wink”) Martindale said when asked about the defensive leaders during the preseason. “You guys just don’t know them, yet. There are guys who will step up. For those leaders that are stepping up, the productivity has to follow them, because that’s who gets listened to the most, the guys who are the most productive out there on the field.”
The rest of the AFC North is looking sharper before Week 1. The Pittsburgh Steelers are still dangerous with Big Ben leading the charge. The Cleveland Browns added a lot of quality over the offseason. The Cincinnati Bengals are quietly adding talent to the team. However, the Ravens are still the team to beat.
Baltimore topped the AFC North with a conference-high 6.4 defensive SRS. Moreover, Harbaugh has talented players such as Lamar Jackson, Mark Ingram, and Willie Snead on offense.
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