OWINGS MILLS, Md. — It may be a new week for the Ravens, but some of the same questions remain, will this defense improve?
During Thursday night's 35-34 win against the Bengals, wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase torched the Ravens' secondary, going for 11 catches, 264 yards, and three touchdowns.
Ravens' Head Coach John Harbaugh spent much of Monday's press conference addressing the pass defense, which he says is a top priority for this team.
"We have to play our coverages better in those situations, especially the deep middle and the intermediate middle part of the field. [Those] are the areas that have been a problem for us. We’re just very inconsistent back there in that sense, and we’re going to be attacking that. That’s probably the one major thing if I was going to be a priority thing on it. Obviously, probably everybody would agree with that," says Harbaugh.
For things to change heading into Week 11, Harbaugh says the team has to be consistent and on point each and every single play.
"It’s one thing to give up nine-yard completions [or] seven-yard completions on checkdowns and low routes and go tackle them. It's another thing to even to hit a sail route or an in-breaking route and tackle it. To not tackle it, or to let it get behind us, those are just things that just are below the line," says Harbaugh.
Now, the Bengals are in the rear view of this year. Up next, the 7-2 Pittsburgh Steelers, who are currently the AFC North leaders. It's a game that could have huge stakes on who wins the division.
"If you want to win the division, you have to win division games, so that’s the deal. [The Steelers] have had a great season. They’ve done a great job against the people they’ve played against, and they’ve found ways to win [in] different kinds of ways. [Their] defense has been very consistent. The pass rush ... Obviously, it starts with the pass rush for them and the run defense. That’s where they start, and then you have to deal with that. Then, obviously, I think their safeties and their corners do a great job of triggering versus the run and getting up there and making tackles, and then, they’re very aggressive in coverage. And you know what? Every year for the last 17 years, that’s what you could say about Pittsburgh’s defense," says Harbaugh.
