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Ravens Have To Correct 'Explosive Plays' On Defense Says Rich Gannon

Pittsburgh, PA (WJZ)- The first quarter of the NFL season has been a tale of two teams for the Baltimore Ravens.

In Weeks 1 and 2, the Ravens rolled up wins over the Dolphins and Cardinals while scoring 72 points and allowing just 27. Weeks 3 and 4 saw the offense keep up its production, dropping 28 and 25 points against the Chiefs and Browns respectively. But the defense has fallen off a cliff, allowing 33 and 40 points in those games, both losses.

Against the Chiefs, allowing 33 points and over 500 yards is understandable. Kansas City is one of the most potent offenses in the league, thanks to Andy Reid's play calling and quarterback Patrick Mahomes' execution. But, giving up 40 points and 530 yards against the Browns, as the Ravens did this past Sunday, was quite a bit more surprising. And it has some questioning what happened to Don Martindale's group. NFL on CBS analyst Rich Gannon says that, at least in Week 4, assignment discipline was to blame.

"They lacked some discipline last week. Their run fits weren't right, some poor angles in the secondary, and they didn't tackle particularly well, which is very unusual for a Ravens defense," said Gannon. "176 rushing yards and three touchdowns. I can't remember the last time that happened to a Ravens defense."

That assignment discipline will have to improve this week, as the team gets ready for an AFC North battle with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh is coming off of its first win of the season on Monday night against the Cincinnati Bengals, 27-3. The performance was a good one for Mason Rudolph, though 12 of his 24 completions came at or behind the line of scrimmage. Against a Steelers offense that includes tough running back James Conner and Swiss army knife Jaylen Samuels, the Ravens gap discipline becomes more important. Gannon says the players have to avoid trying to do too much, as that is what often ends up in the explosive plays that we have seen sink the Ravens in the last two weeks.

"Sometimes when you get in a situation where you're struggling a little bit, somebody tries to do a little more than they are supposed to," said Gannon. "They jump out of a gap because they think they are going to cover for somebody else, and now, all of a sudden, the back finds a crease back side, where you were supposed to be. Now, a three-yard run turns into a 25-30-yard run. Those are some of the things that, when you watch the film, some of the explosive plays have come from."

Meanwhile, on the offensive side of the ball, the Ravens will go up against a Steelers defense coming off a smothering performance against the Bengals. In addition to giving up just three points, Pittsburgh dropped Bengals QB Andy Dalton eight times on Monday night. The Ravens offensive line has been middle of the pack this season against the pass rush, allowing 10 sacks. And, after a hot start, quarterback Lamar Jackson has cooled off slightly in the last two weeks. Still, Gannon is encouraged by what he has seen from the second-year player so far.

"We have seen improvement. Throwing the ball accurately from the pocket is something we didn't see a lot from him last year," said Gannon. "One thing we need to keep in mind is I think he is still learning how to play at this level. He only has 11 starts under his belt. Everyone is quick to make judgments on players, but I also think he is in a bit of a different system."

"They do some really creative things with him in the RPOs, and they have a good physical back in Mark Ingram," continued Gannon. "This is still a good football team."

There is opportunity to attack the Steelers defense, as long as the offensive line keeps Jackson upright. Pittsburgh has improved the secondary, with the addition of Minkah Fitzpatrick, but they still rank just 19th against the pass according to Football Outsiders' DVOA metric.

Oddsmakers see Baltimore as the favorites, laying three points despite the game being in Pittsburgh. A divisional matchup, this one matters just a bit more, as you don't want to start the season 0-2 in the division.

Kickoff from Heinz Field in Pittsburgh is set for 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time on CBS.

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