The Ravens built this defense to win on the back end, and through two games that plan has not held up the way it’s supposed to.
Baltimore’s secondary is meant to be the team’s calling card, the part of the roster that can tilt games and let everything else work off it. Instead, the first two weeks have exposed a group that has been too shaky in coverage and too loose with missed tackles, especially at safety. That was manageable for a stretch against an Colts offense that was limited in scope, but the Saints spent the second half picking the unit apart.
That puts a spotlight squarely on second-year free safety Malaki Starks and free-agent addition Jaylinn Hawkins. Both need to settle in fast, because the schedule is about to turn into a much harder test.
Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott is next, and he’s bringing one of the league’s most pass-heavy attacks, along with two No. 1 receivers and a legitimate move tight end. Add the soft surface in Brazil, and the odds tilt even more toward the offense.
So far, Starks and Hawkins have been far better against the run than they have been in coverage. If that doesn’t change, the Ravens could eventually be forced to slide hybrid defender Kyle Hamilton deeper. That would help the back end, but it would also pull away some of the impact Hamilton gives this defense around the line of scrimmage - and that’s exactly the kind of flexibility Baltimore had in mind when it stockpiled so many defensive backs in the first place.
Rookie head coach Jesse Minter addressed Starks on Monday and didn’t sound alarmed, but he also made clear the unit needs to sharpen up.
“I think, honestly, we are all chasing things a little bit,” Minter said, “and really need to figure out what our identity is on defense, just from what we are trying to do. That is my job - to put the guys in the best position to be successful. So, I have a lot of confidence in the guys that we have.
“Again, take this moment, take this opportunity, ‘OK, how can I do better on this play, this play, this play?’ I have a lot of confidence in Malaki Starks, and so I am confident that he will bounce back and be the type of player that I know he can (be)."
That’s about as close as Minter is likely to get to a public shot across the bow, especially with Starks carrying so much importance for this defense now and going forward.
The numbers tell the story pretty clearly. Through two games, Starks has allowed 7 completions on 8 targets for 88 yards and a touchdown, with a 152.1 rating when targeted.
He’s also given up two completions of 20 yards or more, three first downs and a DPI. Hawkins has been targeted less, but he’s still allowed 5 completions on 6 targets for 73 yards and a 117.4 rating, with two completions of 20-plus yards and three first downs.
The Saints did most of their damage with the safeties in the crosshairs. Tyler Shough, who had success doing just about whatever he wanted against this defense, was especially effective when Baltimore made the safeties a primary part of the coverage picture. He went 8-for-8 for 118 yards and a touchdown in those situations.
A few of the key snaps showed exactly where the problems are showing up:
1st-and-10: Shough steps up in pocket hits rookie TE Oscar Delp +8
3rd-and-5: Starks lets Chris Olave spin away, get outside +12
2nd-and-4: Starks bites outside, doubles WR in corner, Olave +21 TD
2nd-and-G (7): Shot pass to TE Juwan Johnson +6, nearly drags Starks into endzone
3rd-and-7: Shough to WR Devaughn Vele in slot, bracketed, Hawkins hesitant to play ball
3rd-and-13: Shough steps up under pressure, pop pass to Vele +29, big YAC
3rd-and-13: Screen to Johnson, wide open, ramble +25
Baltimore can live with Hawkins being the one tested in some of those spots, since coverage isn’t his strongest trait. But with Starks, the expectation is different. The Ravens drafted him to grow into a difference-maker on the ball, and this needs to become a season of that growth fast.
There is help on the way. All-Pro defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike returning should matter for everyone behind him, and he’s the kind of force that can change how offenses operate.
But the back end still has to clean itself up. The Ravens can’t keep asking their safeties to hold up like this and expect the defense to stay on schedule.
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