Trey Hendrickson didn’t put a sack on the stat sheet in his Ravens debut, but he still left his mark all over Baltimore’s 41-23 Week 1 win over the Colts.
The edge rusher was constantly working the outside shoulder, forcing problems for Daniel Jones and the Indianapolis offensive line and showing up snap after snap in a way the Ravens haven’t gotten from many pass rushers in a long time. He wasn’t overwhelming in the purest sense, but he was there, and he lingered. That mattered.
Hendrickson finished with five pressures and five hurries, and his presence opened things up for the rest of the front. Tavius Robinson took advantage with four pressures and four quarterback hits, while hybrid safety Kyle Hamilton also got involved as a blitzer.
“Just really my teammates,” Robinson said after the game about his breakout performance, “and the fact we talked about it all week and the way we worked all week. Just the way we play off each other. I give credit to my coaches and my teammates.”
Baltimore knew exactly what Hendrickson could do, too. Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, Hendrickson’s longtime coordinator from their Super Bowl run together in Cincinnati, was on the other sideline. That familiarity didn’t make the task any easier for Indianapolis.
The Ravens also leaned into their comfort on defense because of Hendrickson’s impact. Defensive coordinator Zach Orr was able to use nickel as his base and spend plenty of time in dime, while only using 3-4 on two snaps. Even without All Pro defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike, who is still recovering from neck surgery but getting close, Baltimore was able to keep pressure coming.
As a team, the Ravens finished with 17 pressures. Orr blitzed on just 29% of snaps, though he did send Hamilton seven times, tying the second-most blitzes of his career. Hamilton came away with two pressures and a QB hit and hurry.
The structure also stayed true to what Orr wants to be: lots of dime, lots of zone, with zone coverage on 77% of snaps. But that kind of defense only works if the front can win on its own, and Hendrickson helped make that possible.
Jones, returning for his first game after Achilles repair, had a strong opening drive and then faded. After that, he never really settled in, and the Ravens made him a non factor on bootlegs and other misdirection plays outside the pocket. His health may have played a role, but Baltimore’s edge work did too.
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