Ravens defense crowned best of the past decade by ESPN
The worldwide leader in sports known commonly as ESPN published an article on Monday composed of the best and worst from the past decade and as expected, the New England Patriots were heavily featured but so were the Baltimore Ravens for doing what they do best. The piece detailed the best and worst teams, free agent signings, head coaches, fantasy players, offense and defense as well as the best game, player, and worst call of the past 10 years in the NFL.
While some might have thought that the Seattle Seahawks’ Legion of Boom would’ve made an appearance on this list in the best defense slot but their reign from about 2012-2015 was short-lived compared to the Ravens’ high level of consistent dominant play on that side of the balls as they carried on the rich tradition of strong defense from one generation to the next. They finished first in defensive efficiency (59.4), third in points per game (19.7), and second in yards per game (322.6).
“Baltimore barricaded the end zone for offenses over the past 10 seasons, seven times finishing in the top 10 in fewest points allowed, including four years among the top three,” ESPN’s Jamison Hensley wrote. “At the start of the decade, the Ravens’ defense dominated with two future Hall of Famers in Ray Lewis and Ed Reed and 2011 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Terrell Suggs. By the close of it, Baltimore was turning turnovers into touchdowns with Eric Weddle, C.J. Mosley, and Marlon Humphrey. The Ravens finished this decade with the highest-scoring offense behind quarterback Lamar Jackson, but their identity over the past 10 years remained on the defensive side of the ball.”
Playing great defense has been embedded in the DNA of the Ravens’ franchise and those stout units have been the backbone of nearly every team in its quarter-century history. They were able to capture the first championship in franchise history with a dominant rushing attack and a historic season from their defense led by Hall of Fame middle linebacker and Ravens’ legend Ray Lewis.
Over the course of the last decade, the defense has remained the foundation on which the team was built and thrived on. The Ravens ranked outside of the top 10 in total team defense just three times, one of which was the 2015 season that was marred with injuries, finished in the top five three times and occupied the top spot in 2018.
They were the stingiest when it came to stopping teams from establishing the run and scoring in the red zone which is a big reason for their postseason success in the first half of the decade. Late in the year when the weather got cold and teams wanted to keep the ball on the ground, the Ravens made it tough sledding and when the stakes got high and the opposing team needed to score points, they would not yield many.
If only they had an offensive like the one they had this past season or like the one, they plan on having this upcoming season or at least have generational talent at the most important position like the one they have at the helm now during some of those truly dominant years, they might have won more than just one Superbowl this past decade.
Even though the names and faces have changed over the years and the Ravens finished as the most dominant offense last season led by quarterback and league MVP Lamar Jackson, they are always expected to field one of the league’s best defenses. Heading into the next decade they are set up pretty nice to get off to another strong start with acquisitions of veteran defensive linemen Calais Campbell and Derek Wolfe and rookie inside linebackers Patrick Queen and Malik Harrison. They’ll also be returning a loaded secondary with a pair of All-Pros on the perimeter (Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey) and will have one of the most aggressive and brilliant defensive minds calling the shots in coordinator Don ‘Wink’ Martindale.
