Fearless Ravens’ defense wreaks havoc

BALTIMORE — The scariest part about the Baltimore Ravens‘ defense is that it doesn’t fear anything.



The Ravens aren’t afraid of blitzing on every play. They’re not afraid of sending a safety or a nickelback after the quarterback. They’re not afraid of leaving a cornerback one-on-one with a receiver.



After a couple of years of playing it safe, the Baltimore defense showed a national television audience and its former boss that the Ravens haven’t just dusted off their old, aggressive game plan. They’ve expanded it.



Three defensive touchdowns in the Ravens’ 34-17 victory over the New York Jets at M&T Bank Stadium came as the result of relentless pressure. Past Baltimore defenses prided themselves on leading the NFL in fewest yards given up or setting the record for fewest points allowed.



This Baltimore defense wants turnovers, and wants to turn them into touchdowns. The Ravens’ defense outscored the Jets’ offense 21-3. Actually, Baltimore’s defense outscored its own offense.



So, how great can this defense become?



“We can be special,” Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs said. “It all depends on where we go from here.”



Defenses in Baltimore are defined by championships, which means there is a ways to go before you can rank this group. All you can say is that Baltimore is on the right path.



The Ravens are relentless, and it started with the defense’s first snap. Baltimore safety Ed Reed came unblocked and stripped Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez from the blind side, which led to Jameel McClain‘s 6-yard fumble return for a touchdown.



In the second quarter, defensive tackle Haloti Ngata crashed into Sanchez’s back, forcing the ball loose and leading to a 26-yard fumble return by Jarret Johnson. In the third quarter, Suggs’ pressure caused Sanchez to hurry a throw to the outside, where cornerback Lardarius Webb jumped in front of Santonio Holmes and ran back the interception 73 yards for a touchdown.



“It reminded me of the 2000 and 2006 defenses,” said Jets coach Rex Ryan, who was on the Ravens’ staff for both of those defenses. “They were coming after us.”



This defense, though, accomplished something the defenses in 2000 (which set the NFL record for fewest points) and 2006 (which is the only Ravens defense that finished No. 1 in a season) never did — score three touchdowns in one game. The 2000 team won Super Bowl XXXV.



It didn’t matter that the special teams allowed a 107-yard kickoff return or that quarterback Joe Flacco had an interception returned for a score. What made the Baltimore defense’s effort amazing was how it carried the team.



In 2000, the Ravens’ defense remained strong through a five-game touchdown drought. On Sunday night, the defense didn’t bend despite a 35½-minute drought for Flacco, who didn’t complete a pass in the second or third quarters.



With the Ravens holding a 28-17 lead in the third quarter, Flacco fumbled to give the ball to the Jets at the Baltimore 27-yard line. On the next play, Webb once again showed there was no panic on defense when he delivered his interception return for a touchdown.



“Any defense that can create turnovers and score touchdowns is pretty much unstoppable,” Ngata said.



This is a drastically different look from last season, when the Ravens had a more conservative approach under defensive coordinator Greg Mattison. They didn’t give up many points (third-fewest in the NFL). But they didn’t put much pressure on the quarterback (the 27 sacks were a franchise low).



When Mattison left to become the defensive coordinator at the University of Michigan, Baltimore promoted secondary coach Chuck Pagano, who said the Ravens would “wreak havoc” in his first news conference.



He has lived up to those words, especially against the Jets. According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Ravens blitzed at least one defensive back on 13 of Sanchez’s 38 drop-backs. Only twice this season had a quarterback taken more snaps against blitzing defensive backs (Jay Cutler and Sam Bradford, both in Week 2).



Those blitzes resulted in nearly as many turnovers (two) as completions (three).



“He’s not afraid of anything,” linebacker Ray Lewis said of Pagano.



The real fear must be for quarterbacks when they watch the Ravens’ defense get announced before the game. You get the sense that’s what pitchers must have felt when they went against the Yankees’ Murderers’ Row in 1927. Out of the Ravens’ tunnel comes Ngata. Then Suggs. Then Reed. And of course, Lewis.



What must quarterbacks think when they watch film of the Ravens hammering Sanchez, Ben Roethlisberger and Bradford?



“Get the ball out quick or you’re going to get hit,” Suggs said with a laugh.



But quarterbacks aren’t getting the ball out quickly enough. Last week in St. Louis, Baltimore recorded 11 quarterback hits. On Sunday night, 10 quarterback hits were delivered by seven Ravens players.



The performance was more special because it was against Ryan, the Ravens’ defensive coordinator from 2005 to 2008.



“He created us,” Johnson said. “Now he had to deal with us.”



Baltimore’s defense could become stronger after this week’s bye with the return of two injured cornerbacks, rookie first-round pick Jimmy Smith and veteran Chris Carr.



“I do sense something special with this defense and with this team,” Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh said. “I think there’s a spirit in this team that’s hard to describe and I wish I could put it into words for you. I saw it the first day the guys came back. We’ll see where it takes us.”



Note: Harbaugh handed out game balls to Pagano; O.J. Brigance, the team’s director of player development who celebrated his birthday last week while still battling ALS; and Pat Modell, the wife of former majority owner Art Modell. Pat Modell is seriously ill.