The Ravens Defense Kept the Seahawks Guessing

The Ravens defense put on another stellar performance against a good offense in Week 9, this time holding the Seahawks to just 3 points and 151 total yards.

As with any good defense, it’s a combination of factors that have been leading to their success this season. But the defining trait of this group, led by defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, is that they rarely give a clean picture to the offense.

That means the quarterback, receivers, and the protection can’t trust what they’re seeing pre-snap. This is particularly the case on 3rd down, which is when every defensive coordinator dials up their most clever disguises. On Sunday, the Ravens were able to hold the Seahawks to just 1 conversion on 12 third-down attempts.

Here’s just one example with Seattle facing a 3rd-and-11 in the 1st quarter. First, let’s focus on the pressure. Baltimore aligned in a “tilted” front with 3 D-linemen to one side of the center. They also dropped down linebacker Roquan Smith over the right guard:

This would dictate the protection. The Seahawks would slide left from the center to the left tackle. The right guard and right tackle would handle Smith and the 4th D-lineman: