Did the Ravens defense finally turn a corner against Steelers?

Their much-maligned unit might be on the verge of a long-awaited turnaround.

What made the Baltimore Ravens Week 11 loss almost as frustrating as extending the losing streak to Pittsburgh Steelers to four in a row and eight of the last nine was that in doing so, they squandered what was arguably the best performance by their defense of the entire season.

The Ravens entered the game giving up an average of nearly 300 passing yards per game and were regularly getting carved up through the air by elite and back-up level quarterbacks alike. Their inability to play a full four quarters of stout defense and maintain a sizeable margin of victory took some of the shine off several of the team’s more impressive triumphs including their season series-clinching win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 10.

During their mini-bye week following that big win on Thursday Night Football, the Ravens went back to the drawing board on defense and what they came up with yielded the result many believed or at least held out hope they would eventually achieve on that side of the ball.

They held a Steelers offense that had been averaging 28 points and 230.3 passing yards per game since Russell Wilson was inserted as the starting quarterback to just 181 net passing yards on 36 attempts after recording four sacks. Pittsburgh was kept out of the end zone entirely and forced to settle for six field goals despite making four trips to the red zone.

Even though the Steelers tied for the second-most rushing yards recorded against the Ravens’ top-ranked run defense with 122, it took them 34 attempts to reach that figure and averaged just 3.6 yards per carry. While some fans will lament over the last short-yardage conversion they gave up to seal their demise, there were numerous situations throughout the game where Baltimore denied Pittsburgh from gaining a single yard to force a punt, field goal attempt and a turnover on downs.

The Ravens’ pass rush continued to show tremendous signs of improvement as well when it comes to not just recording sacks with their third straight game of three or more and five-plus quarterback hits. Against the Denver Broncos in Week 9, it was Tavius Robinson with two sacks and four quarterback hits. Last week against the Bengals, it was Nnamdi Madubuike with three sacks and three quarterback hits. On Sunday against the Steelers, it was Odafe Oweh with 2.5 sacks and four quarterback hits. Baltimore is now tied for the third-most sacks in the league with 35 and has five players with two or more.

For the first time since the Ravens’ lopsided Week 4 win over the Buffalo Bills, the front seven and secondary were working in harmonious accord as the pass rush and coverage should to get off the field, generate turnovers and reduce the chance of giving up big plays in the passing game. The Steelers were held to 4-of-16 on third down, 0-of-1 on fourth down and only had two plays of 20-plus yards that weren’t the result of a short completion that resulted in a lengthy catch and run.

There wasn’t an abundance of blown coverages, missed assignments or miscommunication between the second and third level as has been the case for the majority of the season, especially in all three of the Ravens’ previous losses and all but one of their victories.

After weeks of looking for answers, they appear to have finally found a formula that works. It required relegating one of the highest-paid players on the team and at his position in the league to the bench as an emergency backup while giving an unheralded player from humble beginnings a well-deserved and long-awaited opportunity.

Replacing veteran free safety Marcus Williams in the starting lineup next to All Pro Kyle Hamilton in the backend against the Steelers was fourth-year pro Ar’Darius Washington. After originally making the team as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2021, injuries had prevented him from seizing a larger and consistent role on defense but now that he is healthy and proven he can be relied upon to not only make plays but communicate, Washington time to shine has finally come and he is taking full advantage of it.

“We’re trying to attack some issues we had in the back end, as everybody knows. I thought they played well back there,” head coach John Harbaugh said Monday. “Those guys did a good job. Ar’Darius had earned that opportunity and had earned that chance by the way he practiced and also by the way he played when he was in there during the course of the season. We put Kyle back there as well. I thought he played very well back there. He did a great job communicating. They both did.”

Washington played 100% of the team’s total defensive snaps for the first time in his career and finished second on the team with a single-game career high of 11 total tackles including six solos and one for a loss. Where his predecessor, Williams, was far too often the main culprit at fault for many of the Ravens’ blown coverages and miscommunication, Washington helped bring a level of soundness and stability the unit hasn’t seen since last season when they finished as the best in the league.

Another key part of the new secondary formula that worked so well in Pittsburgh and should inspire confidence in the unit’s ability to continue turning a corner is in the playing time distribution at perimeter cornerback. Fourth-year pro Brandon Stephens has been amongst the most targeted players at the position in the league. He is consistently on the wrong end of big plays despite being on tight coverage and played a season-low 77% of the team’s total defensive snaps.

Meanwhile, the playing time for first-round rookie Nate Wiggins played his second-most snaps on defense and veteran newcomer Tre’Davius White split time with Stephens at the right corner spot. White is a two-time Pro Bowler and former First Team All Pro and played exceptionally well in his debut as a Raven since being acquired at the midseason trade deadline. He only gave up two catches for 15 yards on 14 coverage snaps whereas Stephens allowed 7-of-9 targets for 78 yards including a long of 37 on 36 coverage snaps.

White impressed in a particular aspect of coverage where Stephens has struggled the most, getting his head around and making plays on the ball down the field. White broke up a pair of intended for Steelers wide receiver George Pickens in the end zone on plays that could’ve resulted in touchdowns had he not played them right.

“I thought ‘Tre’ had a really good game, has worked really hard to pick up the defense, and [there] are still a few things he can learn like all of our guys are still learning things; we all are,” Harbaugh said. “I thought he played well, and he’s a nice piece for us back there; a great addition. I’m looking forward to his continuing role and his expanding role.”

Before leaving Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury, two-time Pro Bowl inside linebacker Roquan Smith was having his best all-around outing of the year. He finished as the Ravens leading tackler with 13 including a season-high two for a loss and as soon as he left the field, the Steelers immediately started having more success throwing over the middle. Smith was the team’s highest-graded player according to Pro Football Focus with an overall of 83.8. As long as his injury doesn’t linger, he should continue ascending and benefiting from the personnel adjustments the coaching staff made at the third level.