I need to watch some all-22 on the Ravens to get a better idea of what's going on with the Baltimore rush defense, so in the interim some stats:
3.6 yards per carry - 3rd best in the NFL
88.3 yards per game - 4th
24.1 rush attempts/game - 5th
4.7 first downs per game - 5th
8 rushing touchdowns - tied for 5th
37% opponent rush play percentage - 3rd
24% opponent rushing 1st down % - 4th
25.6% opp rushing yards percentage - 2nd
At first glance I would say that running against Baltimore is a whole lot easier said than done. However, I have a few questions.
First, did opponents not run on them in part because it was so much easier to pass against them? Opponents did complete 64% of their passes against the Ravens, and that happened despite their facing average to subpar quarterbacks more often than they faced good QBs.
Also in regards to their opponents, how many teams with decent running games did they face? Baltimore played the Bengals (before Jeremy Hill got any playing time), the Browns twice, Carolina (without Jonathan Stewart or DeAngelo Williams), the Bucs, Falcons, Titans, Saints, Chargers, Jaguars, and then the Steelers without Le'Veon Bell.
In the final game of the regular season, the Cleveland Browns had third stringer Connor Shaw at QB, and no Josh Gordon at WR against the Ravens. Even though it was obvious the Browns weren't going to rely on their passing game, Cleveland's Terrance West ran for 94 yards and averaged 5.2 yards per carry. If the Browns - who had one of the worst running games in the NFL this year, averaging 3.6 yards per carry - could do that against Baltimore in that situation, then is the Ravens' run D really all that it is being hyped up to be?