Ravens' defense is biggest hurdle in championship hunt

CLEVELAND -- The Baltimore Ravens had victory in their grasp with 1:03 left Sunday when All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton had Jameis Winston's errant pass briefly in his hands. But Hamilton bobbled and then dropped what would have been the game-winning interception, providing the most painful moment in what has been a series of them for the Ravens' defense this year.

One play later, Baltimore lost in familiar fashion when Cleveland Browns wide receiver Cedric Tillman got behind Ravens safety Eddie Jackson for a 38-yard touchdown catch with 0:59 left in the game. The 29-24 loss to the Browns ended a five-game winning streak and extended Baltimore's misery of late-game collapses.

It marked the Ravens' eighth loss when leading inside the final two minutes of the fourth quarter since the start of the 2022 season. That's the most such losses in the NFL over that span.

Near the midway point of the season, Baltimore (5-3) has proved to have a championship-caliber offense and a vulnerable defense. The biggest obstacle to a Super Bowl title is the defense's late-game lapses and the struggles in the secondary.

Asked where the Ravens would be if the defense were playing at a higher level, safety Ar'Darius Washington said: "I mean, we'd probably be undefeated right now."

Washington isn't exaggerating too much. In Baltimore's past two losses -- against the Las Vegas Raiders and Cleveland, who are last in their divisions -- the winning score came in final minute.

"I feel like we work hard," Jackson said. "We come in every week, we work hard in practice, [and] we just have to let it translate to the game. Then again, like I said, we have to make those plays when [the football] comes to us. I had a few of them out there that's got me sick. We just have to come out there and make them. Coach [defensive coordinator Zach Orr] is putting us in that position to make those plays. We just have to get out of this funk that we're in."

Hamilton and middle linebacker Roquan Smith did not speak to reporters after the game. Others tried to explain how Baltimore has gone from a historically dominant defense last season -- becoming the first to lead the NFL in points allowed, sacks and takeaways in a single season -- to one of the worst in 2024.

There were some changes this offseason in free agent losses (pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney, inside linebacker Patrick Queen and safety Geno Stone) and coaching departures (defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald became the Seattle Seahawks' head coach, and two other assistants became defensive coordinators).

Under Orr, who is in his first season as defensive coordinator, the Ravens rank last in pass defense (291.4 yards per game) and are tied for most touchdown passes allowed (17) through eight games. They have given up 40 completions of 15 yards or more, the most in the NFL.

"We're the Ravens. We pride ourselves on defense," defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike said. "Obviously, everybody is referring to how great we were last year and just comparing it to this year; it's just not the same. ... This is a game we should have won, and we didn't, so it's very frustrating."

The struggling defense has been hurt even further by injuries. Baltimore was missing its top two cornerbacks in Sunday's game, with seven-year starter Marlon Humphrey (knee) and rookie first-round cornerback Nate Wiggins (shoulder/illness) inactive. Then the Ravens lost two defensive linemen in the first half, with Brent Urban sustaining a concussion in the first quarter and Michael Pierce suffering a calf injury in the second.

All of this led to Cleveland wide receivers running open over the middle of the field and Winston getting too much time in the pocket. The Ravens became the first defense this season to give up more than 20 points to the Browns.

"I mean it's impossible to really put a metric on [injuries]," Baltimore coach John Harbaugh said. "It's obviously a factor."

The Ravens also benched starting safety Marcus Williams. In seven games, Williams has broken up two passes and has made no interceptions.

It was only two years ago when Williams was the Ravens' top free agent addition, signing a five-year, $70 million deal with $37 million guaranteed.

"I feel very confident Marcus is going to be out there playing great football the rest of the season," Harbaugh said. "I'll just talk about it being an internal type of situation."

With Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, Baltimore can put up the points to win games. But the Ravens can give up points just as quickly.

Baltimore has allowed the most points in the fourth quarter this season (93), a concerning trend that the players feel they can fix.

"We pride ourselves in finishing, and we haven't done that -- especially we didn't do it today -- but it's just going to take work, day in and day out, to excel," Ravens cornerback Brandon Stephens said.