Why are the Ravens conceding so many explosive plays?

Baltimore's pass defense cannot stop busting

When Mike Macdonald left the Ravens for the Seahawks in the offseason, John Harbaugh opted to promote Zach Orr, the team’s inside linebackers coach, to DC. Harbaugh plumped for Orr ahead of others on staff who wound up bailing for coordinator gigs elsewhere: assistant head coach Anthony Weaver joined the Dolphins and defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson moved to the Titans. Between them, the pair had 24 years of experience coaching in the league — and Weaver was fresh off a pair of head coaching interviews.

Replacing the hottest name in defensive coaching with Orr was a gutsy call. Orr had only three years of experience as a coach in the pro ranks and had never coordinated a defense at any level. Unlike Macdonald, Orr had not served an internship with the other Harbaugh brother in college before returning to the big leagues, and plumping for Orr meant losing a support network of coaches who were deemed good enough to coordinate defenses elsewhere.

But Harbaugh has long made bold staffing choices. In Orr, Harbaugh thought the Ravens had something special. He did not want to risk passing over Orr in case he bolted for another DC job.

Midway through the season, the results have been, umm, mixed. Last year, the Ravens shut down passing attacks, finishing second in dropback success rate, but were a little looser against the run, finishing 22nd in the league in rush success rate. That totted up to the second-best defense in the NFL by EPA/play behind only the Browns. This year it’s flipped: the Ravens field the top-ranked run defense in the league by rush success rate, but have been brittle against the pass, dropping to 23rd in dropback success rate. Most alarming of all, they are currently 25th in EPA/play, slipping from the league’s upper tier to the bottom third. 

What gives?