Baltimore Ravens take giant leap on defense in push for AFC North title
BALTIMORE -- The improvement of the Baltimore Ravens' defense is one of the reasons they are on the verge of a second-straight AFC North title.
Entering Saturday's 4:30 p.m. game against Cleveland at M&T Bank Stadium, the Ravens haven't allowed more than 14 points in the past three games.
The Ravens are 13th in the league in total defense. They have 15 takeaways, including five fumble recoveries and 10 interceptions.
However, they are second in the NFL with 52 sacks, led by Kyle Van Noy's 11.5 sacks.
On Christmas Day, the Ravens allowed Houston to score only a safety in their 31-2 win.
But in that game, Ar'Darius Washington landed a huge hit on Houston running back Joe Mixon for a big fourth down stop on the 1-yard-line.
Defensive coordinator Zach Orr celebrated so hard that he crashed into the ground after leaping into Washington.
"I didn't even know it honestly happened until after the game, and my mom, showed me," Orr said. "She was like, 'Boy you [are] crazy. Look what's going on.' I was like, 'I was just so amped up.' I fell pretty hard, though, I'm not going to lie. I fell pretty hard, so I was a little worried at first [for a] couple days like, I hope I didn't hurt anything too serious. It was definitely was [an] awkward landing for sure."
Game preparations
The Ravens held practice indoors on Wednesday because of 40 mph wind gusts.
The game-time temperature on Saturday is expected to be in the low 30s, and even colder by the end.
The Ravens (11-5) need to win or have the Pittsburgh Steelers lose on Saturday to clinch the division title. Cleveland (3-13) is likely to play backup quarterbacks Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Baily Zappe, as it battles for draft positioning.
Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson has 3,955 passing yards with 39 touchdowns and four interceptions this season, while gaining 852 rushing yards. Derrick Henry has 1,783 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns.
