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Jamison Hensley
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Pro Bowl safety Kyle Hamilton defended Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr on Thursday, saying “the sky’s not falling” three games into the season.
“It’s unfair to put all the blame on him when there’s 11 guys out there on the field that are playing their hearts off and he’s put us in the right positions,” Hamilton said. “It’s just a matter of us doing the right stuff. And that’s where I feel like the critiques of Zach or whatever coaches are unfair because he can’t go out there and play for us as much as he wants to. He can’t. So, it’s up to us to go out and get the job done. So, it’s not a Zach thing.”
The Ravens defense currently ranks last in the NFL for the first time in four years. Baltimore is in the bottom three in total yards allowed (32nd), run defense (30th), pass defense (31st) and points allowed (31st).
This is far from the standard for the Ravens, who are known for Hall of Fame defenders like Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. Baltimore has finished outside the top 10 defensively eight times in the Ravens’ 29-year history.
“I feel like sometimes Ravens fans can be a little spoiled, just like the amount of success that this franchise has had,” Hamilton said. “We lose five games [in 2024] and the world is about to end.”
Orr said he isn’t on any social media.
“If you listen to that, and you pay attention to that, it can definitely affect you with your job and just in your regular life,” Orr said. “So, I just block out the noise, man. I am focusing on football. That’s what we talk about here and just focusing on getting better.”
Orr, who is in his second year as the Ravens defensive coordinator, faced a similar rough start last season. In the first 10 weeks of 2024, Baltimore allowed 25.3 points per game, which ranked 25th in the NFL. In the final eight weeks of that season, the Ravens held teams to 15.4 points per game, which was the best in the league over that span.
“Unfortunately, it’s hit us again in this aspect, but what are we going to do about it?” Orr said. “You can either sulk and let it get you down and lay in it, or you [can] get up, pick yourself up and figure it out. The group of people we have in this organization and the group people we have in that defensive room — we’re going to figure it out.”
Coming off Monday night’s 38-30 loss to the Detroit LionsHamilton said Orr has not pointed the finger at anyone.
“I think having a leader like that, you gain respect,” Hamilton said. “We’ve been through the fire last year and we’re going through it right now. I feel like ZO has said the same thing. We’re 1-2 and not where we want to be, but it’s a long year and it’s 14 more games. Hopefully we’re looking back on our 1-2 start and saying, ‘I can’t believe everybody’s making such a big deal about it.'”
The Ravens defense has taken the brunt of the blame for Baltimore’s 1-2 start. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense ranks first in scoring, averaging 37 points per game.
But Baltimore has faced two of the best offenses in the league this month in the Buffalo Bills and Lions, both of whom are among the top three in total yards. Over the next three weeks before their bye, the Ravens face the Kansas City Chiefs (17th), Houston Texans (29th) and Los Angeles Rams (fifth).
“We got to prove ourselves every week in this league and didn’t do a good job last week. But we got another week and it’s a big game and a big opportunity for us,” Hamilton said of Sunday’s game against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. “So, sky’s not falling. We’ll be all right.”
