OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- What had been a weakness for most of the season has turned into a strength for the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens' pass defense has been the best in the NFL the past seven weeks.
The Ravens have gone from having the league's fourth-worst pass defense in the first nine weeks of the season (283.88 yards passing per game) to one that has given up a league-low 188.4 yards passing per game since Week 10. That's a difference of 95.5 yards per game.
So, what changed?
"We played with a lot more discipline and a lot more effort, and we cleaned up some of our schematics," coach John Harbaugh said. "Sometimes the plane is a little unwieldy, and there are a lot of knobs and controls and things that have to be executed. We created a little more autopilot into the system a little bit -- if that’s an analogy -- and allowed our guys to play faster. We actually asked them and demanded that they play faster and harder, and they played with far more discipline with technique and with assignment."
Some might suggest the opposing quarterbacks weren't as imposing in the second half of the season. The Ravens faced Blake Bortles, Case Keenum, Josh McCown, Ryan Tannehill, Russell Wilson, Alex Smith and Ben Roethlisberger.
Only two of those quarterbacks (Wilson and Smith) rank in the top 10 in passer rating, and only two (Bortles and Tannehill) are in the top 10 in passing yards.
Still, their performance against Roethlisberger in Sunday's 20-17 win was impressive. The Ravens became the first team since 2011 to not allow Roethlisberger to throw a touchdown pass and intercept him twice.
On Nov. 12, defensive coordinator Dean Pees said the Ravens would rank No. 7 in the NFL if you took away six big plays. Since that time, the Ravens have cut down on the big plays and have risen to No. 10 in total defense.
"I told you back then we weren't that bad," Pees said.
Baltimore allowed 15 completions over 30 yards in the first nine weeks of the season, and the Ravens have given up only three such passes the past seven weeks.
Whether the Ravens can maintain this level of success Sunday is up for debate. A.J. Green had three catches of over 30 yards against the Ravens in September, and he's averaged 18.7 yards on 37 catches in his career against Baltimore.
"I’ve played A.J. [Green] plenty of times, and I’ve had my wins; and he has had his," cornerback Jimmy Smith said. "So, we’re going to go out and battle again.”
If the Ravens finish in the top 10, it would mark the 14th time they've done so in their 20-year history.
"Obviously, we’re going to build off of that, and at the same time, we know what we’re capable of," Smith said. "Going forward and next year, we know that at least this is the beginning of what we’re going to try to do next year.”
RISING UP
Where the Ravens' defense ranks in the NFL since Week 10:
Total yards: 291.0 (fourth)
Passing yards: 188.4 (first)
Third downs: 33.3 percent (seventh)