If the Ravens were facing Zay Flowers in some parallel universe, and he was lining up in the slot, which of Baltimore’s defensive backs do you think would draw the coverage responsibility?
Who would share enough commonality in terms of build and twitch and leverage to be able to hang with a jitterbug like that, or attempt try to hang with a jitterbug like that, where he has a two-way go and the entire middle of the field to work? Most likely, that would be rookie nickel corner Chandler Rivers. And while Cleveland’s rookie wideout KC Concepcion is not at the level of Flowers, Browns head coach Todd Monken, former Ravens offensive coordinator, is using him inn] a very similar way and Cleveland’s diverse passing attack is stacked in ways that present Baltimore’s sagging secondary potentially serious problems.
Monken will come at Baltimore with vigor – the Ravens are bracing for as much – and they will be throwing the ball quite a bit and there will likely be multiple match-ups that decide this game on this side of the ball. But it stands to reason that Rivers, a fifth-round pick, and Concepcion, who was selected 24th overall, will see quite a bit of one another and while Rivers has done some very nice things as a rookie and has great instincts reading screens and wrapping up when the play is in front of, like the rest of this allegedly-elite secondary, he has been picked up in coverage in recent weeks and it’s a major issue for this team across the board.
The Ravens tackling in the secondary has suffered and the Browns defense is heavily reliant on yards after the catch (8th in the NFL in YAC/reception) and Concepcion is someone with the athletic skillset to burn you just that way.
“You have to take great angles,” Ravens coach Jesse Minter said of the challenge. “You have to be super detailed when you're tackling these guys in the open field — attacking the right hip with the right leverage, knowing where your help is.
“You're never out there by yourself, and so it's knowing, if he does cut back or you miss it, where's your help, and where are those things at? It's a detail game in open-field tackling. They do a great job with the ball after the catch … Good group of skill players that can make plays, and a challenge we're excited about."
Slot Slump
The Ravens corners have been bad in coverage against mostly marginal quarterbacks to this point, as we have been documenting. Ravens corners and free safeties in coverage:
Opposing QBs: 70/100 (70%), 836 yards (11.9/comp), 5 TDs – 0 INTs, 111.9 rating
13 passes 20+, 41 1st downs, 3 DPI, 4 pass breakups
Yeah, that sucks. But it gets even worse when you drill down on what happens in coverage on targets who come from the slot:
Opposing QBs: 37/50 (74%, 24th in NFL), 9.1 yds/att (23rd), 3 TD – 0 INT, 121.8 rating (25th).
Concepcion is in the slot on 60% of his snaps, far and away most on the Browns.
He does the most damage from the slot. And overall, he sees 20% of the team’s targets, tied with fellow rookie Denzel Boston, with elite move tight Harold Fannin at 18% (running back Quinshon Judkins is next at 14%). The Ravens don’t usually move corners around with someone, but could bring top outside corner Nate Wiggins into the slot for Concepcion. However, that might create bigger problems on the outside, and Minter has been very reticent to use veteran Chidobe Awuzie out there and probably for good reason.
“We don’t necessarily have to travel to people,” defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver noted on Thursday in discussing this difficult match-up for his secondary.
Rivers is playing quite a bit, he is a quintessential slot guy, and in the last three weeks he’s allowed nine catches on 11 targets for 120 yards and touchdown. Gulp.
No. 1 Problem
The Ravens also have struggled to defend No. 1 wide receivers all season and when they did face one team that had two real wideouts who could win – Dallas – both got off on this defense. The return of top pass rusher Trey Hendrickson from a finger injury should add juice to the pass rush, but the Ravens are going to keep hearing questions about receivers getting over on them until they do something about it.
“We’ve had our good days and our bad days,” Weaver suggested, which is whimsical and all but not quite true. And Monken is uniquely qualified to spot their underbelly and knows most of these players quite well and we suspect Rivers will be in his sights.
Since Week 2, here is what quality receivers have done to this defense:
Drake London (ATL): 7/11, 118 yards, 7 1st D
Carnell Tate (TEN): 9/12, 145 yds, 6 1st D
CeeDee Lamb (DAL): 7/8, 112 yds 5 1st D
George Pickens (DAL): 7/11, 82 yds, 4 1st D
Chris Olave (NO): 8/10, 86 yds, TD, 6 1st D
The Browns are very aware. Monken knows.
“They have some guys that can stretch the field and do some things in short areas,” corner Marlon Humphrey said of the Browns. “They have a lot of talent over there, and it will be all -hands-on-deck to try to kind of contain the offense."
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