Ravens' Gamble on Their Secondary Is Paying off

In Week 9, the Baltimore Ravens defense gave up six passing touchdowns to Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, a game which became a 43-23 loss for the Ravens. 

Primarily to blame was the Ravens' weak secondary, which without cornerbacks Jimmy Smith and Asa Jackson featured Dominique Franks and Chykie Brown alongside Lardarius Webb. The performances, in which Franks and Brown each gave up a touchdown, led to both players' releases in the days that followed.

The Ravens then revamped their secondary, signing Danny Gorrer, who was recently released from the Detroit Lions, and promoting Tramain Jacobs from the practice squad. It was presumed the duo would start in place of Brown and Franks in Week 10 against the Tennessee Titans, especially when the team announced later in the week that Smith would be undergoing season-ending foot surgery.

Instead, the Ravens had another trick up their sleeve: safety Anthony Levine, who had been with the Ravens since 2012 and played primarily on special teams. Levine was told earlier in the week by defensive backs coach Steve Spagnuolo to "be ready," according to BaltimoreRavens.com's Ryan Mink, though Levine wasn't entirely sure what that meant.

Ultimately, it meant Levine would be converted from safety to corner and would start alongside Gorrer and Webb in Week 10. Levine had only played cornerback for the Ravens once, in the 2014 preseason, and had little on-field experience beyond special teams. It was a gamble, one the Ravens were confident to take, and one that ultimately paid off.

Baltimore's newly minted secondary had a strong performance against the Titans and their quarterback, Zach Mettenberger. Mettenberger completed only 16 of his 27 pass attempts for 179 yards, one first-quarter touchdown and an interception. He was also sacked five times, with the pass-coverage getting an assist on some of those hits.

Levine ended the day with four total tackles and two passes defensed, while Gorrer had two tackles, one pass defensed and an interception in the final minutes of the game, which he returned to the Titans' 2-yard line, sealing the win. 

Player	Tackles	PD	INT	PFF Rank
Gorrer	2	1	1	T-18
Levine	4	2	0	T-4

According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Gorrer and Levine ended the day with the Ravens' best grades in pass defense. Levine was also tied for the fourth-best cornerback performance of the week, while Gorrer ranked 18th out of 73. That's not too bad for a converted safety who has never had a regular-season start and a new addition to the team in their first game playing together.

The Ravens needed to go deep into the well to find a way to boost their thin secondary. They had already been experimenting with another safety, Matt Elam, at nickel cornerback this year because of their lack of depth at the position. However, they managed to succeed at their efforts within a short window of time. 

This adaptability is important once November rolls around. Teams are riddled with injuries this time of year, and those that can adapt quickly and effectively are the ones that can overcome the setbacks and continue to win. The Ravens certainly proved that on Sunday.

This arrangement may not shift even when Jackson comes back from the injured reserve/recall list. Head coach John Harbaugh (again via Mink) said of Levine after the game: "Levine played really good football out there. It's something that we've kind of been watching for a number of weeks and months, I guess. And he gets better every single week. I guess we're not going to call him a safety anymore. He deserves to be called a corner."

Not many teams could completely overhaul their secondary in a week's time and be better for it in the game that followed, but the Ravens were. The switch from Franks and Brown to Levine and Gorrer was, at least against the Titans, a season-saver.

The Ravens are now 6-4 on the year, and though in last place in the AFC North with a 2-3 divisional record, they are still in the playoff hunt. Their overall record is tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers and is just one game shy of first place. The Ravens were clearly aware that without improvement at the cornerback position, their chances of taking that lead would have become increasingly slim.

Baltimore was proactive in their approach to filling this void. They carefully watched Levine's progress this year and rewarded him with a position change and a promotion. They acted quickly when the Lions released Gorrer, who had spent time with the Ravens in 2011. 

Team	Record	Div. Record
Cleveland Browns	6-3	2-2
Cincinnati Bengals	5-3-1	2-1
Pittsburgh Steelers	6-4	2-2
Baltimore Ravens	6-4	2-3

Instead of sitting back and hoping that Franks and Brown could bounce back from their struggles in Week 9, the Ravens instead exhibited a rare case of impatience, and it paid off. Though the Ravens still lack depth at cornerback, they do have more talent at the position than they did a week ago. 

What the Ravens did to their secondary over the past seven days cannot be recommended for every team 10 weeks into the season. And it's certainly not the situation the Ravens imagined they'd be in. But the Ravens managed to take a big risk and have it pay off considerably.

There should be no worries about Baltimore's cornerback situation heading into the bye week—at least that's something the Ravens certainly had in mind for themselves at this point in the year, even if they took an unconventional path to get there.