Sure, Baltimore Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith said Wednesday, Stefon Diggs presents a difficult task for any defense. The Buffalo Bills star led the NFL in receptions and receiving yards during the regular season, and he often uses his slingshot acceleration or jaw-dropping body control to run routes that leave defenders flailing.
He’s not the only matter of concern for the Ravens’ secondary as it approaches Saturday’s divisional round playoff game against the Bills, though.
As Smith pointed out, Buffalo’s offense features another All-Pro receiver in Cole Beasley, a specialist at finding openings on third downs across the middle of the field. And then there’s John Brown, Smith said, a former Raven with two 1,000-yard seasons on his resume. Rookie Gabriel Davis, who hauled in seven touchdowns this year, was on Smith’s mind, too.
“They have a lot of skill, a lot of speed,” said Smith, a 10th-year veteran. “All of their guys are really good. … It’s going to be a tough challenge for us. We’re a man-to-man team, and we’re going to have to get our hands on these guys and try to slow them down.”
Their success in the face of that challenge, as much as any other, could determine whether the Ravens extend their season beyond Saturday night.
With all that wide receiver talent surrounding ascendent quarterback Josh Allen, Buffalo this season unleashed one of the league’s most explosive passing attacks. Baltimore counters with a deep, accomplished group of cornerbacks that it compiled to combat an offense just like the one it’ll encounter at Bills Stadium.
For years, the Ravens have invested heavily in their cornerbacks. They drafted Marlon Humphrey in the first round in 2017 and signed him to a lucrative extension this year. They traded for Marcus Peters midway through last season and locked him into a contract, too.
Meanwhile, Baltimore has kept Smith on the roster for a decade and selected a cornerback with the first four rounds of the draft every year from 2015 to ’19.
Humphrey and Peters were first-team All-Pros last year. Smith remains a high-caliber cornerback. And Baltimore can turn to a capable young player like Anthony Averett if it needs to put a fourth corner on the field.
“They’ve got guys on the perimeter that can cover and cover at a high level,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said. “They’ve invested a lot of capital — draft capital, salary cap space, trade capital, whatever — in that position. And I thought those guys did a really good job last year against us.”
Indeed, the Ravens’ secondary smothered the Bills in a 24-17 win last season, holding Allen to 146 yards on 17 of 39 passing. But that was before the 6-foot-5, 237-pound quarterback blossomed into one of the NFL’s best players.
Allen, during his third year in the league, married his eye-catching mobility, size and arm strength with pinpoint accuracy. He wound up throwing for 37 touchdowns during the regular season, averaging more than 7.9 yards per pass and claiming a spot on the AFC’s Pro Bowl roster for the first time.
“When you evaluate a quarterback, and he’s not accurate, it’s hard for them to shed that tag,” Ravens defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale said. “And what he’s done in the offseason, and what he’s done this year with [Bills offensive coordinator] Brian [Daboll] and those guys, it’s amazing to see with his accuracy. And it’s accuracy on the move, it’s accuracy in the pocket — everything he’s done, he’s become more accurate with it.
“He’s like, to paint the picture for you all, it’s young Ben Roethlisberger, because of his size and how he extends plays, with, like, [Dan] Marino’s arm.”
Plus, the last time the Ravens played the Bills, Diggs remained a member of the Minnesota Vikings. Buffalo acquired the former University of Maryland standout in an offseason trade and watched the offense soar.
Baltimore built its defensive personnel and designed its playbook with hopes of matching up well against prolific passing games.
Entering the season, cornerbacks owned four of the Ravens’ 13 highest salary cap numbers. And with the team confident its well-paid corners can stick with top-notch wide receivers in single coverage, Martindale feels free to dial up blitzes. He does so more often than any defensive play caller in the NFL.
Allen and the Bills have fared well against pass-rush pressure this season, but the Ravens haven’t shown signs of reeling back their aggression.
Martindale said he liked his reputation as a blitz-heavy defensive coordinator — “You’ve gotta be known for something, don’t you?” he asked — and noted that he pieces together game plans based on well he thinks particular cornerbacks can cover opposing receivers.
“It gets back to that NBA style of matching up people,” Martindale said.
The Bills’ receiving corps and Ravens’ cornerbacks are loaded with stars. The one-on-one matchups between them might dictate how Saturday’s contest plays out.
Peters has missed two practices this week with a back injury, and if he is limited Saturday, Baltimore might lean on Averett or 37-year-old veteran Tramon Williams to play more snaps than usual. Still, Humphrey and Smith supply the secondary with the top of top-notch talent necessary to contend with the Bills’ offense.
Diggs, Beasley Brown and Davis will test whoever’s on the field for Baltimore. And Allen’s ability to shake free from pass rushers and make throws on the run intensifies the difficulties of a cornerback’s job.
“It makes you have to cover longer,” Smith said. “When they extend plays, you have fast guys running all over the field and you have to plaster them for four, five, six seconds.”
That’s not easy to do. But it is a scenario the Ravens envisioned when they constructed their roster.
Via: pennlive.com