Lamar Jackson on Ravens D: ‘I believe our defense has no weakness’

Perched atop the arduous AFC North, the Baltimore Ravens are soaring right now.

Winners of four straight, including blowouts of NFC stalwarts the Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks, the Ravens are starting to get their due.

Is their defense getting the flowers it deserves, though? It is from Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, at least, who views the squad as a peerless unit.

Not trying to toot our own horn, but I believe our defense has no weakness,” Jackson said Wednesday, via team transcript, when asked how practicing against the Ravens defense makes him better. “Just from the defensive line, the linebackers, the secondary, how they’re flying around and disguising defenses — making it look like one coverage, but it’s something else — and how they time up their blitzes, it helps us out a lot, because when we’re playing other teams, they’re flying around and giving us their best shot. It’s like we’re seeing one of the best defenses every day.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen concurred with Jackson’s sentiments on the defense.

“I definitely agree,” Queen said. “If we all lock in and do what we’re capable of each play, lock in, communicate, play as hard as we can and have the best technique we can, there shouldn’t be anybody that should be able to stop us. The only people that can stop us is us.”

As referenced by Jackson, Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald’s ability to disguise schemes and put the opposition at unease has been stellar. Baltimore’s defense is first in points per game allowed, second in total yards per game allowed, second in passing YPG allowed, first in sacks per game and first in opposing QB rating.

“I feel like we are getting more respect, but I feel that it’s still not the respect that we want,” Queen said. “Honestly, we haven’t accomplished the things that we want to accomplish yet, so I feel like there is a lot of respect out there to still be taken.”