For many years, the surest thing about the Ravens has been their defense stopping the run.
When they held opponents to 3.6 yards per carry in 2014, it marked the 19th straight year they finished in the top ten in the league in that statistic. That’s a crazy streak. Only in their inaugural season, back in the Memorial Stadium days, did their rushing defense not rank among the league’s best on a per-carry basis.
When I came across that in the team’s record book, I admit, it surprised me. I thought the run defense had gone through a valley of sorts a few years ago, and indeed, it ranked 20th in the league in yards allowed per game in 2012, the Super Bowl-winning year.