By james art 
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After the lackluster performance in Cleveland, the Ravens defense clearly needed an edge.
With the NFL trade deadline days away, outsiders (myself included) have spent the week searching for what Baltimore’s front office needs to add to the roster. But all the while, the defense is thinking hard about how it can grow from within.
At the team hotel on Saturday night, the defense gathered to discuss how to get the offense back. In a meeting led by Roquan Smith, the players decided that not only would they finally get one of those interceptions they’d been missing, but that they would celebrate breaking the cold streak in the end zone.
The defense needed just two snaps before Ar’Darius Washington wrapped his arms around a deflected pass. As planned, the unit ran to the end zone. For sophomore defensive end Trenton Simpson, it was a sign.
“I’d just say we had a blast today,” he said. “Everyone was celebrating. You saw when Ar’Darius got the interception, everyone was excited. So it was a team win and, as a defense, I feel like everybody just comes together and gets excited for each other, which allows it to be more contagious.”
The Ravens’ best path to improving a subpar pass defense is still trading for help before Tuesday’s deadline. But Baltimore’s defense isn’t waiting for reinforcements. His performance Sunday in a 41-10 win over Denver was far from perfect, but it was undeniably a step forward as the Ravens finished with four sacks, seven passes defensed and one interception while demolishing rookie Bo Nix.
The improvement was marked internally. A week after a pass rush led to next to nothing against Cleveland’s Jameis Winston, sophomore Tavius Robinson earned two sacks. Simpson had a strong game in pass coverage and got his sack of the Knicks in the fourth quarter as the Broncos neared the end zone.
As a unit, the Ravens showed impressive resilience, posting four fourth-down stops and not allowing a touchdown on three of Denver’s four red-zone possessions. The Broncos didn’t score in the second half, even in garbage time.
“That’s the mentality we play with,” Robinson said. “We never want to let them run the ball in the end zone. So if we have a yard, we’ll do everything we can to stop them at that point.
Maybe playing a rookie quarterback on a rebuilding Denver team is not i feel as a major accomplishment for a defense that still had shaky moments. In the second quarter, the Knicks made plays highlighted by a pass completion to Marcus Williams in close coverage.
On a key conversion, Smith was nearly knocked out of his cleats by a Knicks pump fake in motion. Smith hasn’t been close to his All-Pro level this season, and he admitted how ugly that particular moment was for him after the game.
“It’s tough, but at the end of the day I watch film and I’ve seen him do it on film,” Smith said. “So this is a terrible mistake on my part and I should never have done it.”
Part of the Ravens’ problems stem from Smith, Williams and others not fitting into the roles they carved out in past seasons, not to mention the contracts they signed in past offseasons. The defense needs them to step up in order to reach greater heights.
On the other hand, big games from Simpson and Robinson help paint a vision of what this defense could be.
Simpson hasn’t played nearly as many snaps as Smith this year, but Pro Football Focus graded him as a better “backer” in coverage. Taking on the huge shoes of Patrick Quinn, he had to grow up.
“I think it means a lot, just the commitment to myself, to my teammates to study more film, ask questions and just come in every day attacking the day and being a true professional and practicing the right way,” he said. “Being more focused, learning more on my own and just going out and being relentless and giving it everything I’ve got.”
Likewise, Robinson was one of Baltimore’s best edge defenders, but he hadn’t considered the pass rush well before Sunday’s game. In a game where the Ravens got better at the Knicks’ pressure as the afternoon went on, coach John Harbaugh called Robinson’s second sack “huge” for the defense.
Whoever Baltimore adds at the deadline, chances are there isn’t a miracle solution to his problems. Simpson and Robinson are the spearhead of young players who must step up if the Ravens are to reach their potential.
Sunday’s game offered a glimpse of that. Smith was particularly effusive when talking about Simpson, who he said was “very proud” of how far he’s come.
“I know he’s been busting his ass day in and day out, so I know he’s just going to keep getting better,” Smith said. “And as he continues to improve, as a defense we will continue to improve as well.”