As Kyle Hamilton Has Emerged, So Has Ravens Defense

ESPN’s NFL Nation reporters each identified one person or aspect of the team they cover that is underachieving this season. Not surprisingly, for the Ravens it’s the deep passing game.

“Lamar Jackson has struggled to stretch the field, connecting on just 24.2% of his passes (8-of-23) that have traveled at least 20 yards in the air. That’s the second-worst completion rate in the NFL (ahead of only Zach Wilson),” ESPN’s Jamison Hensley wrote. “Defenses are going to stack the box against the Ravens until Jackson can make them pay for doing so.”

After the Ravens traded Marquise Brown this offseason, Rashod Bateman was being counted on to fill the void and stretch the field, but the second-year wide receiver played in just six games before going on injured reserve with a season-ending foot injury.

Devin Duvernay got off to a good start this season, catching three touchdown passes over his first two games and gaining 226 receiving yards over his first five games. However, he has just two catches on two targets for eight yards in his past two games. Head Coach John Harbaugh acknowledged earlier this week that the team needs to get Duvernay the ball more often.

Perhaps DeSean Jackson will be able give the deep passing game a boost when he’s healthy. The veteran wide receiver suffered a hamstring injury in his Ravens debut in Week 9 and did not play this past Sunday. Harbaugh said Jackson is “going to be back hopefully this week.”

Not every offseason signing makes for a splashy headline, but two under-the-radar Ravens acquisitions in August — running back Kenyan Drake and wide receiver Demarcus Robinson — have paid dividends.

Injuries to Bateman and running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards have given Robinson and Drake an opportunity to step up, and the 28-year-[add]old journeymen have made the most of it.

“You’ve surely heard the one man’s…