Ravens Defense Aims to Make Takeaways Its Identity

Humphrey said he watched highlights of the 2000 Ravens, who won the franchise’s first Super Bowl with a defense that many believe was the greatest of all time. He wants this year’s defense to adopt a similar mentality – to make domination the standard.

“I was unaware of how elite that 2000 Ravens defense was, and when I was watching some of those playoff games, you didn’t really need an offense, honestly,” Humphrey said. “They were just making so many plays and forcing turnovers.”

The NFL’s top six leaders in takeaways during the 2024 regular season all made the playoffs – the Minnesota Vikings (33), Pittsburgh Steelers (33), Bills (32), Green Bay Packers (31), Houston Texans (29), and the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles (26).

The Ravens want to be part of that upper echelon in 2025 when it comes to takeaways. Whether it’s via their pass rush, run pursuit, or pass coverage, the more takeaways they get, the better their chances of reaching their ultimate goal.

“It doesn’t really matter how good you play defensively. If you can’t get the football, you’re not playing good enough, and so that’s the biggest thing to harp on,” Humphrey said. “Like I said, that’s got to be our identity. All 11 guys that’s on the field – get the ball, get the ball, get the ball, get the ball.

“I think the OTA was a good glimpse of what we’re preaching, putting it to practice, and then when training camp comes, season comes, everybody’s got to be rolling.”