The Denver Broncos knocked off the Baltimore Ravens yesterday 19-13. The Ravens received bad news on linebacker Terrell Suggs. He will be out for the year with a torn left Achilles tendon. What are the Ravens going to miss with him sidelined?
Suggs is one of the best linebackers in the NFL at getting to the quarterback. In his career he has 106.5 sacks with 12.0 last year. A solid tackler who rarely ever misses a tackle in the open field, Suggs is a key player for the Ravens. He stops the opposing team’s running game and is also the vocal leader of the Ravens defense, which they will miss.
The linebacker core will now rely on C.J. Mosley, Daryl Smith, Courtney Upshaw, and Elvis Dumervil. Mosley is in his second season in the NFL. Sure he has 5 sacks in his young career, which isn’t bad, but it’s not the Suggs’ numbers. Mosley is now going to have to take a bigger role in this defense so that the Ravens can put pressure on quarterbacks as well as stopping the run.
Their best linebacker now is Elvis Dumervil. He plays just as tough as Suggs. Dumervil can sack the quarterback with 90 in his career. It’s a decent number. Courtney Upshaw is another linebacker who will assist the defense. He is more of a cover linebacker. Upshaw will need to make plays in the open field so that the other team can’t march down the field to score points.
The Ravens linebacker core is still respectable. They will be able to put pressure on rival quarterbacks but might not be as productive with Suggs out. The Ravens will not only need the linebackers to step up but the defensive lineman to also take a bigger role in the defense for them to be successful.
How will the Ravens’ defense be without Suggs?
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