As much grief as the Ravens defense gets for giving up too many yards, they've done their job on the road.
They have 12 takeaways overall, and in their only two road games of the season -- the Ravens lost 24-23 to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2 and eked out a 9-6 at the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday -- they've forced eight turnovers.
They're not as good as last season with linebacker Terrell Suggs out and recovering from an Achilles tear, and definitely not when compared with Ravens defenses in seasons past as those teams scarcely allowed 100-yard runners.
This defense entered Week 5 ranked just 23rd in overall and allowed Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles 140 yards rushing. The Chiefs amassed 338 yards of total offense, but Charles only rushed for 15 yards on 10 carries in the second half.
Linebacker Courtney Upshaw and safety Ed Reed had fumble recoveries. Cornerbacks Lardarius Webb and Cary Williams had one interception each. It was Williams' second game in a row with an interception, and he caused the deflection that led to Webb's.
Charles never reached the end zone.
"They're going to run the ball. That's what they do. The bottom line is they don't score they don't win. Regardless of what they did the first half look at the scoreboard," linebacker Ray Lewis said of the 3-3 tie midway through. "If they're not on the scoreboard I don't care what people do against us. It don't matter.
"I take my hat off to my defense.To come in and get as many turnovers as we did and just make the stops every time."
Before the Chiefs game, defensive end Pernell McPhee pointed out that statistical success has little to do with winning in today's NFL.
"If you go back to the last couple teams that been to the Super Bowl, the defense been (ranked) 31, 32. It's all about the W. These days, offenses are pass-first," McPhee said. "There are a lot of great receivers out there. All different kind of schemes. Stats going to come. We know what we have to do to when when it's clutch time. That's when it really matters."
To continually put the strain on this retooled defense is unfair. The offense has to carry its weight on the road at some point, and the Ravens will get a reality check when they travel to the Houston Texans later this month.
After the offense had 17 points in the first half of the first road game vs. the Eagles, it has posted just 15 points -- five field goals from Justin Tucker -- in the last six quarters on the road.
