Baltimore Ravens cornerback Brandon Stephens has been the focus of intense scrutiny this season, both from fans and the media. Despite his struggles in coverage and his league-low rankings, the Ravens coaching staff sees an opportunity to transform what’s been labeled a liability into a strategic advantage as they prepare for Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Divisional Round.
Let’s not sugarcoat it—Brandon Stephens has had a rough go in 2024. After an impressive breakout in his first full season as a cornerback, the fourth-year player has struggled to replicate that success. His regular season stats paint a challenging picture:
In the Wild Card win over Pittsburgh, Stephens allowed six catches on nine targets for 74 yards, including a 30-yard touchdown that gave the Steelers their first points. Fans have been vocal about their frustrations, often calling for his benching.
Despite the criticism, head coach John Harbaugh has defended Stephens, pointing to the plays he’s made amidst the high volume of targets.
“When you get a lot of targets, you’re going to have more completions, for sure—that’s just the way it goes—but you also make more plays,” Harbaugh explained.
Stephens’ consistency in tight coverage, even when beaten, hasn’t gone unnoticed by the Ravens’ staff. His positioning provides opportunities for impact plays, even if the results haven’t always gone his way.
The Ravens aren’t benching Stephens. Instead, they’re leaning into the tendency of opposing quarterbacks to target him. Defensive coordinator Zach Orr and Harbaugh see this as an opportunity to bait quarterbacks like Josh Allen into mistakes.
“If we get the sense that an offense is targeting a particular part of the field or a particular player…we can roll our coverage that way,” Harbaugh said. “We can put the strength of our coverage over there, too, so it’s kind of a two-way street.”
The strategy hinges on exploiting Allen’s aggressive tendencies, especially when targeting Stephens in man coverage. By disguising coverage or shading safety help toward his side, the Ravens can lull Allen into risky throws, potentially leading to critical turnovers.
Allen is a formidable challenge. He’s not only reduced his turnovers this season but also sharpened his accuracy, making him even deadlier on standard dropbacks and broken plays. To counter this, the Ravens will need to excel in extended coverage while staying disciplined against his mobility.
Harbaugh compared preparing for Allen to past AFC North battles against Ben Roethlisberger. “We’ve been talking about plastering extended plays in Baltimore for a long time… With ‘Big Ben.’”
For Stephens and the Ravens secondary, this means staying locked onto their assignments longer than usual and resisting the temptation to break coverage, even as Allen scrambles.
Sunday’s matchup is an opportunity for Stephens to silence critics. If the Ravens can bait Allen into targeting him and capitalize with a turnover, Stephens could turn his perceived weakness into the game-changing play Baltimore needs.
This isn’t just about redemption for Stephens—it’s about showing that the Ravens defense can adapt, outthink, and outplay one of the league’s most explosive offenses.
What’s your take, Ravens fans? Can Stephens step up and turn the tables against Buffalo, or will he remain the target for opposing offenses? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!