Of course, on ESPN’s Monday Night Football, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield tried to pad the score against the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens’ lead had inflated to 23 points in the fourth quarter, and defensive back Marlon Humphrey and linebacker Roquan Smith had been reading Mayfield’s mail all game long.
ANOTHER ONE FOR MARLO!!!!
Tune in on ESPN/ABC! pic.twitter.com/TD6gJVXnpm
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 22, 2024
With a sizeable scoring lead, the Bucs needed to rely on the pass, so Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr deployed Smith primarily as a quarterback spy. Thus, Smith could hone in on stopping Mayfield from scrambling while covering check-down options.
“These motherf—ers don’t respect us!” 😳
—Roquan Smith ahead of #BALvsTB at 8:15 PM ET on ABC/ESPN pic.twitter.com/2VAAbxD2Oq
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 22, 2024
Humphrey and safety Kyle Hamilton were frequently used on the back end in Cover 2-man sets. Orr’s plan baited Mayfield into making tight window throws on blurred reads, leading to a few interceptions.
Smith finished with 18 tackles and was involved in nearly every play. Orr’s unit finished with three sacks and two interceptions, and the 31-point allowance doesn’t truly reflect how dominant they were in Tampa.
