Odafe Oweh's Chargers breakout exposes Ravens' glaring pass rush problem
The Baltimore Ravens made one of the first splash moves ahead of the trade deadline on October 7, trading outside linebacker Odafe Oweh to the Los Angeles Chargers for safety Alohi Gilman. The deal also included a pick swap. In four weeks since the deal, it has been a win for both sides.
In Gilman, Baltimore has found the perfect piece to play alongside rookie safety Malaki Starks in the back end of the secondary. The addition has allowed Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr to utilize Kyle Hamilton all around the field, powering a defensive surge in their past three games.
For the Chargers, Oweh has brought plenty of juice to their pass rush unit. Starters Khalil Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu are supplying plenty of pressure, and Oweh is feasting right next to them.
In Los Angeles’ Week 9 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, Oweh tallied two sacks. In four games with the Chargers now, he already has four sacks. While the Ravens’ defense has improved, as well, Oweh’s breakout in Los Angeles is bringing an underlying issue to the surface that has plagued Baltimore for years.
Odafe Oweh's surge exposes Ravens' glaring pass rush development problem
In recent history, the Baltimore Ravens have had no issue getting to the quarterback. Since 2022, their defenses have placed inside the top five in total sacks. In 2022, they finished fifth in the NFL with 48. In 2023, they led the league with 60 sacks. In 2024, they were second with 54 sacks. However, this season, they rank tied for 31st with 11 sacks.
The issue in 2025 becomes all the more pronounced with Oweh’s quick success with the Chargers. Sure, Oweh did not help Baltimore turn around their struggles. After a 10-sack campaign in 2024, he had zero through five games with the team this season. Gilman has completely changed Orr’s unit, but Oweh’s development in Los Angeles has fans fearing that they may be seeing a story unfold, one that has been told multiple times before.
Oweh never reached his full potential in Baltimore, and that has been said time and time again about Ravens pass rushers. Matthew Judon and Za’Darius Smith are the two obvious examples of their development problems.
Judon made two Pro Bowls with the Ravens, but truly reached another level when he signed with the New England Patriots in the 2021 offseason. He totaled career highs in sacks in back-to-back seasons, tallying 12.5 in 2021 and 15.5 in 2022.
In Smith’s case, he also found swift success after leaving the Ravens. He finished with 8.5 sacks in his final year in Baltimore, and after joining the Green Bay Packers, he became one of the best pass rushers in the NFL. He had 13.5 sacks in 2019 and 12.5 the following year.
Oweh is not guaranteed to have the type of post-Baltimore career that Judon and Smith had, but he is certainly trending toward it. Of course, General Manager Eric DeCosta should not have any regret from the trade given the defense’s success. If Oweh continues the tear he has been on, though, there may need to be a conversation to be had about Baltimore’s pass rush development.
Commanders' nightmare loss to Seahawks continues to get worse with more unfortunate injury updates
The season is officially over for the Washington Commanders, and the nightmare somehow continues after the worst night in recent memory for this franchise.
The Commanders got blown out at home in primetime during a night that was supposed to be special with the throwback uniforms and Art Monk jersey retirement, but it turned into fans leaving in the middle of the second quarter, and a gruesome injury. You can move on from a loss, but seeing Jayden Daniels go down with a severe elbow injury was gut-wrenching.
Daniels' injury wasn't the only significant injury last night, as the hits continue with two more season-ending injuries
Luke McCaffrey suffers a season-ending injury
The game barely started before the Commanders suffered yet another injury, and wide receiver Luke McCaffrey went down after returning the opening kickoff. He went down awkwardly on his left side, which is now being diagnosed as a broken collarbone that will have him out for the rest of the year.
McCaffrey was starting to really find his role in the offense and special teams, and now his season comes to an end. He was second in the league in kickoff return yards with 769, and also averaged 18.5 yards per catch. The Commanders turned to McCaffrey after injuries to Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown, and he was showing a lot of promise with multiple tough catches.
He should be part of the offense next season, but another injury just shows even more how badly this team needs help at the position. The Commanders added Treylon Burks and hope to get a roster win from him, but major changes need to happen with McLaurin and Brown injured, and Deebo Samuel not under contract next season. The defense is another conversation, and they lost another starter for the rest of the season.
Marshon Lattimore is feared to have torn an ACL
The defense was an embarrassment once again, with the Seahawks blowing the team out before halftime, and it never got any better. Busted coverage and wide-open explosive plays were all over the field, and major changes need to happen on and off the field. It got even worse for Marshon Lattimore, who went down with an injury that is feared to be a torn ACL.
There's no easy way to put it, but it was a nightmare night for Lattimore. He played really well last week against the Kansas City Chiefs, but it's time to admit that this trade was a massive swing and a miss by Adam Peters. It's unfortunate to see the season go down like this for Laittmore in what is very likely his last game with the Commanders. He's under contract for next season as well, but I don't expect him to be here after the defense faces an overhaul this offseason, if not sooner.
Injuries have been the biggest headline of the season with multiple starters suffering long-term injuries, and the roster honestly needs an overhaul as well. It will be a long rest of the season, with a massive offseason coming up.
