Ravens’ top-ranked defense is well-represented
Ravens guard Marshal Yanda (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun )
Ravens free safety Eric Weddle (Carolyn Kaster/ASSOCIATED PRESS )
Ravens inside linebacker C.J. Mosley (Kelvin Kuo/ASSOCIATED PRESS )
Ravens defensive end Brandon Williams (Nick Wass/Associated press )
Four Ravens will represent the AFC North champions at today’s Pro Bowl in Orlando, Fla. Three members of the NFL’s top-ranked defense will suit up in the annual all-star showcase, as will one of the league’s top linemen. The game kicks off at 3 p.m. at Camping World Stadium and will be broadcast on ESPN and ABC (Chs. 2, 7).
G Marshal Yanda
Year: 12th
Key stats: 16 starts, rated No. 3 guard in NFL by Pro Football Focus
Summary: After playing in just two games last season before suffering a season-ending ankle injury, then recovering from shoulder surgery that limited him throughout the 2018 preseason, the 34-year-old Yanda finished among the league leaders in snap count. He was again the team’s most valuable lineman as the Ravens transformed midseason into a smash-mouth, run-heavy team, earning Yanda his seventh Pro Bowl trip.
S Eric Weddle
Year: 12th
Key stats: 68 tackles, three passes defended, one sack in 16 games
Summary: Weddle, 34, earned his third straight Pro Bowl bid with the Ravens, and sixth overall, after a strong season leading the back end of the team’s elite defense. What he lacked in big plays — Weddle was often dinged by critics for his suboptimal speed — he made up for with his knowledge of the game and dependability as a defensive signal caller.
LB C.J. Mosley
Year: Fifth
Key stats: 105 tackles, five passes defended, one interception, half-sack in 15 games
Summary: Mosley, 26, ended what might have been his final regular-season game in Baltimore with perhaps his most important play: a last-minute, AFC North title-clinching interception against the Cleveland Browns in Week 17. The former first-round draft pick and four-time Pro Bowl selection is now an unrestricted free agent after another rock-solid season in the middle of the Ravens defense.
DT Brandon Williams
Year: Sixth
Key stats: 34 tackles, one sack, one pass defended in 16 games
Summary: Williams, who is making his first Pro Bowl as an injury replacement for the Cincinnati Bengals’ Geno Atkins, led all interior linemen on a Ravens defense that finished fourth in rushing yards allowed and third in yards per carry allowed. The 29-year-old has missed just four games in his past five seasons, all in 2017.
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