The Baltimore Ravens appear to be doing everything right in their effort to return to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2012. They have made wise business decisions that have allowed them to stockpile compensatory picks. Then they have put those picks to good use, acquiring the best players available at positions of need.
Not only have they built one of the best defenses in the league, but they have also managed to take quarterback Lamar Jackson from being considered a glorified running back to a serious MVP candidate. That is why one former player says that they stack up against any other powerhouse teams in the league.
With Five All-Pro Former NFL Defender Calls the Ravens Defense Unstoppable
Former NFL linebacker turned analyst Emmanuel Acho wasn’t in the league long, but he spent more time with the Philadelphia Eagles than any other team. That makes his admission that the Ravens stack up against his former team strong.
On a recent episode of FS1’s show “The Facility,” Acho compared the two teams. “To me, what the Eagles are to the NFC, the Ravens should be to the AFC as far as dominance on paper.”
PFSN’s Defense+ metric ranked the Ravens’ defense eighth in the league heading into 2025, noting this was their fifth top 10 finish in six seasons. Acho feels they have all the assets they need to be the best in the NFL, especially with the addition of cornerback Jaire Alexander.
“The Ravens are the only team in football that have five All-Pros starting on defense since 2022. Five of them. Not five Pro Bowlers, not five kind of good players, five All-Pros: Jaire Alexander, Kyle Hamilton, Marlon Humphrey, Nnamdi Madubuike, and then Roquan Smith. Five. All. Pros. Five first-round picks, just at DB alone,” marveled Acho.
“What the Eagles are to the NFC, the Ravens should be to the AFC as far as dominance on paper.”@EmmanuelAcho on the Ravens acquiring Jaire Alexander pic.twitter.com/R2iNHXDjUC
— The Facility (@TheFacilityFS1) June 19, 2025
He added that they may top the charts in 2025.
Acho thinks that Alexander and either Nate Wiggins or Humphrey could combine for the best cornerback tandem. If Malaki Starks performs as well in Charm City as he did at the University of Georgia, then Acho thinks they could have the best safety tandem in football with him and Hamilton. You add those dominant duos to Madubuike and Smith, who are arguably among the best at their respective positions, and he doesn’t see how any offense can stop them.
Acho continued that it’s not all on the defense. This new Ravens team is more balanced. “Then on offense, littered with first-round picks. I need them to step up, Zay Flowers. I need them to step up, Rashod Bateman. I need them to step up, DeAndre Hopkins. I do not know what can stop them, I just don’t know when you’ve got Derrick Henry plus Lamar Jackson.”
The Ravens edged out the Pittsburgh Steelers to win the AFC North at the end of the 2024 season. They also beat their rivals in the Wild Card round. However, they lost to the Buffalo Bills in the divisional game. Could 2025 be their year?