After what looked like a fourth-quarter interception by middle linebacker Roquan Smith, the Baltimore Ravens defenders hurried to the end zone where they performed their choreographed celebration derived from the 2005 basketball movie "Coach Carter." Smith playfully directed his teammates to run a series of gassers.
The performance ended up not really counting in the Ravens' 27-19 win at the Minnesota Vikings because Smith's diving interception was ruled an incompletion. But the celebration, which was rehearsed during a walk-through just days earlier, was not meaningless.
"We've been planning these celebrations, which means we're planning to make the plays," Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey said. "And I think that's a part of the whole thing. You have to believe it."
The Ravens defense has made what many considered to be an unbelievable turnaround, rallying around the support of defensive coordinator Zach Orr, the strategic realignment of safety Kyle Hamilton and a timely stretch against favorable opponents.
In the first five weeks of the season, Baltimore allowed an NFL-worst 35.4 points per game, which was the most in a five-game span in franchise history. Then, over the past four games, the Ravens have held teams to an average of 14.5 points, which ranks as the third fewest in the NFL over that span.
As a result, the Ravens (4-5) have won three straight games to rebound from a 1-5 start and closed to within a game of the AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers.
"I think we're starting to hit our stride," Hamilton said. "It's not a surprise to us. I think we're playing to our potential now, and that has to be sustained."
MOMENTS AFTER BALTIMORE'S embarrassing 44-10 loss to the Houston Texans in Week 4, Ravens coach John Harbaugh was asked if he would make any changes to his defensive coaching staff.
"I do not think that that's the answer," Harbaugh said on Oct. 5. "We need to stick together, is what we need to do. We need to find ourselves. And that has to do with coaches and players [working] together."
At a time when Lions coach Dan Campbell has assumed offensive playcalling duties and Commanders coach Dan Quinn has taken over as defensive coordinator, Harbaugh had Orr's back when asked for weeks if he would replace him.
The players have backed Orr just as strongly. They defended him by saying they've watched him put in the work and show a passion for it.
Orr, who is in his second season as Baltimore's defensive coordinator, stressed to his players that they needed to have a short memory. When a big play is given up, Orr encouraged them to quickly move on to the next snap.
This mindset figured into how the Ravens have closed out games. In the season-opening 41-40 loss at the Bills, Baltimore allowed 16 unanswered points in the final four minutes. On Sunday, the Ravens made two fourth-down stands against the Vikings in the fourth quarter.
"It's good to see that the hard work is starting to pay off," Orr said, "but there's still more work to do for sure."
It's not the first time that Orr has guided the Ravens back on track after a rough start. Last season, Baltimore allowed an average of 25.3 points in the first 10 weeks. But the Ravens finished strong in the final seven games, limiting teams to a league-best 15.4 points per game.
When asked about the improvements Orr has made this season to change the defense's fortunes, Harbaugh believes the key has been the lack of a major overhaul.
"The biggest thing I've seen probably from Zach and all the coaches and the players has been just steadiness," Harbaugh said. "I haven't seen a lot of changes. I've seen steady commitment, consistency of approach and hard work."
THE BOLDEST MOVE made by the Ravens so far this season was trading former first-round pick Odafe Oweh to the Los Angeles Chargers for safety Alohi Gilman on Oct. 7. It was a risky decision to part ways with a pass rusher like Oweh, especially with the lack of sacks, but this was about the ripple effect created.
By adding a deep safety in Gilman, Baltimore moved Hamilton closer to the line of scrimmage, where he creates havoc.
In the first five games, Hamilton played 198 snaps at safety, 45 at outside linebacker and 24 at slot corner. In the past four, he has lined up for 115 snaps at outside linebacker, 78 at slot corner and seven at safety.
Hamilton has been in attack mode. He has rushed the passer 23 times since Week 8, which is the most among all NFL defensive backs in that span.
"Versatility is not just talent, it's also understanding the game and also study," Harbaugh said. "There's a lot he has to know and process and understand about the game plan. He kind of knows the whole defense. He probably can line up in any position. We'll keep him away from nose guard, how about that?"
Since Hamilton has moved in the box, the entire Baltimore defense has become more aggressive. In Sunday's win, the Ravens got a hand on 13 passes, knocking down four of them at the line of scrimmage, and hit Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy a dozen times.
The Baltimore defense has gone from struggling to take the ball away to one of the NFL's best. After just two takeaways in the first five games, the Ravens have forced eight turnovers in the past four.
"Turnovers are huge," Hamilton said. "They're not only taking away points for them but putting our offense in a better position rather than punting and downing the ball inside the 5 [-yard line]. Now, we have the ball in plus territory, whatever it may be, and it was dope to see everybody getting involved."
ONE OF THE reasons why the Ravens started 1-5 was because they played some of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, which was not lost on the players.
"When you go against players like Josh Allen, Jared Goff or Patrick Mahomes, they're going to expose the little things," Hamilton said after 37-20 loss at the Chiefs on Sept. 28.
Baltimore went from playing three quarterbacks who've combined for 13 Pro Bowls to facing two young prospects (Caleb Williams and McCarthy) and an inconsistent veteran (Tua Tagovailoa). During the Ravens' three-game winning streak, they held Williams, Tagovailoa and McCarthy to a total of one touchdown pass and four interceptions.
The path for the Ravens defense gets even easier. Over the next two weeks, Baltimore plays against two quarterbacks who rank in the bottom five of Total QBR: the Browns' Dillon Gabriel (29th) and the Jets' Justin Fields (32nd).
Now, after tying the worst start in franchise history, the Ravens have a 64.1% chance to make the playoffs, according to ESPN Analytics, because their defensive turnaround coincided with the team's overall turnaround.
"Not trying to bring up the past, but I think partially what got us to 1-5 was the fact that we came into the season maybe thinking -- and I'm not speaking for everybody but -- 'We're the Baltimore Ravens. We're going to do this. We're going to do that. Teams are just going to lay down and let us win games,' and that's not how it is in this league," Hamilton said. "So, we got punched in the mouth early in the season, but now, I think we're responding well. We'll just have that scar tissue going forward when we just start stacking wins."