By Mike Preston The Baltimore Sun

8:55 a.m. EDT, September 11, 2012

Ravens safety Bernard Pollard might have been the best defensive player on the field Monday night. Pollard finished with only six tackles, but he helped strengthen a run defense that was having trouble against the Bengals.

The Ravens did a good job of putting him near and around the line of scrimmage and Pollard was also one of the team’s top pass rushers.

A year ago, his first with the team, Pollard surprised a lot of people with his physical style. This year, he could become arguably their best defensive player. Pollard was an enforcer.