brandon williams football linebacker

The former Florida State star is expected to be the primary replacement for Pro Bowl defensive tackle Haloti Ngata.

Welcome to the Ravens 10-Pack, where reporter Jon Meoli hits on 10 stats, notes, and thoughts following a 34-33, gut-punch home loss to the San Diego Chargers. Read ahead for notes on the secondary, which overshadowed a winning performance, plus Justin Tucker's quietly good season, and where all the rookies have gone.

Baltimore Sun reporter Aaron Wilson breaks down the game film from Monday night's game between the Ravens and the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

From first-round pick C.J. Mosley at inside linebacker to mid-round picks Terrence Brooks (safety) and John Urschel (guard) to undrafted tackle James Hurst, the Ravens' 2014 rookie class has proven to be one of the franchise's most successful in recent history.

Moved along the line last season, the Ravens have mainly kept Haloti Ngata at defenseive tackle this season.

Entering the bye, defensive coordinator Dean Pees said that playing his All-Pro lineman Haloti Ngata at one position for the entire season has made life easy for Ngata, and the results are showing it.

Childs Walker shares his five biggest takeaways from Sunday's 21-7 Ravens victory over the Tennessee Titans at M&T Bank Stadium.

Jeff Zrebiec breaks down what to look for when the Ravens play the Tennessee Titans at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday.

The main difference between the strong Ravens defensive efforts of the first two months of the season and what we saw in the last two games? That would be the red-zone defense.

Two weeks ago, I thought the Ravens might be one of the best teams in the NFL. Now they sit last in the AFC North, behind even the Cleveland Browns.

"Brandon Williams is one of the best run-stuffing defensive tackles in the NFL," says NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah, a former NFL scout.

At 5-3, the Baltimore Ravens have beaten the teams they should and lost to two playoff teams.

Baltimore Sun reporter Aaron Wilson breaks down the film after the Ravens' 27-24 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 8 at Paul Brown Stadium.

Which three Ravens will make the difference in Sunday's game at the Cincinnati Bengals?

Heading into Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Ravens have emerged as the top-ranked red-zone defense in the NFL, allowing opponents to score touchdowns on just 36.4 percent (8 of 22) of their possessions inside the Ravens' 20-yard line.

Baltimore Sun reporter Aaron Wilson breaks down the Ravens' 29-7 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 7 at M&T Bank Stadium.

Torrey Smith draws penalties and makes defensive coordinators nervous; he just hasn't produced big numbers this season.

Jeff Zrebiec breaks down what to look for when the Ravens play the Falcons on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium.

Five sacks against a struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers team doesn't mean the pass rush is all of a sudden a strength. But the team has gotten impact performances from the pass rushes even without the sacks.

Dipping his left shoulder and lowering his center of gravity to gain leverage, Ravens nose tackle Brandon Williams shoved Tampa Bay Buccaneers Pro Bowl offensive guard Logan Mankins into the backfield and discarded him.

On offense and defense, the Baltimore Ravens could do pretty much anything they wanted against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Inside the locker room late Sunday afternoon, Ravens outside linebacker Pernell McPhee had a blunt take on the defense¿s rough treatment of Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Mike Glennon.

The Ravens scored 28 points in the first quarter, a franchise record for most points scored in a quarter on the road.

Baltimore Sun reporter Aaron Wilson breaks down the Ravens' loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5.

Ravens 10-pack on slow starts on defense, most of the Smiths, and where the production is coming from through four weeks.

A week after missing a coverage against Browns, Ravens again give up a big play for a touchdown

Baltimore Sun reporter Aaron Wilson looks back at the Ravens' game each week and looks ahead to their next opponent.

Unpacking the stats from the Ravens' loss to the Bengals

Breaking down who has the edge, and where, in Sunday's game between the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals.

For Ravens rookie defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan, he considers this to be a significant moment in his young NFL career.

After ranking in the top 10 in the NFL in total defense for nine consecutive years, the Ravens fell off dramatically during the past two years when they became uncharacteristically vulnerable.

The Baltimore Ravens' 2013 draft class doesn't look great now, but four members of that group will start Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals and the class has plenty of time to change the narrative.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh and his players have grown tired of hearing about the disappointing 2013 campaign. The 2014 Ravens are a completely different team, they say.

The Ravens pared their roster down to the NFL's required 53-player limit Saturday, choosing to keep two quarterbacks and seven wide receivers and leaving themselves thin at cornerback and along the offensive and defensive lines.

And that's why Gregg, a former prep heavyweight champion wrestler from Oklahoma who played the game with leverage, strength and quickness and was nicknamed "Buddy Lee" is a great example for new Ravens starting nose tackle Brandon Williams to study.

Without needing to regularly use blitz packages to create pressure, the Ravens sacked the Washington Redskins' Robert Griffin III three times Saturday night and had seven quarterback hits overall.

Joe Flacco hit a diving Steve Smith on a 24-yard touchdown pass, the highlight of the Ravens¿ 23-17 victory in front of an announced 70,876 at a wet M&T Bank Stadium.

As one of the Ravens' most understated players, defensive lineman DeAngelo Tyson speaks quietly and tends to fly under the radar in a locker room filled with boisterous personalities.

The Ravens have Pro Bowl nose tackle Haloti Ngata lined up as the first-team left defensive tackle at Arthur Jones' vacated spot.

The Ravens 2012 draft class made an immediate impact but struggled in year two. The Ravens need their 2013 draftees to flourish to get back to playoffs.

There was no big youth movement this offseason like there was last year, but when the Baltimore Ravens open up the 2014 campaign, they could again boast of having a relatively young team.

The Ravens contacted Haloti Ngata's representatives earlier this offseason to begin contract extension talks that the team hoped would allow the 30-year-old defensive lineman to finish his career in Baltimore.

Ravens defensive coordinator Dean Pees won't know for sure until his players strap on the pads and can start making tackles, but if the way his young defense is getting to the ball in organized team activities is any indication, the Ravens might be nearing a return to their fast, ball-swarming defense of old