The story of the 2023 Ravens offense has been their depth at wide receiver. Baltimore ranks 6th in dropback EPA and dropback success rate, the highest marks for the Ravens since Lamar Jackson’s MVP season in 2019, according to RBSDM. With the Ravens able to go four deep at receiver – plus the return of Mark Andrews – this offense is as deep as it’s ever been. That’s why so much falls on second-year cornerback Trent McDuffie. Kansas City has had an elite passing defense this season, finishing 5th in defensive passing DVOA. Their one weakness: WR2s. The Chiefs are top-10 in DVOA when covering WR1s (5th), WR3s (2nd), and tight ends (10th), but they fall all the way down to 25th when lining up against WR2s. McDuffie’s had a bit of a tougher season compared to his rookie year. His 7.4 yards per target, 60.0% completion percentage allowed, and 86.5% deserved catch rate are all worse year-over-year, while his five passes defended in 16 games are half the total McDuffie was able to rack up in 11 games last year (per Sports Info Solutions).
