For the first time since he was on his rookie contract, Ravens nose tackle John Jenkins won't have to worry about where he'll be next season.
Jenkins signed the first in-season contract extension of his career Friday. The deal is worth around $2 million, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
The 36-year-old Jenkins said he was surprised when the Ravens approached him to ink a deal at this point of his career.
"Here, I'm just doing my job and trying to be the best that I can," Jenkins said. "But it takes two to tango in regards of, 'Hey, I want you to stay here, and I love the way you present yourself, and you [bring] good value to our organization.' I appreciate that, and I'm very grateful for that."
Jenkins has helped the Ravens' run defense rank 11th in the NFL at 107.1 yards per game. The veteran run stuffer has made 36 tackles, including three for loss, and two forced fumbles.
A former third-round pick by New Orleans, the 13-year veteran signed a one-year deal with Baltimore this summer after spending time with the Saints, Seahawks, Bears (twice), Dolphins (twice), and Raiders.
When Nnamdi Madubuike (neck) and Broderick Washington Jr. (Achilles) went down early in the season with injuries, Jenkins rose to the occasion as a starter.
"Unfortunately, when the [injuries] happened with the other guys like Broderick and 'Beeks' [Madubuike] and all that, they believed in me [enough] to not bring somebody else in," Jenkins said. "That says a lot, when things like that happen."
Ravens Defense Not Taking Steelers Lightly Without DK Metcalf
The Ravens won't have a DK Metcalf problem this weekend, but they are not taking the Pittsburgh Steelers' passing game lightly.
Metcalf is serving the second game of his two-game suspension for an altercation with a fan and won't play in Sunday night's Steelers-Ravens showdown for the AFC North title. Metcalf caught seven passes for 148 yards when the Steelers beat Baltimore, 27-22, in Week 14 and leads them with 850 receiving yards.
However, quarterback Aaron Rodgers has spread the ball around all season. Running back Kenneth Gainwell leads Pittsburgh in receptions (65), while tight ends Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith and running back Jaylen Warren all have at least 30 catches. The Steelers won't have tight end Darnell Washington (broken arm) either, but safety Malaki Starks said the Ravens have great respect for Pittsburgh's other weapons.
"DK's obviously one of their top players, but we need to focus on the other players they have and execute our defense," Starks said. "We have so much at stake. It would've been so easy to give up early in the year when we were 1-4, 1-5, and say, 'This year isn't the year for us.' But we didn't. We kept fighting and now this may be our story. We can end up where we think we're supposed to be."
Both Starks and Pro Bowl linebacker Roquan Smith said Rodgers' accuracy allows the Steelers to make plays even when targets are tightly covered. Rodgers completed 23 of 34 for a season-high 284 yards against Baltimore last month, and Starks said he learned plenty from watching Rodgers operate.
"He's a true Hall of Famer, a true vet, the way he's able to lead," Starks said. "Playing against him and now watching film, you're able to see how he breaks the game down."
The Steelers struggled offensively without Metcalf last week in a 13-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns, but Smith said the Ravens could face a more aggressive game plan this week.
"When you're going against a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers, who can pinpoint, place the ball where he wants to, like I said, they're still taking those shots and everything," Smith said. "Obviously, we have to be better on those plays than we were last time."
Ravens Have a Plan to Pressure Rodgers
The Ravens are hoping for better pass rush results in their second meeting with the Steelers.
Baltimore failed to sack Rodgers in the Week 14 matchup, giving Rodgers enough time to make plays with his legs and hit strikes downfield.
Outside linebacker Tavius Robinson, who missed the Week 14 game with his foot injury, said the Ravens must stay patient with how quickly Rodgers gets the ball out of his hands.
"You just have to play how you play," Robinson said. "When he does hold onto the ball, that one rush, those turn into sacks. It's just a matter of how we rush, and the pressures and sacks will come."
Since playing the Ravens in Week 14, the Steelers' offense has utilized more empty formations. Without Metcalf in the lineup last week against the Browns, 34% of Pittsburgh's offensive plays were in empty, the highest by any team in a game this season, according to Next Gen Stats.
Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr said Thursday that the uptick in empty backfields has allowed Rodgers to dictate the game more and call his own plays.
"Obviously, he's been doing it for a long time, and he's great at doing that," Orr said. "So yes, it presents a lot of challenges, because he wants to ball out quick. It's easier to see rushers when they're coming. It's easier to see certain coverages when you spread them out. So, we have a good plan for that, and we got to go out there and execute it."
Baltimore 'Ready to Go' for Sunday Night
Although one team's season will come to an end in Pittsburgh, Baltimore is approaching the win-or-go-home game the same way that they have for every game this season.
"We are definitely not tight," Head Coach John Harbaugh said Friday. "I see a team that's high energy and ready to go. It was a great team meeting. It was a lot of fun, but it was also very focused and detailed. It was the same way with the group meetings that we had; practice was the same way. Guys are locked in for football. We have a bunch of guys that love football, and they love the opportunity that they have, and they want to go make the most of it."
