Ravens losing defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald is great news for Joe Burrow and the Bengals
Just one head coach vacancy in the NFL remain as January winds down. The Cincinnati Bengals were responsible for providing one of the new hires, and they'll greatly benefit from the latest one. The Seattle Seahawks are hiring Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald as their new head coach. Macdonald was with the Ravens for […]
Just one head coach vacancy in the NFL remain as January winds down. The Cincinnati Bengals were responsible for providing one of the new hires, and they'll greatly benefit from the latest one.
The Seattle Seahawks are hiring Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald as their new head coach.
Macdonald was with the Ravens for just the past two seasons. They've not only beaten the Bengals in three of their five meetings with Macdonald at DC, his defense was arguably the best at limiting the Joe Burrow offense.
Burrow has a passer rating of 88.0, has averaged 5.8 yards per attempt, and just six touchdowns in five starts against Macdonald's defense since 2022. He couldn't finish the fifth start due to his season-ending wrist injury.
Baltimore is typically known for having stout defenses, but Macdonald was a key hire for the club after Don "Wink" Martindale's approach against Burrow proved to be futile. Burrow lit up Martindale's Ravens in 2021, which ended up being the final year of Wink's four-year run as the head of Baltimore's defense, and decade long run with the team overall.
Burrow posted a passer rating of 131.1, 11.2 yards per attempt, and seven touchdowns in his two games against Martindale's defense. Change had to happen for Baltimore to even the playing field, and Macdonald proved to be just that.
Macdonald's instant success in Baltimore spurred back-to-back postseason appearances, and helped earn a No. 1 seeding in this year's playoffs. The Ravens ultimately fell to the Kansas City Chiefs, 17-10, in the AFC title game, but Macdonald's defense remained a well-rounded unit for limiting Patrick Mahomes to under 20 points in an elimination game.
Seattle hiring Macdonald away is a huge win for the Bengals as they try to recapture a division title next season. They won't have to face his Seahawks until 2027 at the latest due to NFL scheduling rules, though they could have a 2025 matchup if the Seahawks finish in the same spot in the NFC West as the Bengals finish in the AFC North in 2024.
Baltimore will undoubtedly look to replace Macdonald with a similar candidate, but for now, Cincinnati will take this outcome.
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