Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald’s status is on the rise (2024)

Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald is suddenly getting a ton of head-coaching buzz, and it’s well-deserved. The defense he leads ranks first in points allowed per game (16.3), sacks (54) and takeaways (26), and it’s tied for first in yards allowed per play (4.5).

A Christmas night television audience watched Macdonald’s defense outplay the vaunted San Francisco 49ers offense, forcing five turnovers, registering four sacks and allowing only 17 points. The 49ers were averaging 30.4 points coming into the game.

Macdonald was already on the radar of teams expected to be in the head-coaching market this offseason before the Ravens’ 33-19 victory over the 49ers. The defense’s performance in a spotlight game should only enhance his candidacy.

Macdonald is 36 years old. He’s pushing all the right buttons in his second season as Baltimore’s defensive coordinator. He had a very strong one-year run as the defensive coordinator at Michigan under Jim Harbaugh. He’s smart, creative, ultra-focused and well-spoken. The Ravens players love him.

There’s a lot for organizations to like about him, too. Nobody around the league would be surprised if Macdonald becomes a head coach in the coming weeks. But it shouldn’t be viewed as a formality, either.

One, Macdonald can afford to be choosy. Given his age, he’ll likely have other head-coaching opportunities in future offseasons. If he’s uncomfortable with Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper’s reputation as a meddler, or he’s wary of going to a team like Washington without an established franchise quarterback, he can wait on an opportunity he’s satisfied with. Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson did that last offseason, and it certainly hasn’t impacted his status as one of the most coveted candidates available.

Macdonald is savvy enough to know the Ravens defense will likely take on heavy losses this offseason, as the group is loaded with pending free agents and the team is tight on cap space. There’s no guarantee that this year’s success will carry over, and he’ll remain on other teams’ radars in the future if the Ravens defense struggles next year. Still, Macdonald will also understand that going into an undesirable situation could harm his long-term coaching future. He is far too smart and confident to jump at the first job, even if he doesn’t view it as a great situation.

Two, there may not be as many openings as initially predicted. New York Jets owner Woody Johnson is sticking with Robert Saleh. Antonio Pierce appears well on his way to shedding the interim label and becoming the Las Vegas Raiders’ head coach. Thought to be on the hot seat, Todd Bowles has the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in first place in the NFC South with four straight wins.

The Panthers and Los Angeles Chargers will have openings. The Commanders, New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints could make changes as well. But even if all seven are looking for a head coach, that number would fall short of the initial estimates of openings. There will only be so many opportunities available.

And finally, to no fault of Macdonald’s, the NFL is still a league where many teams covet head coaches with offensive backgrounds. Everybody is looking for the next play-calling whiz who can connect with the franchise quarterback and lead an exciting offense that wins games and sells tickets. It probably would be a tough sell for the Chargers, for example, to hire another first-time head coach with a defensive background after how Brandon Staley’s tenure ended earlier this month. A team like the Panthers could prioritize hiring an offensive-minded coach to work with Bryce Young, too.

There’s no guarantee Macdonald will get and/or accept a head-coaching offer. However, with a few more defensive efforts like the Ravens delivered against the 49ers, it will feel like more of a formality than it does now.

10 random thoughts, observations

1. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken referred to Lamar Jackson last week as a “two-play quarterback.” The comment was a nod to Jackson’s ability to improvise and create if something isn’t open or breaks down with the initial play. I couldn’t help but think of that on Jackson’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Nelson Agholor in the third quarter. The 49ers had every Ravens potential pass catcher blanketed in the end zone, and Fred Warner took away Justice Hill underneath. But Jackson bought time, slithered out of trouble and moved to his left, giving Agholor enough time to break free and come back to the ball. You can’t cover forever. It has to be frustrating for defenses to execute nearly perfectly and still give up a touchdown. That’s what makes Jackson so challenging to face.

2. It may have been done out of necessity because Arthur Maulet was unavailable because of a knee injury, but Marlon Humphrey sure looks comfortable in the slot, where his physicality can be an asset. Monday featured his most extensive action in the slot this year, but he’s played it a good bit in recent seasons. There are quite a few people around the team who believe that’s a better fit for him than on the outside. Either way, Humphrey finally looks healthy. He’s strung together two really strong games and was one of the best and most physical players on the field Monday.

3. The Defensive Player of the Year award typically goes to someone putting up huge sack or takeaway numbers, and there are plenty of deserving candidates this season. Three edge rushers in the AFC North have made a nice case. Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton almost certainly won’t win, but his name should at least be in the conversation. He’s done just about everything for the Ravens with four interceptions, 13 pass breakups, a forced fumble, three sacks, 81 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and a defensive touchdown. On his second interception Monday, in which he got up after getting chop-blocked by Christian McCaffrey and then loafed on for a moment by 49ers 325-pound guard Aaron Banks, to follow the ball and ultimately catch a deflection was the latest eye-popping play in a season full of them for Hamilton. If he’s not a first-team All-Pro, there’s something wrong with the process.

4. Lost in the Ravens’ dominant defensive performance was Justin Madubuike being held without a sack for the first time since Week 3 against the Indianapolis Colts. After that, he started a stretch of 11 sacks in 11 games. Madubuike did finish with four tackles and set the Ravens’ physical tone on the 49ers’ first offensive drive by putting guard Jon Feliciano on his back and forcing the ball out of Brock Purdy’s hands.

5. Speaking of streaks, the Ravens needed every second of Monday night to prolong their league-best string of consecutive 100-yard rushing games. They entered their final drive with 87 rushing yards, but a 3-yard carry by Gus Edwards on first down and a 13-yard rush on second down put them over the top. Baltimore, though, didn’t rush the ball particularly well, averaging just 3.9 yards per carry — and that was despite a 30-yard run by Jackson. It did feel like Keaton Mitchell’s speed and elusiveness were missed at times. Melvin Gordon, who dressed as the third running back, didn’t get into the game.

6. Yet, another example of Jackson’s growth: On the third-and-goal play from the 1-yard line in the third quarter, Jackson could have tried to power through a couple of defenders and extend the ball over the goal line. However, he recognized he was in traffic and, by exposing the ball, was risking a turnover. He came up short and Baltimore had to settle for the field goal, but it certainly beat the alternative. I’m not sure he would have made that same decision earlier in his career. By the way, Monken had some nice moments, none better than the play call and design on the Zay Flowers touchdown, but I didn’t get sending Edwards out wide on the 1-yard line and having Jackson take the snap in an empty backfield. Just because teams know that Edwards might get the ball doesn’t mean they can stop him from gaining a yard. They haven’t very often this year around the goal line.

7. Who would have ever thought Harbaugh would be getting questioned for not being more aggressive on fourth down? Known as one of the most aggressive teams on fourth down in recent years, the Ravens have been among the least aggressive this season. It’s been a frequent criticism of Harbaugh that he goes for it too often and doesn’t just take the points. On Monday, he had two notable opportunities on fourth-and-short and made two different calls. On fourth-and-goal from the 1 in the second quarter, Harbaugh kept his offense on the field and Edwards rewarded him with a touchdown run. On fourth-and-goal from the 1 in the third quarter, Harbaugh had the Ravens take a delay of game and he sent Justin Tucker out for a 24-yard field goal. Both decisions worked, but it would have been hard to criticize them even if they hadn’t. In the second quarter, the Ravens had to know they weren’t going to beat the 49ers by kicking field goals all night. They had mounted a 10-play drive and it made sense for Harbaugh to allow the offense to finish it off. As for the second one, the field goal gave the Ravens a three-touchdown lead late in the third quarter. With the way the defense was playing, it was the right call to force San Francisco to score three touchdowns in little more than a quarter to tie the game.

8. Kyle Van Noy and Jadeveon Clowney each had a sack against San Francisco. Ronald Darby played 26 solid snaps defensively and 10 more on special teams. Agholor caught a touchdown. Beyond Odell Beckham Jr., general manager Eric DeCosta made several modest one-year free-agent signings, and that group is a big reason why the Ravens are where they are. However, one guy who isn’t often mentioned with that group — and he should be — is defensive lineman Brent Urban. Baltimore re-signed Urban in mid-February, about a month before the free-agent market opened. He had one of the best games of his career against the 49ers with two sacks and three quarterback hits. For the season, he has a career-high three sacks, two pass breakups and a career-high five tackles for loss. He’s one of the players other Ravens bring up when they talk about guys being selfless and embracing their roles.

9. Not only did the Ravens finish the regular season 7-1 on the road, but they outscored their opponents 206-120 in those eight games. Winning on the road in the NFL isn’t easy. The Ravens, who played three road games on the West Coast, one in London and two in prime time, have shown a lot of toughness in their ability to handle everything that goes into winning away from home.

10. Tight end Isaiah Likely didn’t have a huge game with three catches for 56 yards, but his imprint was all over Baltimore’s win. He drew a pass interference on the Ravens’ first scoring drive. He set up the fourth-and-goal from the 1 with a 9-yard catch, and then he got a piece of the 49ers’ Warner to prevent him from making a play on Edwards’ 1-yard touchdown run. His resourceful 13-yard catch helped the Ravens dig out of a first-and-20 on their late second-quarter field goal drive. His 34-yard catch-and-run, which he culminated by putting safety Ji’Ayir Brown to the ground with a stiff-arm, was a key play on Baltimore’s 11-play, 89-yard march that resulted in a late third-quarter field goal. The Ravens miss Mark Andrews, but the silver lining is they’re getting to see how impactful Likely can be with a notable role on offense.

(Top photo: Todd Olszewski / Getty Images)

Jeff Zrebiec is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the Baltimore Ravens. Before joining The Athletic in 2018, he spent the previous 18 years as a writer for The Baltimore Sun, 13 of them on the Orioles or Ravens beats. The New Jersey native is a graduate of Loyola University in Baltimore. Follow Jeff on Twitter @jeffzrebiec