The Ravens' defense entered the bye looking nothing like the Ravens' defense. 

Long known for their stingy "D," the Ravens are being gashed by the run and lit up with the pass. Simply put, they are struggling to get off the field. In the Ravens' three straight losses entering the bye, opponents held the ball for at least 34 minutes, a particularly troubling statistic considering how well Baltimore's offense has played.

The Ravens' issues stuffing the run emerged in losses vs. Cincinnati and at Minnesota, where Baltimore allowing the Bengals' bruising Cedric Benson and the Vikings' speedy, physical Adrian Peterson to rush for more than 100 yards. Also notable: the Ravens' last three opponents each attempted at least 30 rushes, perhaps a sign teams are not fearing attacking the Ravens' front seven as they have in past years. In a move to bolster the run defense, DE Dwan Edwards started ahead of Trevor Pryce at Minnesota, although Pryce also played and was praised by head coach John Harbaugh for his performance.

A bigger area of concern is the play of Tavares Gooden, who we hear has been something of a disappointment replacing the departed Bart Scott at the "Jack" inside linebacker spot. The Ravens also have tried rookie Dannell Ellerbe and veteran Jameel McClain inside as they search for the right mix. Gooden, for his part, notched a season-high eight tackles against Minnesota.

But the biggest problem of all might be the secondary, which has had major issues in recent weeks. CB Fabian Washington was benched in favor of Frank Walker in the Minnesota loss, and though the move isn't considered permanent, it reflects the club's frustration with him. The team also has gotten less than expected from reserve CB Chris Carr, who has not played well in the "sub" packages. Fast and physical rookie Lardarius Webb played in nickel situations at Minnesota and "continues to earn more playing time based on the way he's playing," Harbaugh told Baltimore reporters last week.

The Ravens' pass "D" has been a worry before; it was 30th in yards per completion allowed two years ago. But with the run defense having its own issues, the need for better coverage becomes more pronounced.

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