Former NFL player and scout Bucky Brooks knows the ins and outs of this league, providing keen insight in his notebook. Today’s installment covers:

But first, a look at a purported Super Bowl contender that finds itself in serious trouble …

After entering this season with a world of hype, the Baltimore Ravens stunningly find themselves at an early crossroads. Arguably possessing the most talented roster in the AFC, the back-to-back AFC North champions sit at 1-3 and look nothing like a team poised to bathe in a confetti shower at the end of Super Bowl LX.

Though the Ravens can climb back into the playoff race after a dismal start, it’s an uphill battle, to say the least. In prior seasons going back to 1990, 252 teams started at 1-3, with just 35 (13.9%) ultimately making the postseason. Only one — the 2001 New England Patriots, led by an upstart quarterback named Tom Brady — won a Super Bowl.

To get back on track, Baltimore needs to fix a putrid defense, rediscover its offensive identity and rehabilitate a collection of banged-up Pro Bowlers, including quarterback Lamar Jackson (hamstring), who’s already been ruled out of this week’s game against Houston. Moreover, the Ravens need to rediscover their confidence and swagger after losing to three league heavyweights (Buffalo, Detroit and Kansas City) in a series of marquee matchups that exposed their warts as a purported Super Bowl contender. While the losses have put the Ravens squarely behind the eight ball, the lessons learned from those setbacks ultimately could make John Harbaugh’s squad a more formidable opponent in the tournament — IF they make the necessary corrections to maximize the talent on hand.

Studying the All-22 coaches film from Baltimore’s three losses, the defensive woes jump off the screen. Baltimore is surrendering big plays at an alarming rate, with miscommunication, poor execution and shoddy tackling leading to too many explosives on the perimeter. As a result, the Ravens have given up at least 37 points in each of their losses. They rank near the bottom of the league in total defense (31st), pass defense (31st) and rush defense (27th).

In his first season as defensive coordinator last year, Zach Orr overcame early struggles to propel the Ravens on a run that ended in a heartbreaking loss at Buffalo in the Divisional Round. This time around, Orr must tweak the scheme while also navigating an injury-ravaged defensive roster, with DT Nnamdi Madubuike out for the season and a number of additional key cogs currently compromised. Despite the litany of absences, Baltimore must improve its communication, alignment and execution of assignments to fare better against elite squads. The unit makes too many avoidable errors, and the self-inflicted mistakes lead to extended drives that eventually wear down the defense.

From a schematic standpoint, the Ravens need to maintain their gap discipline on blitzes and stunts to prevent the huge running lanes at the point of attack. In a gap-controlled scheme, where every defender is assigned a gap, defenders must understand where they are expected to fit and how they should disengage from blocks to secure their position in the hole. Additionally, the carefully coordinated defensive line, linebackers and safeties must be on point to eliminate any leaks at the point of attack. Against run-heavy squads like the Lions, in particular, the lack of gap integrity resulted in several big runs on the perimeter. Detroit finished that game with a whopping 224 yards on the ground.

Baltimore’s defensive woes also extend to the pass D, where a non-existent pass rush (four sacks, tied for 30th) and porous coverage have resulted in nine touchdown passes allowed and a 102.1 passer rating against through four games. With opponents effectively moving the ball through the air and on the ground, the Ravens have been unable to seize control of the game, despite scoring a healthy 32.8 points per outing. Not that the offense is completely blameless. The complementary football strategy that Harbaugh prefers has been absent in 2025, due to inconsistencies on each side.

Offensively, the Ravens’ refusal to rely on a run-heavy strategy has prevented the team from masking its defensive woes. Without a significant advantage in time of possession, the defense is wilting under the barrage of plays from the opposing offense. To combat the defensive woes, Harbaugh must convince offensive coordinator Todd Monken to get back to more of a ground-and-pound game plan. When Baltimore utilized various downhill runs and read-option plays to keep defenders on their heels in the season opener at Buffalo, Derrick Henry rumbled for 169 yards and a pair of touchdowns on just 18 carries, with Jackson adding 70 rushing yards and a score as the perfect sidekick. Although Baltimore lost that game 41-40, partially due to Henry’s late fumble, the ground-oriented approach enabled the team to control the action against a Super Bowl contender for most of the contest. Since that Sunday night setback, the Ravens have not been as committed to the running game, which has exposed their vulnerabilities in pass protection, as evidenced by their 15 sacks allowed (third-most in the league).

I know Jackson’s success as a passer — 71.6% completion rate, 9.1 yards per pass attempt, 10:1 TD-to-INT ratio and a 130.1 passer rating through the first four weeks — makes it tempting to bypass Baltimore’s proven blueprint, but the Ravens are better when relying on their vaunted rushing attack to control the action. From managing the clock to imposing their will on their opponents, the Ravens’ reliance on the run is part of an identity that has helped them win 72.4 percent of their games with No. 8 in the starting lineup.

Now, with the two-time MVP sidelined by injury, the Ravens should be motivated to return to their ground-and-pound roots even more. Backup QB Cooper Rush lacks Jackson’s athleticism and running skills, but Baltimore’s traditional runs would enable him to utilize play fakes to Henry and set up big-play opportunities through the air. Zay Flowers, DeAndre Hopkins and Rashod Bateman can win their 1-on-1 matchups on the perimeter against loaded boxes with single-high coverage, so recommitting to the ground attack can solve a lot of the issues that have plagued this club in recent weeks.

For the Ravens to defy the odds and re-emerge as playoff contenders, Harbaugh must get his team back to being the “Bullies of Baltimore,” relying on a physical running game and a stingy defense to pummel foes.

After winning Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2022 and earning first-team All-Pro honors in each of his first two NFL seasons, former No. 4 overall pick Sauce Gardner was widely regarded as one of the best cover men in football. An instant star for the New York Jets, Sauce was lauded for his shutdown abilities, utilizing his superior size, length and speed to neutralize pass catchers on the perimeter.

The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder’s imposing presence discouraged quarterbacks from throwing in his direction — particularly in bump-and-run coverage — as he earned 90-plus coverage grades in 2022 and ’23 from Pro Football Focus. Reviewing some game film from his first two seasons, Gardner’s aggressive playing style frustrated wide receivers while forcing quarterbacks to make tight-window throws. Although his clutching and grabbing did not result in excessive defensive holding or pass-interference penalties, Gardner pushed the envelope with his ultra-aggressive approach.

Fast-forward to the present, and it appears the same incidents that were treated as “no-calls” are suddenly flagged for penalties. A crackdown on hand-to-hand contact down the field has resulted in more penalties from the fourth-year pro, with one in each of the past three weeks.

“I’m personally frustrated,” Gardner said after Monday night’s 27-21 loss at Miami dropped the Jets to 0-4. “I just feel like — I don’t know if this is wrong to say — I think I get called for more stuff just based on us not winning. I watch these winning programs and there can be some egregious things and it don’t get called, letting the players play … We don’t win, we don’t get the calls we should get and we get calls we probably shouldn’t get called for.”

Gardner’s reputation as an elite cover man took a hit with his disappointing 2024 campaign, in which he struggled in coverage and was called for 10 penalties (nine accepted) during a disastrous 5-12 season for New York. And I do think the team’s woes factored into the CB’s issues. As the Jets’ stellar defensive standing crumbled with each loss, Gardner’s credibility as a shutdown corner seemed to wane among officials, at least from what I saw on tape. After being the beneficiary on judgment calls during his first two years, he appeared to draw more flags on plays where he might have engaged in inadvertent contact on the perimeter.

Fair or not, perception becomes reality in the NFL when you are part of a winning team. I truly believe that. When your team consistently prevails, you receive the benefit of the doubt due to pedigree and reputation. That is why you always heard that Pete Carroll would advise the “Legion of Boom” to aggressively grab and hold on to the perimeter, because officials will not throw the flag on every play. The constant harassment and physicality eventually will be accepted as the team’s playing style.

Gardner should understand this bias, given his success early in his career. When Gang Green’s defense ranked near the top of the charts, his aggressiveness was lauded and applauded at every turn. Though the tables have turned, with the Jets mired in a slump, the cornerback must maintain his confidence and shore up his approach.

After digging into the All-22 coaches film from this season, I think his so-called struggles are a combination of near-perfect throws and some bad breaks on the perimeter. The questionable calls, in particular, will subside when he cleans up his technique and wins his matchups with flawless footwork instead of raw physicality. Additionally, Gardner likely will receive the benefit of the doubt when he and his teammates find various ways to win without pleading for calls.

If Gardner can lock in and play with better attention to detail, the 25-year-old should get back to performing at the level that prompted the Jets to sign him to a four-year, $120.4 million extension in July, making him the highest-paid corner in NFL history.

Gardner will be put to the test in this Sunday’s game against Dallas. With the ultra-talented George Pickens coming to town fresh off his breakout performance in a Cowboys uniform (eight catches for 134 receiving yards and two scores), Aaron Glenn needs his CB1 to get back to basics and re-emerge as a premier cover corner capable of shutting down anyone on the island.

From his stance to his hand placement to his turns and transitions down the field, Gardner can clean up most of his issues with renewed commitment to the fundamentals. By refining the skills that helped him shoot to the top of his position in his first two years in the league, Sauce can silence his critics and force officials to give him the “superstar treatment” enjoyed by top-tier cornerbacks.

Does Worthy make the Chiefs go?

When the Chiefs selected Xavier Worthy 28th overall in 2024, they were surely hoping the NFL’s Fastest Man (he ran a record-setting 4.21-second 40 at the NFL Scouting Combine) would thrive as a big-play specialist, recapturing the explosiveness that was lost when Tyreek Hill was traded away in 2022. After some fits and starts during the first half of his rookie campaign, Worthy showed immense promise down the stretch, especially during Kansas City’s postseason run (19 catches for 287 receiving yards and three scores in three games).

But instead of picking up where he left off in Week 1 of this season, Worthy suffered a shoulder injury on the opening drive, sidelining him through Week 3. Meanwhile, Kansas City became mired in offensive mediocrity, ranking 17th in yards per game and 21st in points per game while going 1-2 in that span.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, when Worthy returned to action in Week 4, he set off fireworks in a rousing win over the Ravens, leading the Chiefs in receiving yards (83) and rushing yards (38) while the team posted season highs in points (37), first downs (24), total yards (382) and passing yards (264). Considering the stark difference between how Kansas City has looked this season with and without Worthy, an obvious question arises:

Is Worthy is the straw that stirs Kansas City’s drink?

After studying the All-22 film of the win over Baltimore, it’s clear to me that coach Andy Reid deserves credit for his clever utilization of his No. 1 receiver. Worthy was aligned in multiple spots within the formation and was also featured as a motion man on a handful of snaps. The constant change in his whereabouts prevented the Ravens from utilizing cloud coverage or double-coverage tactics against him, due to the uncertainty of his alignments. Additionally, the motions and shifts involving Worthy enabled the Chiefs to utilize his speed on horizontal plays, stretching the defense.

With the Ravens forced to defend multiple vertical shots along the boundary and a mix of bubble screens and fly sweeps, Kansas City was able to dictate terms to Baltimore, using Worthy to test the D’s speed from sideline to sideline and end line to end line. Most importantly, the mere presence of a speedster with proven playmaking ability allowed Patrick Mahomes to push the ball down the field, rather than extensively relying on the dink-and-dunk approach that previously bogged down this offense, which operates better at a breakneck pace.

Granted, the Ravens’ defense might have helped make life easier for Mahomes and Co., given the way it struggled with communication, alignment and execution. Still, the Chiefs might have discovered their offensive identity just in time.

On Monday Night Football this week, Kansas City will take on the Jaguars, who just so happen to have one of the NFL’s best defenses in 2025. Jacksonville has forced a league-leading 13 turnovers, with at least three takeaways in each game, by forcing opponents to drive the field against a soft zone designed to limit explosives through the air.

Worthy has the speed and big-play potential to counter that strength — and if he helps the Chiefs build on their breakthrough Week 4 performance, they could very well launch themselves on another extended run that ends in Super Bowl LX.