One concern heading into this season was how the small Ravens cornerbacks would hold up against bigger receivers.
After the San Diego Chargers put up 436 passing yards by using their size against the Ravens, some fans have begun to panic about cornerbacks Fabian Washington and Domonique Foxworth.
But history suggests the Ravens will bounce back.
The previous two biggest passing games against the Ravens - Vinny Testaverde's 481 yards and Mark Brunell's 386 yards - came in 2000, when they had one of the best defenses in NFL history.
The Ravens, who had cornerbacks Chris McAlister and Duane Starks, finished that season with the eighth-best pass defense in the league. Take away those two missteps and the Ravens held teams to an average of 164.8 passing yards.
It was the same way in 2006, when Drew Brees threw for 383 yards (which was previously the third most against the Ravens). That Ravens defense finished No. 6 against the pass.
In 2004, Carson Palmer passed for 382 yards (which was previously the fourth most versus the Ravens). That defense ended up ranked 10th against the pass.
Looking at the past decade, the Ravens' secondary has tripped a few times but has never collapsed.
To the Ravens' credit, they have rebounded from these embarrassing efforts immediately every time. After the four highest passing games allowed by the team, the Ravens held the next quarterback to fewer than 200 passing yards each time.
The Ravens' current cornerbacks - Washington and Foxworth (who are both listed at 5 feet 11) - will get several chances to redeem themselves this season against wide receivers who will have at least a 4-inch height advantage. Their coming challenges include Cleveland's Braylon Edwards (6-3), New England's Randy Moss (6-4), Denver's Brandon Marshall (6-4) and Detroit's Calvin Johnson (6-5).
In the past, the Ravens would put their most physical corner, McAlister, on one of these receivers. But coach John Harbaugh has said McAlister is not returning.
Harbaugh did make the point that this isn't a problem only for the Ravens. Most teams don't have corners who can match the size of these receivers, he said.
"The next 6-foot-6 corner that comes out of the draft," he said jokingly, "we'll be drafting that guy."
Coming back strong
A look at how the Ravens have fared after the previous four highest passing totals allowed in team history. The Ravens' result (W or L) is in parentheses: Year Quarterback Yds
2000 Vinny Testaverde, NYJ (W) 481
Gus Frerotte, Denver (W) 124
2000 Mark Brunell, Jacksonville (W) 386
Jay Fiedler, Miami (L) 160
2006 Drew Brees, New Orleans (W) 383
Carson Palmer, Cincinnati (W) 195
2004 Carson Palmer, Cincinnati (L) 382
Eli Manning, Giants (W) 27
