Jets coach pinpoints the one Raven who has to be accounted for

Early in the 2025 season, the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets were in surprisingly similar boats. While the Jets were 0-6 with one of the worst defenses in the NFL, the Ravens were 1-5 with a defense that hardly looked better.

While New York’s poor start was a sign of things to come, the Ravens have bounced back over the last month. Their defense, a significant issue during the early stages of the season, has returned to its elite standards during a four-game winning streak.

Perhaps the most significant difference from the Ravens’ defense has been how they deploy their best player.

It’s something that the Jets’ young offense is preparing for ahead of their Week 12 showdown.

Jets prepare for Baltimore Ravens’ defensive weapon

Ravens All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton has been among the league’s most feared defenders since he was drafted in the first round of the 2021 draft.

What has made Hamilton so difficult to gameplan against is his unique ability to handle multiple tasks on Baltimore’s defense. He can cover wide receivers, gain depth as a free safety, or even play up in the box to stop the run.

There is nothing Hamilton can’t do.

Jets offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand fully understands the difficult challenge Hamilton will present for New York’s offense on Sunday.

“He’s a Swiss Army Knife, but it’s like a Swiss Army Knife built out by a bunch of huge knives, not tiny ones,” Engstrand said when describing Hamilton on Thursday. “He presents a challenge for us as far as how we are going to handle it in our personnel groups.”

In 2024, the Ravens moved Hamilton further from the line of scrimmage to help their struggling coverage. This season, however, Baltimore has been more willing to move him all over the field. Recent results have shown that those changes have worked.

Since their bye week, the Ravens are allowing 14.3 points per game. They’ve also forced eight turnovers in just four games.

“One of the big things [they’ve done] is get 14 (Hamilton) around the ball,” Engstrand said. “It feels like they’ve switched their defensive philosophy to play a defense where he can be involved in the run fits. He can be involved in coverages in different ways where they can put him to make plays.”

New York is already preparing for a quarterback change with Tyrod Taylor scheduled to make his second start of the season on Sunday. Preparing for the top-ranked safety in the game on top of that will only make Taylor’s job more difficult.

Hamilton’s skill set makes him an incredibly hard defender to slow down. For the Jets and Engstrand, though, it’s something that must be done if the team is to have any hope of pulling off a road upset as 13.5-point underdogs.