This was a big win for Baltimore’s defense, who played one of their best games without one of their best players.

Defensive coordinator Zach Orr said the Ravens needed to fill the void left by Smith’s absence “by committee,” and a host of players answered the call. Malik Harrison, Trenton Simpson, Chris Board and Kristian Welch made their presence felt at inside linebacker.

Always a big hitter, Harrison managed several tough takedowns on his way to leading the Ravens with 12 tackles. He played inside linebacker and outside linebacker and contributed on special teams in one of the best games of his career.

“A lot of people doubted me coming into this game, so I’m glad I was able to come out,” Harrison said.

It was impressive to see the Ravens calm down defensively after the Chargers marched 70 yards for a touchdown on their first drive in nine games. The first possession looked easy as the Chargers didn’t even have to contend with a third down.

However, the Ravens adjusted and took this game to the Chargers, allowing quarterback Justin Herbert to go 0-3 in his career against Baltimore and holding him to just 218 passing yards.

Since Ar’Darius Washington entered the starting lineup as a safety two games ago and All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton played more often in the middle of the field, the Ravens have stopped giving up easy touchdowns in the passing game, and Baltimore’s pass rush has already benefited from it , that he had more time to get home since Herbert sacked four times in that game. The Chargers offense didn’t have a 20-yard game all night.

If the Ravens continue to play defense like this, they will continue to win.