This was a huge win for Baltimore’s defense, which played one of its best games without one of its best players.

Defensive coordinator Zach Orr said the Ravens would have 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 all made their presence felt at inside linebacker.

Harrison has always been a big hitter and he made several punishing takedowns on his way to leading the Ravens with twelve tackles. He played inside linebacker, outside linebacker and contributed on special teams in a career-best game.

“A lot of people had doubts about me getting into this competition, so I’m glad I was able to stand out,” Harrison said.

Impressively, the Ravens settled down defensively after the Chargers marched 70 yards in nine plays for a touchdown on their opening drive. That first possession looked easy as the Chargers didn’t even face a third down.

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

Since Ar’Darius Washington safely entered the starting lineup two games ago, while 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 the pass rush Baltimore took advantage of having more time to get home, as Herbert made four sacks in the game. The Chargers offense didn’t have a 20-yard play all night.

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