Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Ravens make case for best pass rush duo

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Outside linebacker Terrell Suggs remembers hearing about the top pass-rush duos in the NFL before the season and noticing a glaring omission -- the Baltimore Ravens weren't on it.

There were Kansas City's Justin Houston and Tamba Hali; St. Louis' Robert Quinn and Chris Long; Carolina's Greg Hardy and Charles Johnson; Denver's Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware; and New Orleans' Cameron Jordan and Junior Galette.

"I think we got a tremendous amount of disrespect during the offseason," Suggs said. "But I think that’ll probably change come this next offseason.”

It'll likely be a dramatic change. Suggs and Elvis Dumervil have put together a convincing argument that they're the league's best pass rush tandem with 24.5 combined sacks, which ranks first in the NFL. They have more sacks than eight NFL teams this season, including the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Dumervil is tied for the NFL lead with 16 sacks, and Suggs is 15th with 8.5. They have combined for 20.5 sacks over the last eight games and each rank in the top 10 in sacks over that stretch.

"When you have a top duo in sacks, it really helps the team overall," Dumervil said. "You have two guys really performing well. He’s been doing a great job. He’s been disruptive on his side. It allows me to have one-on-ones, and vice versa. So, we both can take advantage of one-on-ones. It definitely helps our defense.”

Dumervil and Suggs should have a lot of opportunities to add to their sack totals. The Jaguars have allowed 54 sacks, which is eight more than any team in the league.

"They definitely pose challenges to quarterbacks," Jaguars rookie quarterback Blake Bortles said.

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