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Odafe Oweh bulked up in the offseason, adding 20 pounds to try to strengthen his run defense and bring more power in the pass rush.

Three games in, his gains have not been put to the test.

By the end of last season, Oweh was being used in primarily the pass rush, with outside linebacker Tavius Robinson shouldering a heavier share of the run-defense snaps. That trend has continued this season, with 75% of Oweh’s playing time coming in pass-rush situations.

Oweh is second on the team in pressures (eight) but has yet to sack the quarterback.

However, the defense as a whole has struggled to sack the quarterback. Defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike leads the team with two sacks, despite not having played in Week 3. Robinson is the only other player with a sack.

And the defense won’t have many opportunities to get to the quarterback unless the Ravens fix their run defense.

“If you don’t stop the run, you can’t have fun is a saying we have,” Oweh said.

Without Madubuike (neck), the Ravens could not stop the run, and they certainly didn’t have fun. They gave up 224 rushing yards, the most by a Ravens defense since the Oct. 15, 2017, loss to the Chicago Bears when they gave up 231. And they fell to the Lions 38-30.

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Oweh, in particular, isn’t having fun because the team’s inability to stop the run doesn’t just mean he can’t get at the quarterback — it also means he can’t get on the field in general.

“I feel like I’m only really in for the pass, so I haven’t really got a chance to show that [the difference the offseason work made],” Oweh said.

His feelings are correct. Of his 107 snaps, 80 have been pass-rush snaps, eight have been in coverage and 19 have been on run defense.

Comparatively, Robinson has 75 run, 69 pass-rush and six coverage snaps, while rookie Mike Green has 50 run, 68 pass-rush and five coverage snaps.

As the Lions kept running over them (“What smart OC [offensive coordinator] is not going to keep on running the ball?” Oweh said), Oweh’s snaps dropped to just six in the second half.

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His share of defensive snaps has fallen to 47%, the lowest of his career, far behind his first season, when he played 65% of the defense’s snaps.

However, when he is on the field, Oweh is performing above average to great, at least according to PFF grades.

In the pass rush, he has averaged a grade of 72.8 across three games. His run defense grade is much lower but still above average at 58.8. That’s the highest run defense grade among active Ravens outside linebackers — although it comes in a much smaller sample than Robinson’s and Green’s.

“I think Dafe, I think you’ve seen him make plays,” defensive coordinator Zach Orr said. “We had different personnel groupings and different positions in there trying to stop the run. But, you know, I got full confidence in Dafe and his ability. So I think his snaps will continue to grow.”

Although he has made his name in the pass rush with his 10-sack season last year, Oweh isn’t against contributing to the run defense if given the opportunity.

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“My goal is just to make an impact,” Oweh said. “If they want me in there on the run, I’m going to be in there and I’m gonna try to do my best to make an impact. But for now it’s pass.”

Odafe Oweh had two tackles, one solo, against the Lions. (Jessica Gallagher/The Banner)

Oweh is also being challenged to make an impact in another way: as a leader. Coming into the season, he was the second-oldest outside linebacker in the room, a fact he found hard to grasp.

“I feel like, each year, I’m having to also get better,” Oweh said. “... This year is a really young room, so it’s kind of forcing me to be in that [leadership] position. But at the same time I know there are aspects of my game that I’ve got to get better at so I can be a leader for them, too. It’s kind of a weird dynamic I’m in right now, but I’m taking those strides.”

But, with veteran Kyle Van Noy out with a hamstring injury, Oweh is the oldest and the most experienced outside linebacker on the roster.

Following a disappointing defensive performance against the Lions, he’s trying to keep his teammates focused.

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“Silence out the noise on the outside,” Oweh said. “Obviously, everyone is saying the same thing, but guys have to keep confidence in themselves, do what the coaches are telling us to do and try to go out there and make plays.”

The Ravens have a big test ahead. They face Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday.

The Chiefs have had the edge (or the toe) on the Ravens since 2015, winning six of seven matchups.

But the hero of that one Ravens win?

Oweh, who punched the ball out of running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s arms as the Chiefs tried to erase their one-point deficit with 1:29 left in the game.

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Maybe, with the Chiefs looking the weakest they have in a while, this is the perfect opportunity for the Ravens defense — and Oweh — to right itself.