ExtremeRavens

It’s still too early to give up on the Ravens. Just look at the numbers. While history suggests that it’s an uphill climb for a 1-3 team to bounce back and make the postseason — just 11 of 88 squads with that record have done it since 2015 — not many 1-3 teams are as talented on paper as Baltimore. As such, the playoff projection systems still consider the Ravens more likely than not to be playing meaningful football in January. Entering a Week 4 game against the visiting Houston Texans with backup quarterback Cooper Rush likely stepping in for injured star Lamar Jackson, the NFL’s Next Gen Stats still give the Ravens a 64% chance of making the playoffs. That would increase to 74% with a victory and would only drop to 57% with a loss. That’s pretty remarkable, considering only 17 NFL teams that lost four of their first five games would go on to make the playoffs, including the 2024 Los Angeles Rams (and nearly the 2024 Cincinnati Bengals). For example, per Next Gen Stats, the six other 1-3 teams this season all have a 42% chance or less to make the playoffs. Excluding the Texans, a playoff team in each of the past two seasons, that number drops to 14% or worse. The Washington Post’s playoff forecast, which is produced by simulating every game 25,000 times, is even more bullish, giving the Ravens an 80% chance to make the postseason. That’s much higher than the AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers, who at 3-1 have a 59% chance to make the field. In fact, only the undefeated Buffalo Bills (4-0) have better odds than Baltimore at greater than 99%. That’s because The Post’s model still considers the Ravens one of the strongest teams in the NFL. Baltimore’s predicted margin of victory against an average opponent on a neutral field is plus-4.5, which ranks sixth behind only the Detroit Lions (+7.5), Bills (+6.5), Philadelphia Eagles (+6.5), Kansas City Chiefs (+5.5) and Green Bay Packers (+5). All three of Baltimore’s losses have come against that top tier. ESPN’s Football Power Index is skeptical of the Ravens, though. FPI, which represents how many points above or below average a team is based on 10,000 simulations of the rest of the season, has the Ravens at just plus-0.3, which ranks 15th. For comparison, the 2024 Ravens, who went 12-5 en route to a second straight AFC North title, ranked first at a whopping plus-8.1. Still, FPI gives the Ravens a 70% chance to make the playoffs, the sixth-best odds in the AFC narrowly behind the Steelers (71%). A softer finish to the season is a big reason, with Baltimore’s remaining strength of schedule ranking ninth-easiest, according to FPI. Meanwhile, Pro Football Focus shows how devastating it would be for Jackson to miss an extended period of time. The two-time NFL Most Valuable Player could be out two to three weeks after injuring his hamstring against the Kansas City Chiefs, The Baltimore Sun reported. With Rush, who was 9-5 in eight seasons as a spot starter for the Cowboys, PFF gives the Ravens just a 34% chance to make the playoffs and an average of just 7.5 wins this season. It’s worth noting that those projections don’t know exactly how to account for the Ravens’ injury woes. In addition to Jackson, Baltimore could also be without middle linebacker Roquan Smith (hamstring), safety Kyle Hamilton (groin), cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey (calf) and Chidobe Awuzie (hamstring) and fullback Patrick Ricard (calf), all of whom missed practice this week. Several other key players, including left tackle Ronnie Stanley (ankle) and cornerback Nate Wiggins (elbow), are also banged up. Related Articles Ravens vs. Texans scouting report for Week 5: Who has the edge? What’s wrong with the Ravens’ offense? Start with the running game. Ravens Week 4 high school football Coaches of the Week Ravens’ Zach Orr knows it’s now or never for defense: ‘Hit people harder’ Ravens injury report: Lamar Jackson, Kyle Hamilton missing from practice There’s also the format to consider. This is the fifth season with an expanded playoff field after the NFL bumped the total number of participants from 12 to 14. At the moment, the Steelers (3-1), Indianapolis Colts (3-1), Jacksonville Jaguars (3-1), Denver Broncos (2-2), New England Patriots (2-2) and Texans (1-3) are the teams most likely fighting for those three wild-card spots behind the four division champions. On a neutral field with Jackson healthy, it’s likely that none of those teams would be favored to beat the Ravens. But at this point in the season, Jackson’s health is a huge “what if.” Have a news tip? Contact sports editor C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon. View the full article

The numbers are as head-scratching as they are surprising for the Ravens. Through the first four games of this season, Baltimore leads the NFL in yards per carry (6.2) and explosive runs (20.3%). Yet, its rushing success rate — a metric of how often a running play achieves its down-and-distance goals — is last in the league. The Ravens also are tops in yards per carry on runs on first or second down (6.0), per ESPN research, but they have run the ball the fewest of any team on those downs. Added together, it has contributed to a high-variance offense that feasts one week — or one drive — and famishes the next. It has also led to an identity crisis. Last season, the Ravens led the NFL in rushing yards per game (187.6) and yards per carry (5.8), numbers that fit with the ground-and-pound descriptor that has long been a moniker for this team. This season, however, they are just ninth in rushing yards per game (133.5) and only two teams (Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals) have run fewer than the Baltimore’s 86 attempts. In 2024, Derrick Henry was second in the league in rushing yards (1,921) and first in yards per carry (5.9) among starting backs. This year, he is eighth in yards (284), though his 5.8 yards per carry ranks second among starting backs. “We need to be able to run it better,” offensive coordinator Todd Monken said Thursday. “We need to call it more often because we have really good players back there.” Offensively, play calling was at the nexus of coach John Harbaugh’s concerns and biting criticism after a 37-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium this past Sunday. It was the Ravens’ third loss in four games and has them off to their worst start in a decade, with Harbaugh noting that the defeat “exposed” their offense. A spate of injuries have played a major role, but so has an offense that has been largely healthy yet failed to find consistency. “We don’t have a rhythm on offense right now,” Harbaugh said Monday. “Going forward, the challenge is to get a feel for what we want to do and how we want to do it. We have to regain a rhythm, and yes, it’s execution at times. It’s choosing what we’re going to do in certain situations.” Getting the ground game going would be a good place to start. In Week 1, Baltimore gashed the Bills with 29 rushes for 238 yards and three touchdowns. But Buffalo won the game, 41-40, thanks to a series of defensive miscues and a critical fumble by Henry in his own end of the field in the fourth quarter along with an inability or lack of attempts to run down the clock. A week later, the Ravens blew out the Browns, but managed just 45 yards on 21 rushing attempts against Cleveland’s top-ranked run defense. Henry was held to just 23 yards — his lowest total since 2023 — on 11 carries. In a 38-30 loss to the Lions, Henry toted the ball just 12 times, including on only four occasions in the second half, for 50 yards. But 22 of those came on his lone score. Last week in Kansas City, the five-time Pro Bowl back had just eight carries — his fewest in a game since 2018 — for 42 yards. “We don't have a rhythm on offense right now,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) “There’s not one thing John said that we didn’t already talk about,” Monken said of Harbaugh’s criticism of the play calling. “You gotta look at what you do. How do we scheme it, how do we coach it, how do we execute it, how was our plan. … When it’s below the line you got to own it and fix it. “We didn’t execute the way we planned.” Though there have been myriad examples, perhaps nothing epitomized that more than the Chiefs’ game. On three occasions, the Ravens faced third- or fourth-and-1 and all three times they opted for a pass play. Henry also wasn’t on the field for any of them, and the three passing attempts fell incomplete. What’s the fix? Running more plays would be a good place to start. So far, the Ravens are averaging just 52.5 offensive plays per game. Only the Browns are averaging fewer. That’s also down from the 61.9 that Baltimore averaged last season. More plays would then, at least in theory, lead to more runs. “Some of it is,” Monken said when asked if it has been surprising how little Baltimore has run the ball. “We have to be able to run it more often.” Better blocking would help, too. Pro Football Focus has the Ravens ranked as the 25th best run blocking team, tied with the Browns and just ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers with a 67.4 grade. Left guard Andrew Vorhees (53.3), right guard Daniel Faalele (54.7) and right tackle Roger Rosengarten (59.5) have particularly struggled. Not having fullback Patrick Ricard, who has been sidelined with a calf injury since mid-August, hasn’t helped, either. Tight end Zaire Mitchell-Paden has filed in “admirably” Monken said. He also said not having Ricard isn’t an excuse. Now comes a Texans defense that ranks 12th in rushing yards per game (102.3) but is also first in the league in scoring (12.8) behind ends Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. along with defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins and linebackers Azeez Al-Shaair, Christian Harris and Henry To’oTo’o. That could make yards tough to come by for the Ravens. With quarterback Lamar Jackson not expected to play because of a hamstring injury, it will be even tougher. The dynamic two-time NFL Most Valuable Player leads in the NFL in touchdown passes (10) and passer rating (130.5) while also rushing for 166 yards and another score on 21 carries. In his place will be the far-less mobile Cooper Rush, though it’s possible the agile Tyler Huntley could get on the field as well. Related Articles Ravens vs. Texans scouting report for Week 5: Who has the edge? Ravens playoff odds: The projections are still confident in a 1-3 team Ravens Week 4 high school football Coaches of the Week Ravens’ Zach Orr knows it’s now or never for defense: ‘Hit people harder’ Ravens injury report: Lamar Jackson, Kyle Hamilton missing from practice Even with the spate of injuries, Henry and his teammates are confident that they’ll get back on track. Being able to run the ball effectively and control the clock would also help keep a beleaguered Baltimore defense off the field. “The mindset is go win the football game,” Henry said. “Ain’t nothing’s changed.” That includes his job, he said. “I’m just focused on doing my job better than I have during the last four weeks, and it starts off there,” Henry said. “Just keep focusing on that and let it translate to the game. It takes all of us for the run game. “Like I said after the game on Sunday, dominate the line of scrimmage [and] execution are the big things. Every man doing their job the way that they know how, and then going out there and putting it all together so we have success.” Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

Each week during the high school football season, The Baltimore Sun and the Baltimore Ravens will select one tackle football and one girls flag football Coach of the Week. Here are the winners for Week 4: Tackle football Joey Hall, Old Mill: A 2009 Old Mill graduate, Hall has the Patriots undefeated at 4-0 after a lopsided 42-9 win over defending Class 3A state champion Arundel last week. Hall’s squad leads with a punishing run game, but they are well-balanced with a defense that is allowing only 5.5 points per game. Girls flag football Rob Dixon, Frederick: Dixon’s Cadets are off to a strong start this year. They are unbeaten and outscoring opponents 128-12 in four contests, only giving up two touchdowns on the season. His squad has won seven of its past eight games dating to last year. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Tim Schwartz at timschwartz@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/timschwartz13. Related Articles Ravens’ Zach Orr knows it’s now or never for defense: ‘Hit people harder’ Ravens injury report: Lamar Jackson, Kyle Hamilton missing from practice READERS RESPOND: Ravens fans blame coaches, not injuries, for 1-3 start Staff picks for Week 5 of 2025 NFL season: 49ers vs. Rams, Commanders vs. Chargers and more Mike Preston: Ravens need to play Keaton Mitchell vs. Texans | COMMENTARY View the full article

Thursday was Chuck Pagano’s birthday, meaning the Ravens’ senior secondary coach was called on to impart some piece of wisdom during a team meeting. It’s a longstanding tradition under coach John Harbaugh. Pagano used it as an opportunity to address what has been a dismal 1-3 start for a team ravaged by injuries, now facing an impasse. “Hey, we’re not in the position that we want to be in,” Pagano told the team, according to defensive coordinator Zach Orr. “But this is a test. And in life, you’re going to get tested. You’re either going to step up or turn it down.” Such is the message for a Ravens team in dire need of a win Sunday against the Houston Texans. But also for Orr, specifically, who’s fighting to save his job with a defense missing a swath of starters. This week, in particular, feels like a herculean task. Orr used his Thursday news conference to wax about how his defense needs to “take it up a notch.” They’re at the bottom of the league by most metrics, not tackling like Orr expected and failing to force turnovers in the way that he hoped. They “haven’t been playing good football,” he said, and the overwhelming message in the room is that it’s now or never. “I know it sounds good, me saying it up here,” Orr said, “but we got to go do it on Sunday.” That now or never message — more specifically, Orr told his players, “adversity causes some men to break and some to break records” — feels like Herb Brooks in “Miracle,” lighting a fire under overmatched backups. It’s times like this when Orr would lean on Baltimore’s All-Pro game wreckers to patch up the defense. There’s a chance only a few of them — or none — play. Linebacker Roquan Smith (hamstring), cornerback Marlon Humphrey (calf) and safety Kyle Hamilton (groin) have all missed practice time, while defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike was shut down for the season because of a neck injury. That’s a lot of firepower missing from a defense that already struggles to keep teams off schedule. According to Sports Info Solutions, opposing teams have a 43% third-down success rate against the Ravens, which is in the sixth percentile of all teams since 2016. Outside linebacker Tavius Robinson, one of the defensive line’s few remaining regulars, said, “I think everything is very correctable.” It’s easy to look at the long road ahead and wonder how this team pulls itself up. They can’t afford to think that way. They’re 1-3. Since 1990, when the league expanded to six playoff teams per conference, 35 teams have made the postseason after a 1-3 start. Only 12 did it after a 1-4 start. “With the injuries,” Hamilton said, the thinking can only be, “‘What’s my job this week based on who’s in [and] who’s out?’ I think if we shift our philosophy a little bit — I’m not saying we are doing it completely wrong — but there can be a better focus on being where your feet are.” If none of those guys can play this weekend, who wears the green dot? Who is called on to communicate at all three levels and ensure the defense is in proper position? Usually it’s Smith. Hamilton has historically been next in line. If not, Orr said that he feels comfortable handing it to someone who has done it before. He said so without including names. Perhaps it will be rookie linebacker Teddye Buchanan, who has yet to play every defensive snap in a game this season but wore it during the preseason, or Trenton Simpson, the third-string linebacker who lost his starting job Week 1. Rookie first-round draft pick Malaki Starks might be not make geographical sense lining up as a deep safety. “Obviously, we got a lot of young guys who are gonna go out there and play football for us,” Orr said. “We work the mess out of the rookies, within the rules, and we tell them it’s for a reason like this. You never know when you might have to be out there.” As the second-year coordinator pointed out, everyone in the building has at one point said, publicly or privately, “I’m that dude.” What they lack in experience, they make up for in confidence. And they’re the ones in charge of slapping a Band-Aid on this season from hell. Orr used to play linebacker in the NFL. He knows what it’s like to face the cameras when things aren’t going well. And put blinders up to the public perception of a team against the ropes. Orr didn’t duck from the problems at hand. “We’ve got to get teams into more third-and-long situations,” he said. “I think we have to hit people harder,” he said. “Let’s start knocking the ball loose.” Most of their issues “start up front in the trenches,” he said. Related Articles Ravens injury report: Lamar Jackson, Kyle Hamilton missing from practice READERS RESPOND: Ravens fans blame coaches, not injuries, for 1-3 start Staff picks for Week 5 of 2025 NFL season: 49ers vs. Rams, Commanders vs. Chargers and more Mike Preston: Ravens need to play Keaton Mitchell vs. Texans | COMMENTARY Ravens replacement crew: Meet the reserves set to play key roles Orr knows that there’s a spotlight on him to get this defense corrected. It will linger until either the Ravens start winning again or if the defense at least climbs back from last in the league, à la the 2024 group after the bye week. Orr’s one-year track record shows that he can start (very) slow and turn things around. This situation is much tougher than last year. Scanning the injury report, it feels nearly impossible heading into a must-win game against a slow-start Texans offense. Harbaugh already gave his vote of confidence in Orr’s ability to right the ship when pressed on the topic earlier this week. But last year, Dean Pees joined the staff in an advisory role. This year, Pagano’s head coaching experience has come in handy as another sounding board amidst adversity. Orr isn’t trying to do this alone. He knows what’s at stake. “I personally do not care how it gets done or which way we do it — I care about the end result,” he said. “And whatever is going to help us go play dominant defense and help our team win games, I’m down for doing it.” Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn.x.com. View the full article

Two of the Ravens’ best players were absent from practice Thursday, as quarterback Lamar Jackson remains sidelined with a hamstring injury and safety Kyle Hamilton was missing with a groin injury. Jackson is unlikely to play Sunday vs. the Texans. While Jackson’s injury knocked him out of Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs, Hamilton’s injury popped up this week. He was limited at Wednesday’s practice before missing Thursday’s practice. It’s unclear when Hamilton suffered his groin injury. In addition to those absences, the Ravens were without cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey (calf) and Chidobe Awuzie (hamstring). Fullback Pat Ricard (calf) and middle linebacker Roquan Smith (hamstring) missed practice as well. Defensive tackles Nnamdi Madubuike (neck) and Broderick Washington Jr. (ankle) are on injured reserve, with Madubuike out for the rest of the season. If Hamilton and Smith were to miss Sunday’s game, that would force another defensive player to wear the “green dot” communication headset to relay the play calls. It wasn’t all bad news Thursday, though. Cornerback Nate Wiggins (elbow) and left tackle Ronnie Stanley (ankle) returned to practice. Wide receiver Devontez Walker (ankle) practiced, too. Center Tyler Linderbaum was at practice Thursday after being limited Wednesday because of a calf injury. This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Bennett Conlin at bconlin@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/BennettConlin. Related Articles READERS RESPOND: Ravens fans blame coaches, not injuries, for 1-3 start Staff picks for Week 5 of 2025 NFL season: 49ers vs. Rams, Commanders vs. Chargers and more Mike Preston: Ravens need to play Keaton Mitchell vs. Texans | COMMENTARY Ravens replacement crew: Meet the reserves set to play key roles Ravens’ secondary ready to lean on depth vs. Texans: ‘My time is now’ View the full article

We asked readers what’s most to blame for the Ravens’ 1-3 start to the season. Here are the results from our online poll: Coach John Harbaugh — 41% (326 votes) Defensive coordinator Zach Orr — 26% (203 votes) Injuries — 20% (161 votes) Other — 7% (56 votes) Challenging schedule — 6% (46 votes) Here’s what some fans have told us about the Ravens’ sluggish start to the 2025 season (answers have been edited for clarity and grammar): Listen, for the last five years this team has had the best talent of any team in all of football. They have made offensive coordinators, defensive coordinators, special team coaches and receivers coaches all scapegoats for not winning championships. The only common denominator through all of this — that escapes scrutiny — has been John Harbaugh. The owner of this team would rather have continuity than win Super Bowls. Fair or unfair it’s way passed time for Harbaugh to be fired. His voice has become stale after 18 years and no longer has this locker room. It’s totally unacceptable for a team with this much talent to have nothing to show for it. — Bob lancione Blaming Harbaugh is ridiculous. Poor offensive line play and injuries are the problem. Losing Nnamdi Madubuike was larger than we realize. It just goes to show that Madubuike not being included in the NFL top 100 is ridiculous. It’s not too late to win it all. Harbaugh is the coach to pull them through this. We need a big trade for defensive linemen. We’ll be fine. We have to win the next two games. We can’t pay any attention to the fickle fans. — Kenny Anderson The offensive line is not protecting quarterback Lamar Jackson hardly at all. The defensive line is missing tackles and committing way too many penalties. That’s costing us yardage, field position and ultimately games. Running back Derrick Henry hasn’t really produced much. Receivers have been mediocre. All in all we just aren’t playing, sad to say, like a high-caliber pro football team, despite the mounting injuries. I’m just not sure where we go from here? — Kim Berk This year’s debacle is a perfect storm. Between the injuries (especially Madubuike), poor football fundamentals (especially tackling), over-evaluation of talent and poor coaching (or overthinking) in big games. This is why getting the opportunity to play for a championship should have a sense of urgency and not be taken for granted. Each year, the team dynamic changes with respect to salary cap, coaching personnel and being prone to injuries. I am sure that Coach Harbaugh and general manager Eric DeCosta are aware of the closing window of opportunity. They deserve the opportunity to complete the season and evaluate the success (or shortcomings) in totality — not just in a four-game snippet. — Dan Handley It’s a combination of issues, not a single one! Initially the defense was not ready against Buffalo, same as last year’s start with too many miscommunications and lack of aggressive play calling. At this point in his career and experience Zach Orr is not creative nor confident enough to compete with the play calling of the more experienced and aggressive coaches like Steve Spagnuolo. Now they have the injury excuse, but that was not case against Buffalo. You can’t blame the coaches for Lamar’s turnovers in the previous playoff losses and against Kansas City on Sunday. He is a great athlete, but not a great quarterback. Great quarterbacks find a way to win and do not turn the ball over! Maybe someday he will achieve that ability! And now of course, injuries have plagued the team and it’s a ready-made excuse for their dismal record. Changing any coaches at this time would be of little benefit. But it’s still possible to salvage the season! — Jon Swanson We have prioritized skill players over the trenches. Our guard play has continued to decline. We have allowed top-notch edge rushers and linebackers to go and it shows. We fail to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks and opponents regularly get pressure on ours. Linderbaum is a good center but centers are a dime a dozen. Meanwhile we have too much money invested in Humphrey and other cornerbacks, including our star signing this offseason whose yet to see the field to no one’s surprise. — Peter Levy Mike Preston got it right — Lamar, as good as he can be at times, choked in another big game. Yes, injuries, but every NFL team these days deals with multiple injuries. — Lowell In 2018, it was written that Harbaugh was on a very hot seat. Along comes Jackson and basically saves his job. For the past couple years, the Ravens have had one of the best rosters in the NFL, but no Super Bowl appearances to show for it. Yes, injuries are a problem but every team has injuries. Harbaugh hand-picked his defensive coordinator over many other more qualified candidates since Harbaugh likes to be in control. He wants “yes men.” But owner Steve Biscotti will not make any head coaching changes until the offseason, if at all. However, if the Ravens lose their next two games you can be sure that a coordinator will be removed during the bye week. The Ravens have had just too much talent over the past decade or more to not even appear in a Super Bowl. Harbaugh is the common denominator for the Ravens’ failures. And as much as he has been criticized, Mike Tomlin always seems to have the Steelers competitive. — Robert The first string offensive linemen do not get enough playing time together in preseason. They should be playing at least one quarter together in each preseason game. Practice doesn’t make perfect, PERFECT practice makes perfect. If you want a great running game, which will keep our “average” defense from being exposed, we need to control the clock and control the ball. A solid running game, with our big lineman should expose the teams that have so many small linebackers. — Rocco Ferretti Unimaginative play-calling and the under-utilization of Henry. Only eight carries against Kansas City? — Phil Biedronski Related Articles Staff picks for Week 5 of 2025 NFL season: 49ers vs. Rams, Commanders vs. Chargers and more Mike Preston: Ravens need to play Keaton Mitchell vs. Texans | COMMENTARY Ravens replacement crew: Meet the reserves set to play key roles Ravens’ secondary ready to lean on depth vs. Texans: ‘My time is now’ Ravens QB Lamar Jackson among 10 injured starters entering game vs. Texans It’s a combination of everything plus a year-in, year-out problem with building and keeping a championship quality offensive line plus offseason and preseason strength and conditioning and a front office that seems to be disconnected from the issues on the field. — Jim Rudolph Between sports announcers telling everyone how good Jackson is and our defense in a two-year hole, it should’t surprise anyone we start off bad but until they go back to working hard this team will stink. — Tom Brown Derrick Henry’s fumbles and bad defense. Hopefully assistant Chuck Pagano takes over the defense completely and works his magic. — Gary Holtman Jr. Most to blame would be the lack of defense. They’re trying to bump runners and receivers instead of tackling them! — Vince Lioi Our team is soft serve. Vanilla coaching for sure! — Rich Hunt The Baltimore Sun reader poll is an unscientific survey in which website users volunteer their opinions on the subject of the poll. To see results from previous sports polls, go to baltimoresun.com/sportspoll View the full article

Baltimore Sun staff writers and FOX45’s Patrice Sanders pick every game of the NFL season. Here’s who they have winning in Week 5: San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams (Thursday, 8:15 p.m.) Brian Wacker (12-3-1 last week, 46-17-1 overall): Rams Sam Cohn (11-4-1 last week, 47-16-1 overall): Rams Mike Preston (11-4-1 last week, 46-17-1 overall): Rams Josh Tolentino (11-4-1 last week, 47-16-1 overall): Rams C.J. Doon (9-6-1 last week, 41-22-1 overall): Rams Bennett Conlin (10-5-1 last week, 42-21-1 overall): Rams Tim Schwartz (8-7-1 last week, 39-24-1 overall): Rams Patrice Sanders (9-6-1 last week, 41-22-1 overall): Rams Minnesota Vikings vs. Cleveland Browns (Sunday, 9:30 a.m.) Wacker: Browns Cohn: Vikings Preston: Browns Tolentino: Vikings Doon: Vikings Conlin: Browns Schwartz: Vikings Sanders: Vikings Miami Dolphins vs. Carolina Panthers (Sunday, 1 p.m.) Wacker: Panthers Cohn: Dolphins Preston: Dolphins Tolentino: Dolphins Doon: Dolphins Conlin: Dolphins Schwartz: Dolphins Sanders: Dolphins Las Vegas Raiders vs. Indianapolis Colts (Sunday, 1 p.m.) Wacker: Colts Cohn: Colts Preston: Colts Tolentino: Colts Doon: Colts Conlin: Colts Schwartz: Colts Sanders: Colts Related Articles Mike Preston: Ravens need to play Keaton Mitchell vs. Texans | COMMENTARY Ravens replacement crew: Meet the reserves set to play key roles Ravens’ secondary ready to lean on depth vs. Texans: ‘My time is now’ Ravens QB Lamar Jackson among 10 injured starters entering game vs. Texans Watch ‘Overtime’ of Ep. 6 of the BMore Football Podcast with The Baltimore Sun’s Mike Preston and Jerry Coleman presented by Rice Law New York Giants vs. New Orleans Saints (Sunday, 1 p.m.) Wacker: Giants Cohn: Giants Preston: Saints Tolentino: Saints Doon: Saints Conlin: Giants Schwartz: Giants Sanders: Giants Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Jets (Sunday, 1 p.m.) Wacker: Cowboys Cohn: Cowboys Preston: Cowboys Tolentino: Cowboys Doon: Cowboys Conlin: Jets Schwartz: Cowboys Sanders: Cowboys Denver Broncos vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Sunday, 1 p.m.) Wacker: Eagles Cohn: Eagles Preston: Eagles Tolentino: Eagles Doon: Eagles Conlin: Eagles Schwartz: Eagles Sanders: Eagles Tennessee Titans vs. Arizona Cardinals (Sunday, 4:05 p.m.) Wacker: Cardinals Cohn: Cardinals Preston: Cardinals Tolentino: Cardinals Doon: Cardinals Conlin: Cardinals Schwartz: Cardinals Sanders: Cardinals Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Seattle Seahawks (Sunday, 4:05 p.m.) Wacker: Seahawks Cohn: Buccaneers Preston: Buccaneers Tolentino: Buccaneers Doon: Buccaneers Conlin: Seahawks Schwartz: Buccaneers Sanders: Seahawks Detroit Lions vs. Cincinnati Bengals (Sunday, 4:25 p.m.) Wacker: Lions Cohn: Lions Preston: Lions Tolentino: Lions Doon: Lions Conlin: Lions Schwartz: Lions Sanders: Lions Washington Commanders vs. Los Angeles Chargers (Sunday, 4:25 p.m.) Wacker: Chargers Cohn: Commanders Preston: Chargers Tolentino: Chargers Doon: Commanders Conlin: Commanders Schwartz: Chargers Sanders: Chargers New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills (Sunday, 8:20 p.m.) Wacker: Bills Cohn: Bills Preston: Bills Tolentino: Bills Doon: Bills Conlin: Bills Schwartz: Bills Sanders: Bills Kansas City Chiefs vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (Monday, 8:15 p.m.) Wacker: Chiefs Cohn: Chiefs Preston: Chiefs Tolentino: Chiefs Doon: Chiefs Conlin: Chiefs Schwartz: Chiefs Sanders: Chiefs Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Tim Schwartz at timschwartz@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/timschwartz13. View the full article

Now is the perfect time for the Ravens to play third-year running back Keaton Mitchell, and they might need to sprinkle in a little of third-string quarterback Tyler Huntley to go along with expected starter Cooper Rush. In case you haven’t heard, or live on another planet, Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson isn’t likely to play Sunday against the Houston Texans at M&T Bank Stadium because of a hamstring issue. “Well, Tyler Huntley, yes. If Lamar is down, Tyler will be up. As far as Keaton, yes, there’s a chance of that as well,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh when asked if both players would play against the Texans. Jackson is the best dual-threat quarterback in the history of the NFL, and his fleet-footedness on the outside or perimeter is what drives defensive coordinators wacky. He can hand off inside the tackles to running back Derrick Henry or dart outside for big gainers on the option play. He makes the defense defend an entire field, but his absence will cause problems for Baltimore. So, who else do the Ravens have that can break a long run or be a threat on the outside? It’s Mitchell. This isn’t to slight Henry. If the Ravens ran the future Hall of Famer 30 times Sunday, it would be understandable, but Mitchell stretches the field, which the Ravens can’t do without Jackson. Plus, Henry has been in a little funk this season. He has as many fumbles as he does touchdowns (three), even though that’s more of an indictment of the offensive line than Henry. My favorite running play is still left tackle Ronnie Stanley pulling around the corner followed by 305-pound fullback Patrick Ricard and the 253-pound Henry, but Ricard has yet to play a game this season because of a calf injury and Stanley lasted only a quarter in the Kansas City game last week before heading to the bench with an ankle injury. We’re back to Mitchell again. In training camp this summer, he showed that he had the acceleration and the speed to turn the corner, and that’s his forte. He still might be the fastest player on the team at one point, running 22.4 mph during an organized team activity. Opposing defenses have to honor that speed. As an undrafted rookie in 2023, Mitchell had 47 carries for 396 yards and two touchdowns in eight games, two of those starts. Ravens running back Keaton Mitchell, shown after a touchdown rush during the preseason, hasn't played during the regular season despite a great training camp. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) He tore his ACL in a 23-7 win against Jacksonville in Week 15 and eventually was placed on injured reserve. He had only 15 carries for 30 yards last season, but that was more of a comeback season. The comeback appears to be complete. Play him. Justice Hill and Rasheen Ali are listed ahead of Mitchell on the depth chart. Hill has his role as a third-down specialist and is a better pass blocker than Mitchell. Ali has advantage because he can play on special teams, but none of them have Mitchell’s speed. No, not one. That’s why Huntley needs to appear in some capacity, too. With Rush in the lineup, the Ravens are basically a dink-and-dunk offense with an occasional pass downfield. But Huntley can run the option and he can turn the corner. Swoosh. Gone. Related Articles Ravens replacement crew: Meet the reserves set to play key roles Ravens’ secondary ready to lean on depth vs. Texans: ‘My time is now’ Ravens QB Lamar Jackson among 10 injured starters entering game vs. Texans Watch ‘Overtime’ of Ep. 6 of the BMore Football Podcast with The Baltimore Sun’s Mike Preston and Jerry Coleman presented by Rice Law Ravens reset: Injuries, struggling defense, play calling plague Baltimore Houston’s offense is inept, but the Texans can play defense. They are No. 1 in the league, allowing only 12.8 points per game, and No. 5 in total defense with an average of 280.5 yards allowed. They have two strong defensive ends in Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr., who have combined for seven sacks. If the Ravens want to slow them down, then speed is the great neutralizer with Mitchell, and even Huntley. The Ravens are near a panic state, and they should use every weapon imaginable. In the past, they could outmuscle a lot of teams, but that’s not the case anymore, not with guards Daniel Faalele and Andrew Vorhees and right tackle Roger Rosengarten struggling. The Ravens have allowed 10 sacks in the past two games. Harbaugh doesn’t usually talk about offensive assistants but did attack the play calling this week after the Chiefs game. That’s nothing new, especially with a veteran like Todd Monken compared with second-year defensive coordinator Zach Orr. It could have been to deflect some of the criticism of Orr. But the Ravens have to mix and match Sunday, take a chance and maybe hit some home runs. The best player for that might be Mitchell. And add a little Huntley to really spice things up. Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article

It was Week 18 last season and linebacker Jake Hummel and left tackle Joe Noteboom got the nod for the Rams against the Seahawks in Seattle. With the NFC West title wrapped up and a playoff seed secured, Los Angeles rested many of its starters in what ended up being a wild 30-25 overtime loss, but the two veteran reserves performed admirably. Hummel, who filled in for Christian Rozeboom, had eight tackles and allowed just one catch to earn a Pro Football Focus coverage grade of 88.5. Noteboom, in for Alaric Jackson, made his fourth start and allowed four pressures and two quarterback hits, per PFF, but no sacks in 46 pass blocking snaps. Now they, along with a handful of other reserves, could get another opportunity to do so, this time for the Ravens on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium. The circumstances are also far different and much more dire. Baltimore enters its game against the Houston Texans 1-3 and spiraling amid a trio of dispiriting defeats and an outbreak of injuries. Pro Bowl left tackle Ronnie Stanley (ankle) and inside linebacker Roquan Smith (hamstring) are just two of several starters who are unlikely to be available. Notably, that includes quarterback Lamar Jackson (hamstring), who is not expected to play this week and will likely be replaced by veteran Cooper Rush. “It’s really like any other week,” Hummel said. “I’m always preparing to play if I have to. I guess this week it’s nice to know the chances of being out there are just higher.” Except it’s not just like any other week. Last year, the Ravens were far and away the healthiest team in the NFL. They led the league in adjusted games lost, according to FTN Fantasy, with a mark of 16.3 games lost. It was the lowest total by any team since 2017, and they were also the third-healthiest team of the past 14 years. Five weeks into the 2025 season, that’s out the window. As Baltimore took the field for practice Wednesday afternoon in Owings Mills, eight players were not participating because of varying degrees of injuries. In addition to Jackson, Smith and Stanley, also missing were cornerbacks Nate Wiggins (elbow), Marlon Humphrey (calf) and Chidobe Awuzie (hamstring), fullback Pat Ricard (calf) and wide receiver Devontez Walker (oblique). In all, a whopping 14 players were listed on the first injury report of the week, including Pro Bowl safety Kyle Hamilton (groin) and Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum (calf), both of whom were limited. Already, the Ravens have lost Pro Bowl defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike (neck) for the season, while veteran defensive tackle Broderick Washington Jr. (knee) will miss at least three more games before being able to come off injured reserve. Coach John Harbaugh has continued to preach a next-man-up mantra, but that also comes with consequences in a salary cap league — particularly when the quarterback and seven other players chew up more than 47% of available cap space. Do all those missing starters present a challenge when putting together a game plan? “Well, it’s a challenge for sure,” Harbaugh said. “But it’s a challenge to put it together every week. It’s a challenge when you have a totally healthy 53. “We’re gonna have a really good game plan. Now, let’s go out and execute it.” “We’re gonna have a really good game plan. Now, let’s go out and execute it," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said of preparing for a game amid a rash of injuries. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) But who exactly will help do so? Hummel and Noteboom figure to be two backups who will see a significant increase in their roles against the Texans this week and possibly next week against the Rams before a much-needed bye in Week 7. One way Hummel, the 26-year-old in his fourth year mostly as a special teams ace, will prepare is by upping his cardio on the bike and with extra running to account for the extra workload at linebacker. Noteboom, 30, will lean on the advice Stanley has imparted since training camp. They’re also veterans. Baltimore will need some of its younger, less experienced players to step in, too. If Wiggins and Humphrey are both out, for example, that could mean an increased role for Awuzie and Jaire Alexander but also second-year cornerback T.J. Tampa Jr. and undrafted rookie free agent Keyon Martin along with second-year safety Sanoussi Kane and undrafted rookie free agent safety Reuben Lowery III. Last week, the Ravens elevated defensive linemen C.J. Okoye, who made his first NFL start, and Josh Tupou from the practice squad. They could look to do so again, or possibly consider some combination that could include safety Keondre Jackson or cornerback Marquise Robinson, both rookies. Which perhaps is why on Wednesday many of the young defensive backs were still on the field at the end of practice putting in extra work. “We’re all embracing the opportunity,” Tampa said. “We’re all talking to each other, making sure we’re all on the same page and communicating like they were still here.” It should help facing a Houston team that while led by quarterback C.J. Stroud has regressed offensively since his 2023 rookie season and ranks 29th in points per game (16) and 25th in yards per game (288.8). The hope, too, is that the reps the Ravens’ younger players got throughout the preseason, when most starters did not play, will pay off now. Related Articles Ravens’ secondary ready to lean on depth vs. Texans: ‘My time is now’ Ravens QB Lamar Jackson among 10 injured starters entering game vs. Texans Watch ‘Overtime’ of Ep. 6 of the BMore Football Podcast with The Baltimore Sun’s Mike Preston and Jerry Coleman presented by Rice Law Ravens reset: Injuries, struggling defense, play calling plague Baltimore With Lamar Jackson hurt, Ravens’ investment in Cooper Rush put to test | COMMENTARY “All the preseason preparation is huge,” Hummel said. “When you get your young guys in in the offseason they do a really good job of that here getting those guys time in the building, learning the defense and learning the fundamentals. They do a really good job of getting all the young guys on the same basic fundamental level of being able to go out and run our base defenses. “From there, it’s just about getting as much experience as possible.” For some, that started in last week’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs with the Ravens down seven defensive starters and two on offense at one point. Now comes a Texans team that also includes the league’s top defense, allowing a scant 12.8 points per game. Already two games back of the AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore also knows it has little margin for error, no matter who it puts on the field. “Do I need to [stress the importance of this game]? No,” Harbaugh said. “I don’t need to, no. I’m sure I have. I’m sure all of us have.” Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

In April, during his pre-draft news conference, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta made note of a nearly 20-year-old football game that feels eerily prescient this week. He had just revealed that cornerback would be a position of the need in the NFL draft, an uncharacteristic admission for the tight-lipped decision maker. That was the one position DeCosta would show his hand. Why? A “Monday Night Football” game versus Pittsburgh in November 2007. He was flying out to Los Angeles that night, and by the time the plane touched down, Baltimore already trailed, 24-0. “If you look at our corners that game,” DeCosta said at the time, “not to besmirch anyone, but they were all guys that were playing because other guys got hurt.” In the same answer, he compared cornerbacks with Bugattis because “they just break down and you’ve got to have them in reserve.” On Sunday, the Ravens felt the brunt of it. This weekend might feel like 2007. Injuries knocked out starting cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey (hamstring) and Nate Wiggins (elbow) in a loss to Kansas City. That’s on top of Jaire Alexander (knee) having been a healthy scratch for a third straight game. On Wednesday, Chidobe Awuzie missed practice, listed with a hamstring injury. Don’t forget, the Ravens also lost two rookie cornerbacks to season-ending injuries before the season even started. Humphrey could miss a couple of weeks, according to reports. Coach John Harbaugh declined to comment on Wiggins’ injury timeline when asked Wednesday. It’s a decimated room, one that was already in the cellar of the league by most metrics. Now, they’ll have to reach down the depth chart for a must-win game on Sunday against Houston — a long way from the band senior secondary coach Chuck Pagano deemed “as good a group as I’ve been around” over 19 years coaching in the NFL. Through four games, the Ravens sit 31st out of 32 teams in passing defense, last in points per game, tied for 28th in red zone defense and 27th in fourth-down defense. They’re also fourth worst in interception percentage, despite a confounding amount of on-paper talent. Baltimore is losing experience as much as it is talent. Wiggins played 276 defensive snaps. Awuzie is at 251. Humphrey is at 225. Alexander saw 33 in the season opener but Harbaugh didn’t speak definitively about whether he might get a second try at a debut on Sunday. The lion’s share of reps against the Texans might fall to two guys with a combined 106 defensive snaps of experience, 59 of which came in replacement roles against Kansas City. Sophomore cornerback and special teamer T.J. Tampa Jr. figures to start against the Texans. And even if Keyon Martin doesn’t start, the undrafted rookie will surely get a chunk of the reps. They’ve both come a long way. Tampa was a fourth-round draft pick in 2024 who redshirted his rookie year because of an ankle injury. He said it was a slog getting through rehab, wearing on him both mentally and physically on days where it was tough to see the light at the end of the tunnel. “Being able to play now,” he said, “is a great feeling.” “Of course it’s sad not seeing everybody be able to play,” Tampa said. “But of course, my time is now and I’m ready to show what I got.” Martin seems to have scaled the depth chart the furthest and quickest of anyone. Commanders wide receiver Chris Moore is unable to catch a pass as Ravens cornerback T.J. Tampa Jr. defends during the preseason. Tampa is expected to play a key role for the Ravens on Sunday vs. the Texans because of secondary injuries. (Stephanie Scarbrough/AP) In late August, he met with the Ravens press corps to divulge his experience climbing from minicamp tryout guy to earning the final spot of the team’s initial 53-man roster. He wore the same expression a child would at their own birthday party, unable to contain his excitement reliving the story of a shoulder tap he was convinced meant the end of the line. Five weeks later, having traded the toothy smile for a more businesslike demeanor, Martin spoke of a confidence knowing his chance would come — even if it looked like a long shot only a month ago. Tampa called him “relentless” and someone who showed up with an urgency “making sure everybody knows who he is.” Related Articles Ravens replacement crew: Meet the reserves set to play key roles Ravens QB Lamar Jackson among 10 injured starters entering game vs. Texans Watch ‘Overtime’ of Ep. 6 of the BMore Football Podcast with The Baltimore Sun’s Mike Preston and Jerry Coleman presented by Rice Law Ravens reset: Injuries, struggling defense, play calling plague Baltimore With Lamar Jackson hurt, Ravens’ investment in Cooper Rush put to test | COMMENTARY The Ravens reportedly beefed up the downtrodden group by bringing in four defensive backs for tryouts: Michael Davis, Kemon Hall, Keenan Isaac and Amani Oruwariye. Oruwariye, who has been in the NFL since 2019 and has 40 career starts, was added to the practice squad. “If everybody on the team prepares like they’re the starter even though they’re not the starter,” Martin said, “when they get out there on the field, they don’t even blink. It still looks like the ones are out there.” DeCosta can only hope this year’s replacement level players don’t have the Ravens down four scores by the end of the first quarter. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was one of eight players missing from the open portion of practice Wednesday afternoon, including several other starters. Jackson is likely to miss Sunday’s game against the visiting Houston Texans with a hamstring injury and could be out for up to 2-3 weeks, The Baltimore Sun reported Tuesday. Others players who were absent from practice include middle linebacker Roquan Smith (hamstring), cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey (calf), Nate Wiggins (elbow) and Chidobe Awuzie, left tackle Ronnie Stanley (ankle), wide receiver Devontez Walker and fullback Patrick Ricard (calf). Walker was in sweats watching from the sideline. Outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy (hamstring) and nose tackle Travis Jones (knee) both practiced after missing Sunday’s 37-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Ravens rookie offensive tackle Emery Jones also practiced for the first time this season, opening the third-round draft pick’s 21-day window to return. The Ravens also announced that they signed defensive back Amani Oruwariye, a 2019 fifth-round draft pick by the Detroit Lions who has made 40 career starts, to the practice squad. Jackson’s absence remains the most notable for a team hampered by injuries. Baltimore is 4-10 in games Jackson didn’t start since 2018, averaging 16.6 points per game with Tyler Huntley, Robert Griffin III, Josh Johnson and Anthony Brown Jr. as the quarterback. Backup Cooper Rush is expected to start Sunday. This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Jane at sjane@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/Sam_Jane230. Related Articles Watch ‘Overtime’ of Ep. 6 of the BMore Football Podcast with The Baltimore Sun’s Mike Preston and Jerry Coleman presented by Rice Law Ravens reset: Injuries, struggling defense, play calling plague Baltimore With Lamar Jackson hurt, Ravens’ investment in Cooper Rush put to test | COMMENTARY Watch Episode 6 of the BMore Football Podcast with The Baltimore Sun’s Mike Preston and Jerry Coleman presented by Rice Law Ravens QB Lamar Jackson could miss 2-3 weeks with hamstring injury: sources View the full article

Watch the “Overtime” segment of the sixth episode of the BMore Football Podcast with The Baltimore Sun’s Mike Preston and Jerry Coleman presented by Rice Law. The longtime sports columnist answers reader questions from Baltimore Sun subscribers after the Ravens’ 37-20 loss to the Chiefs. The Ravens return to action Sunday against the Houston Texans, and they’re likely to be without starting quarterback Lamar Jackson. Missed the sixth episode of the pod? Watch here. Have a question for Preston about the Ravens? Message us at sports@baltsun.com. You can watch the BMore Football Podcast weekly, posting every Tuesday during the NFL season on YouTube and The Baltimore Sun, and listen on Spotify, Apple, Amazon and iHeart. Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article

There’s a scene in “Apollo 13” — not long after Tom Hanks, playing astronaut Jim Lovell, utters the famous “Houston, we have a problem” line — amid the chaos of a catastrophic onboard failure when Ed Harris, playing flight director Gene Kranz, turns to the mission control staff and says peremptorily to “work the problem.” “Let’s look at this thing from a standpoint of status,” he then says. “What have we got on the spacecraft that’s good?” Through the lens of Ron Howard and the first four games of the NFL season, the Ravens and coach John Harbaugh can relate. At one point during Sunday’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore was without seven defensive starters to injury. On offense, quarterback and two-time NFL Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson and left tackle Ronnie Stanley were also lost in the third and first quarters, respectively. That’s too much to overcome against most any team, never mind the three-time reigning AFC champions who have a long history of finding Baltimore’s weakest links and breaking them. There’s another Apollo 13 connection to the Baltimore area — Kranz had a failed admission to the Naval Academy and Lovell used a pool at McDonogh School for underwater training in the 1960s — but the most obvious is how and if the Ravens can navigate their way back from the brink, starting with this week’s game against the Houston Texans. With the NFL schedule effectively at the quarter-pole here’s a reset at where Baltimore is in that endeavor. What has gone well? Before Jackson suffered a hamstring injury that will likely keep him out of this week’s game and possibly the following week’s against the Los Angeles Rams, he was, for the most part, playing at an elite level. His 10 touchdown passes this season lead the NFL. He’s also tops in yards per attempt (9.1), passer rating (130.5) and has completed a career-high 71.6% of his passes. The player who has helped those numbers the most: Zay Flowers. The third-year receiver who is coming off a Pro Bowl 2024 season has 23 catches for 305 yards and one touchdown. He has also been one of the top separators in the league, with 24 snaps with separation in 51 opportunities en route to three games with at least seven catches. Up front, left tackle Ronnie Stanley and center Tyler Linderbaum have likewise performed well. A Pro Bowl selection last season, Stanley, now in his 10th season, is the 17th-highest graded tackle, per Pro Football Focus (minimum 75% of snaps), while Linderbaum, also a Pro Bowl selection last year, is the highest graded player at his position in the league. Meanwhile, rookie kicker Tyler Loop, who was stepping into the uncomfortable position of having to replace the embattled Justin Tucker, who is also most accurate kicker in NFL history, has performed as advertised, and fourth-year punter Jordan Stout is putting together what will perhaps be his best season. Loop has made all seven field goal attempts, including a long of 52 yards, while Stout is averaging a career-best 51.5 yards per boot. What hasn’t gone well? Take your pick. Baltimore’s defense ranks last in points per game (33.3), second-to-last in yards per game (406.8), 25th in yards per play (5.7) and 24th in third down conversions (41.94). On the ground or through the air it hasn’t mattered, either, with the Ravens ranking 31st in passing yards allowed per game (265.5) and 27th in rushing yards allowed per game (141.3). Related Articles With Lamar Jackson hurt, Ravens’ investment in Cooper Rush put to test | COMMENTARY Watch Episode 6 of the BMore Football Podcast with The Baltimore Sun’s Mike Preston and Jerry Coleman presented by Rice Law Ravens QB Lamar Jackson could miss 2-3 weeks with hamstring injury: sources 5 & Dine: Game-day takeout for your next Ravens watch party Ravens coach John Harbaugh says team’s offense got ‘exposed’ in Chiefs loss Some of those struggles could be attributed to playing the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs, who have combined for a 9-3 record, in three of the first four weeks. Perhaps that explains Harbaugh’s confidence, both in defensive coordinator Zach Orr and the scheme being deployed. “I have confidence in all of our guys, including Zach, our players, our coaches,” he said Monday. “I watch how they work. I watch how well they coach. I’m in meetings, I watch the meetings, I know the schemes that we’re running. I know the soundness of what we’re doing. I understand what we’re up against from week-to-week and play-to-play even in this game. “We’re not too far away on defense. I really feel confident that we’re going to play really good defense this year. I really am. I know the fans hear that, and I hope they have a little bit of confidence in us that we’ve been down this road before a little bit. We do need to get healthy, for sure. That’s an important part of it, as well, but also play with the guys that we’ve got. Let’s go play some good defense.” Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr and coach John Harbaugh watch over the defense during an early September practice. The team's defense is allowing 33.3 points per game, the worst mark in the NFL. (Kevin Richardson/Staff) On offense, Harbaugh sounded more frustrated, citing a lack of “rhythm” and pointing the finger at some of the play calling by coordinator Todd Monken. Specifically, Baltimore has had some pre-snap issues and thus struggled against the blitz in losses to the Chiefs and Detroit Lions in Week 3. “I don’t think any of us [would say it’s] where we’d like it to be,” he said. “Going forward, the challenge is to get a feel for what we want to do and how we want to do it. We have to regain a rhythm, and yes, it’s execution at times. It’s choosing what we’re going to do in certain situations. I don’t know if it’s so much about pre-snap adjustments, so to speak. That’s kind of a broad way to state it, but there are going to be times you want to be at the line scrimmage, and you want to be able to get into the right kind of play.” Details have mattered, too. Jackson threw an ill-advised pass Sunday that was intercepted by Leo Chenal. Running back Derrick Henry has fumbled three times this season. Third-year left guard Andrew Vorhees has struggled mightily while second-year right tackle Roger Rosengarten has been inconsistent. Loop has had three kickoffs land short of the landing zone and one that went out of bounds. He also missed an extra point in Baltimore’s 41-40 loss to Buffalo. Small things sometimes lead to big problems. What’s ahead? The most concerning challenge facing Baltimore is potentially being without Lamar Jackson for each of the next two games. But he’s not the only player who is injured. How quickly the Ravens can resemble at least a remotely healthy team will likely determine their fate. Getting reinforcements from outside the building, particularly on the defensive line, which is without Nnamdi Madubuike for the rest of the season and veteran defensive tackle Broderick Washington for at least the next three games, would help. Harbaugh acknowledged that signing players from other practice squads or acquiring them via trade is always an option, but there’s only so much that can be done in that regard. Losses in one or both of the next two games will also only push the chances of making the playoffs further out of reach. Only six teams that have started 1-4 have gone on to make the playoffs, the most recent being the Indianapolis Colts in 2018. Only four teams in have started 1-5 and made the playoffs, the most recent being Washington in 2020 — despite finishing 7-9, a record that probably isn’t cutting it this year in the AFC. And since 2000, 11 teams have started a season 2-4 and still made the playoffs. One other thing that could help is a schedule that eases up, but only in the immediate future before stiffening again. Following games against the Texans and Rams, Baltimore gets a bye week then another game at home, against the 2-2 Chicago Bears, before traveling to South Florida to face the 1-3 Miami Dolphins. After that: at the 2-2 Minnesota Vikings, at the 1-3 Cleveland Browns, home for the 0-4 New York Jets and Joe Burrow-less 2-2 Cincinnati Bengals. Then comes what will likely be a critical game against the AFC North leading Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1) at M&T Bank Stadium. A week later, a trip to Cincinnati is followed by a home game against the New England Patriots (2-2) and then challenging road games at the Green Bay Packers (2-1-1) and Pittsburgh to close out the regular season. Simply put, there is little-to-none margin for error the rest of the way. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

NFL teams don’t commit eight figures to a backup quarterback unless they expect to need him during a rigorous season. Lamar Jackson suffered a hamstring injury this past Sunday, putting his status in jeopardy for the Ravens’ upcoming Week 5 contest against the Texans. If Jackson, the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player, is indeed ruled out, consider this week a pulling of the lever on the contingency plan Baltimore paid for. Insert Cooper Rush. The 31-year-old quarterback, who signed a two-year contract worth more than $12 million in March, has built his career on being ready for emergencies. Baltimore’s offseason decision to add Rush centered around this exact scenario, to prevent the season from spiraling the moment No. 8 can’t take the field. Let’s get this part out of the way: Rush isn’t here to impersonate Jackson. Rush is on the Ravens’ payroll because his employer has witnessed the downside of pretending a roster can survive on hope when the starter goes down. It happens every season across the league. Now that insurance policy is being called in. The Ravens are 1-3, and the Texans, also 1-3, arrive Sunday with the league’s No. 1 scoring defense, allowing just 12.8 points per game. Baltimore is still third in scoring offense, but that cushion disappears quickly without Jackson’s legs and tempo. However, Rush has made a living in these moments. Over eight seasons in Dallas, he played in 38 games and completed 330 of 544 passes for 3,463 yards with 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Last season, he started eight games when Dak Prescott went down with a season-ending hamstring injury, completing 60.6% (187 of 308) of his throws for a career-high 1,844 yards with 12 touchdowns and five interceptions. I covered Rush up close during that recent stretch in Dallas. When Prescott’s hamstring ripped off the bone, the overwhelming panic outside the building never fully made its way into the quarterback room or The Star. Rush kept the offense on schedule, and the Cowboys trusted him with the full playbook — not the watered-down version most backups get as an automatic courtesy. Ravens quarterback Cooper Rush speaks with the media after a training camp practice. Rush has experience stepping in for injured starting quarterbacks. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) While explosive plays were sparse due to Rush’s reluctance to prioritize downfield shots, he provided a sense of calm in the Cowboys huddle. That calm steadiness didn’t turn the Cowboys into contenders. They still missed the playoffs behind a putrid run game and shaky defense, but Rush kept them from completely collapsing. Dallas went 4-4 in the eight games Rush started, and that was with little help around him. The Cowboys finished 2024 with the worst rushing attack in the league, mustering just five rushing touchdowns from running backs all season. Yet, Rush still delivered three games with a passer rating of 108.3 or higher and kept CeeDee Lamb productive enough to finish with 100-plus receptions and All-Pro honors. Rush made the offense functional at a time it should’ve flatlined, and Baltimore took notice. Now he walks into a completely different scenario. Related Articles Watch Episode 6 of the BMore Football Podcast with The Baltimore Sun’s Mike Preston and Jerry Coleman presented by Rice Law Ravens QB Lamar Jackson could miss 2-3 weeks with hamstring injury: sources 5 & Dine: Game-day takeout for your next Ravens watch party Ravens coach John Harbaugh says team’s offense got ‘exposed’ in Chiefs loss 5 stats behind the Ravens’ injury-plagued loss in Kansas City Rush gets an opportunity to hand the football to a future Hall of Famer in Derrick Henry. And by the way, Henry’s most carries as a Raven came against Houston last Christmas, when he bulldozed the Texans for 27 rushes, 147 yards and a touchdown. If he’s under center on Sunday, Rush will benefit from that same matchup during his first expected start at M&T Bank Stadium. With Jackson potentially sidelined for a few weeks, the timing here is pertinent. The Texans are followed by a Rams defense that ranks in the top 10 in both scoring and total yards allowed. Then comes the ever-important bye. Then Chicago in Week 8. If Rush can keep Baltimore from digging its grave — and the defense stops imploding — before the halfway point of the season, Jackson returns with a shot at lifting the team to the playoffs. Undoubtedly, the offense will look different under Rush, but not entirely unfamiliar. Todd Monken shouldn’t ask him to be a running threat or an escape artist. Think more timing routes, crossers, easy intermediate completions. Rush, though, isn’t here to skid the tempo to a complete halt. I can vividly recall one of his best highlights from a mid-December victory over the Panthers. Rush’s initial read in the left flat was covered, so with the pocket breaking down and a defensive tackle collapsing on him, he extended the play with his legs, escaped to his right, kept his head up, and fired a 17-yard touchdown to a streaking Jalen Brooks in the back corner of the end zone. That highlight occurred during a stretch when Dallas was still in the hunt with Rush leading the Cowboys to four victories over five weeks. Back in Owings Mills, coach John Harbaugh framed it simply. “We’ve got a lot of playmakers around him if [Rush is] playing,” he said Monday. In addition to Henry, a four-time All-Pro, Rush also inherits a bevy of pass-catching weapons in Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, DeAndre Hopkins, Isaiah Likely and Mark Andrews. Nobody inside The Castle is asking Cooper Rush to play like an MVP. They’re just asking him to keep the Ravens afloat and not waste the roster built around one. Have a news tip? Contact Josh Tolentino at jtolentino@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200, x.com/JCTSports and instagram.com/JCTSports. View the full article

Episode 6 of the BMore Football Podcast with The Baltimore Sun’s Mike Preston and Jerry Coleman presented by Rice Law is here. Preston and Coleman analyze a disastrous 1-3 start to the season for the Ravens, who face the Houston Texans on Sunday in Baltimore. The Ravens’ most recent loss, a 37-20 defeat against the Chiefs, was the team’s most lopsided of the season. You can watch it weekly, posting every Tuesday during the NFL season on YouTube and The Baltimore Sun, and listen on Spotify, Apple, Amazon and iHeart. Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is likely to miss Sunday’s game against the visiting Houston Texans with a hamstring injury, two sources with direct knowledge of the situation told The Baltimore Sun on Tuesday. Given the nature of the injury, he also could be out for up to 2-3 weeks, one of the sources said. Hamstring injuries typically keep a player out for 2-4 weeks, depending on the severity, though a source said that Jackson will try to see if he could return in time for Sunday. The Ravens host the Los Angeles Rams in Week 6 on Oct. 12 before their bye week and a game against the Chicago Bears in Week 8 on Oct. 26. Jackson, 28, suffered the injury during Sunday’s 37-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. He left the game midway through the third quarter and did not return. The news comes a day after coach John Harbaugh said he had a “pretty good feel” for Baltimore’s rash of injuries, including Jackson’s, but declined to comment on how long the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player and others could be out. Harbaugh will speak to the media on Wednesday. With Jackson likely sidelined, Cooper Rush would start in his place Sunday against the Houston Texans at M&T Bank Stadium. Both teams are 1-3 this season. Rush, 31, completed 9 of 13 passes for 52 yards in relief of Jackson. Last season, he completed 60.7% of his passes for 1,844 yards and 12 touchdowns with five interceptions in 12 games, including eight starts, for the Dallas Cowboys. “We’ve got a lot of playmakers around him if he’s playing,” Harbaugh said of Rush on Monday. The Ravens’ third-string quarterback is Tyler Huntley, who is currently on the practice squad and likely will be elevated. Losing Jackson, however, is a significant blow for a Baltimore offense that, while struggling to find its rhythm through the first month of the season, is still third in the NFL in scoring. It would also mark the first time that Jackson missed a game because of injury since the 2022 season when a knee injury sidelined him for the final five games of the regular season as well as a wild-card loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Through four games this season, Jackson has completed a career-high 71.6% of his passes for 869 yards and 10 touchdowns with just one interception, which came Sunday against the Chiefs. He has also rushed for 166 yards and a score on 21 carries. Related Articles 5 & Dine: Game-day takeout for your next Ravens watch party Ravens coach John Harbaugh says team’s offense got ‘exposed’ in Chiefs loss 5 stats behind the Ravens’ injury-plagued loss in Kansas City Ravens’ Lamar Jackson injury: John Harbaugh declines to say if QB will miss time Ravens DT Nnamdi Madubuike will miss rest of season with neck injury Filling that void won’t be easy. The Texans’ defense is No. 1 in the NFL in points per game (12.8), fifth in total yards per game (280.5) and seventh in passing yards per game (178.3). They’re also coming off a 26-0 win over the Tennessee Titans. Things don’t get much easier after that, either. The Rams’ defense ranks in the top 10 in scoring (20.3) and yards per game (284.5). If Rush starts on Sunday, it would be his first start since a 41-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17 last season. In that game, he completed 15 of 28 passes for 147 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

Football season is upon us — and if you’re not watching from M&T Bank Stadium, dining options can feel endless. If you’re looking for inspiration for feeding an at-home watch party (or a party of one…) then you’ve come to the right place. The following is a list of five restaurants with the most takeout-friendly food for your next Raven’s watch party. The "Sausage Fest" platter from Das Bierhalle. (Jane Godiner/Staff) Das Bierhalle At Das Bierhalle, find satisfying German-inspired food that lends itself to game-day feasting. The restaurant’s Sausage Fest, which the menu describes as a dish fit “for the true sausage lover,” includes eight sausages and five dipping sausages of a guest’s choosing, served atop a bed of warm, slightly tangy sauerkraut. Each sausage could easily feed one hungry Ravens fan, especially if they opt to nestle it between a kraut-loaded bun; however, a better way to get a sense of the restaurant’s breadth of both “haus-made” and Binkert’s German sausages, is to order a variety and share. While my takeout order only came with seven out of the promised eight sausages, there were plenty of highlights — a well-spiced bauernwurst speckled with mustard seeds and dipped in rosemary-thyme mustard sauce, a lemony veal-based knockwurst that sang in curry ketchup, a jalapeno sausage with pops of bubbly cheddar cheese, and a charred Beyond Sausage alongside garlicky marinara that would make for a filling vegan combo, to name a few. Das Bierhalle offers online delivery and pickup via DoorDash, Grubhub, Postmates, Seamless, Toast and Uber Eats, as well as pickup by phone order. 9527 Harford Road, Parkville, (410) 668-1011; 119 S Main St., Bel Air, (443) 819-3617. dasbierhallemd.com. Chicken wings from Double T Diner. (Jane Godiner/Staff) Double T Diner It’s no secret that chicken wings are a polarizing topic in Baltimore, and there is no shortage of formidable wingeries in the surrounding area. Ultimately, I ordered from Double T due to its range of locations across the Baltimore area, as well as its ease and speed of delivery. Across the board, Double T wings come out plump and meaty, with tender flats and drums with percussive crispy skin. While wing flavors vary by location, the full roster of sauces includes staples like vinegar-forward hot Buffalo sauce, regional twists like sweet and sticky honey with Old Bay, and herby wildcards like Caribbean jerk, which was more saucy and less spicy than other jerk chicken I’ve tried. Dressings here, like ranch and bleu cheese, are thick, pungent and group-friendly. Double T Diner offers delivery and pickup via Caviar, DoorDash, Grubhub, Postmates, Seamless, Toast and Uber Eats, as well as pickup by phone order. 6300 Baltimore National Pike, (410) 744-4151;12 Defense St., Annapolis, (410) 571-9070; 14550 Baltimore Ave., Laurel, (240) 280-8688; 9010 Belair Road, Nottingham (410) 248-0160; 1 Mountain Road, Pasadena, (410) 766-9669; 10741 Pulaski Hwy., White Marsh, (410) 344-1020. doubletdiner.com. A spread from Lansdowne Inn. (Jane Godiner/Staff) Lansdowne Inn When it comes to a variety of finger food, few places in The Baltimore area can match the number of options as this Halethorpe restaurant-bar that appears to have an affinity for the deep-fried and cheese-dipped. Options include fried pickle slices in a flaky batter, soft pretzel bites with classic neon-orange nacho cheese, tail-on firebox shrimp with a spicy, mayo-based sauce, and breaded cheese bites made with nuggets of pepper Jack cheese that need to be eaten with urgency in order to stay gooey. While the chicken fingers that I ordered sadly did not arrive in the delivery, the appetizers that did make the trip — bites of crispy, quick dopamine in a sharable format with dunkable sauces — are apt for a pre-game mindless munch. Other sharables on the restaurant’s tall appetizer menu include mozzarella sticks, nachos, shrimp and chips, quesadillas, potato skins and bacon-nacho fries. Lansdowne Inn offers delivery and pickup via Postmates, Slice, Toast and Uber Eats, as well as pickup by phone order. 2710 Hammonds Ferry Road, (443) 201-1111. lansdowneinn.com. A spread from Pupuseria Mama Tana in Reisterstown. (Kevin Richardson/Sun Staff) Pupuseria Mama Tana Salvadorian cuisine has all of the shining components of a watch-party feast — sharable plates, drama-free finger food and plenty of ooey, gooey sauciness and cheesiness to go around. Pupuseria Mama Tana checks all of those boxes and more, with its house-made pupusas of both corn and rice flours. An order of three pupusas de birria, filed with savory shredded beef and served alongside unctuous consomé is easily splitable among friends, while a massive “Pupusa Loca” with cheese, pork, chicken, beans and floral loroco buds, can be easily torn apart by hungry fingers. Singe pupusas are also available a la carte with a vast selection of fillings, including delicate and salty ayote squash con queso. Large-format dishes, like fajitas and rich pollo en crema with homemade tortillas, are available for catering 10 to 20 people with 24 hours’ notice. Pupuseria Mama Tana offers delivery and pickup via Caviar, DoorDash, Grubhub, Seamless, Toast and Uber Eats, as well as pickup by phone order. 4707 Eastern Ave., (410) 327-6262. mamatanabaltimore.com. A spread from Wiley Gunter's. (Jane Godiner/Staff) Wiley Gunter’s If your game-day spread isn’t complete without a pile of nachos, this Riverside restaurant’s menu has you in mind. Choose between four different combinations of toppings (or order them all, as I did): “Chesapeake Pub” style with flakey lump crab and house-made queso, flavorful blackened chicken topped with melted shredded cheese, a mess of meat and bean chili begging for sour cream, and, the biggest curveball, a queso-free seared rare ahi tuna nacho appetizer with guacamole and sriracha sauce. The eatery also has two varietals of another game-day staple: the slider. Choose between “Original” sliders with classic condiments of melted American cheese and thick-cut dill pickles, or an order of dressed-up tenderloin sliders topped with balsamic onions, bacon and avocado. Both leaned on the well-done side (I ordered medium for consistency), but sides of crispy Old Bay fries and ketchup, kept things texturally and flavorfully interesting. Wiley Gunter’s offers pickup only via Toast or by phone order. 823 E Fort Ave., (410) 637-3699. wileygunters.com. Have a news tip? Contact Jane Godiner at jgodiner@baltsun.com or on Instagram as @Jane.Craves. View the full article

Ravens coach John Harbaugh said it postgame from the altar at Arrowhead Stadium. And he needled the point even further Monday afternoon, accusing his offense, which remains one of the highest scoring groups in the NFL, of lacking enough “rhythm.” “This game,” he said, of Baltimore’s 37-20 loss to the Chiefs, dropping them to 1-3 and putting the season on life support, “I think, exposed us.” There were defensive issues that lived under a microscope the first three weekends of the season. Piling injuries didn’t help. But in this one more than any other, onus belongs to the offense. Harbaugh was candid in his assessment. Lamar Jackson orchestrated an opening drive that cruised 70 yards on nine plays in 5:25. They looked unstoppable. What followed, “dictated the game,” Harbaugh said. The Ravens couldn’t execute, made uncharacteristic gaffes and head-scratching play calls that dug them into a well. That’s quite a heel turn for a group that ranked No. 1 in offensive DVOA a year ago and led the league in scoring before Week 4, doing so with an unpredictable cast of playmakers. Comparatively, the group that fell in Kansas City looked unrecognizable — even before Jackson limped off the field because of a tweaked hamstring. “Just go back and break the game down,” Harbaugh said, spending the next three minutes reliving how the game slipped through their fingertips before halftime. On Baltimore’s second drive, already deep into enemy territory, Jackson threw a rare interception, misfiring a throw up the right sideline to tight end Mark Andrews. The Chiefs stormed the backfield, forcing a bad decision and under thrown ball. Harbaugh laid down a hammer of criticism: “I don’t like that play call at all.” There were hands in Jackson’s face on a heavy inside blitz while all his options were 10-plus yards upfield and no check-down plan B. The Ravens didn’t inspire any more confidence their next time out. Two delay of game penalties in a three-play sequence held Baltimore back from catching any sort of redeeming groove. Second-and-10 back at their own 26-yard line “invited a blitz,” Harbaugh said. Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo called in the strike. He rushed six. Jackson fled, spun back and flicked the ball into the dirt — an intentional grounding penalty that left them in a near-impossible down and distance. “That was a bad series for us,” Harbaugh said. “We just got to look at it honestly and say, ‘That was not good. We put ourselves in that situation.'” The longtime coach reluctantly turned to the third drive. By then, Kansas City held a 6-point lead. Baltimore’s defense still looked respectable. One right hook and maybe the Ravens could have given themselves a chance. They walked into Arrowhead, Harbaugh said, planning to play aggressively and go for it. Things continued to spiral when it became clear the Ravens and offensive coordinator Todd Monken, “didn’t have a good plan” for such situations. The Ravens started with the ball at their own 32-yard line, under 3 minutes before halftime. Jackson threw two incompletions then scrambled for nine yards on his own. Like the two drives before, Spagnuolo licked his chops, calling a blitz positive a pass was coming. Why? Pass-catching running back Justice Hill was in the backfield – rather than Derrick Henry, who took only four carries for 31 yards in the first half – and Hill motioned out wide pre-snap. Jackson had no time to think and flung the ball out of bounds, a play blown dead before ever taking a breath. “Those are just like turnovers, they’re no different,” Harbaugh said, “because you put your defense on a short field. We got to own all that, understand it. That was bad ball. It can be fixed. We got to fix it going forward.” To make matters worse, Jackson coughed up his second fumble in as many games when he bumped into the back of center Tyler Linderbaum as the pocket closed behind him. The quarterback jogged off the field and promptly unleashed his helmet into the ground, devoid of answers for such a demoralizing half. Related Articles 5 stats behind the Ravens’ injury-plagued loss in Kansas City Ravens’ Lamar Jackson injury: John Harbaugh declines to say if QB will miss time Ravens DT Nnamdi Madubuike will miss rest of season with neck injury READER POLL: What’s most to blame for the Ravens’ 1-3 start? The Ravens are 1-3. History says they’re a Super Bowl long shot. Issues of a stalling offense and inability to convert in short-yardage situations aren’t completely new this season. There were goal-line lapses and failed third-and-shorts in losses to Buffalo and Detroit. Sunday, particularly the three-drive stretch that Harbaugh recounted, exposed the floor of Baltimore’s offense. Sandwiching Baltimore’s initial scoring drive and a Tyler Loop field goal before halftime, the Chiefs scored 20 straight points. Both sides of the ball were bereft of answers. But as has been the case dating back to early last year, when the defense doesn’t have it, Jackson and company can will a win. That wasn’t the case Sunday. As Harbaugh said, they got exposed. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. Chiefs defensive end Ashton Gillotte, right, rushes against Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum in a 37-20 Chiefs win. The Ravens struggled to find cohesion offensively in the defeat, even before Lamar Jackson tweaked his hamstring. (Reed Hoffmann/AP) View the full article

The Ravens’ season isn’t over. But four weeks in, it’s tough to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Here are five stats that grapple with the gravity of an early season loss, 37-20 to the Chiefs, which could prove to be an inflection point of an all-important season: 88,095,531 One injury after another. The Ravens entered the weekend already down three starters. They’d lose five more by sunset — those five are making a combined $88,095,531 this season. Four of them rank top-6 on the team’s payroll. Most crucially, was the hamstring injury that sidelined star quarterback Lamar Jackson in the third quarter. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley (ankle), linebacker Roquan Smith and cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey (calf) and Nate Wiggins (elbow) all exited early, too. This was a team that survived the last two seasons with unusually good health in a sport where injuries are a given. Seems that good fortune is catching up to them, derailing the beginning of what was once such a promising year. “I’m concerned,” coach John Harbaugh said, his team now 1-3, “but I’m not overwhelmed by it.” 42 It has been 42 games over a span of 32 months, dating back to mid-January 2023, since the Ravens lost a football game by more than eight points. They’ve played their fair share of tight contests, and curb stomped plenty of overmatched foes, but, according to NFL writer Scott Kacsmar, this team held the sixth longest streak in NFL history of keeping losses to one-score affairs. “[There] haven’t been a lot of teams in Ravens history, since 1996, to underachieve to the point where fans felt disappointed in the season as a whole,” All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton said. “And I feel like as of right now, in Week 4, obviously a long way to go in this season, we’re disappointed, and I’m sure the fans are disappointed, too. We have to get it fixed. We have to put a product and a team on the field that fans are proud to say they root for, proud to say they spend money on tickets to come to the games and support us.” 8-42-5.3 Derrick Henry was given only eight carries, which he turned into 42 yards, an average of 5.3 yards per attempt. That’s the fewest times the future Hall of Famer has been handed the ball in a single game as a Raven, and his second lowest single-game rushing yards. “He’s a beast and we were able to take care of him there,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. There were a few eyebrow-raising instances where the Ravens were in short-yardage situations with their bellcow back over on the sideline. The one fans might remember best was on fourth-and-1 in the second quarter. Backup running back Justice Hill motioned out of the backfield, telegraphing a pass, and the Chiefs sent a heavy blitz that gave Jackson no time before he chucked the ball out of bounds. “Maybe we have to do a better job of game-planning in those plays,” Harbaugh said. “That’s what I would say. I think that we need to put our guys in better positions and give them opportunities to make plays in those situations, because in a game like this, you have to be aggressive, you have to go for stuff. We didn’t get it done.” Ravens running back Justice Hill celebrates after scoring in the team's 17-point loss to the Chiefs. Despite Hill's late rushing touchdown, the Ravens barely gave their talented running backs the ball in Sunday's defeat. Derrick Henry had just eight carries. (Charlie Riedel/AP) 2.33% After Sunday night’s loss, the Ravens rank second to last in the NFL in sack percentage (2.33%), the amount of sacks divided by the amount of dropbacks faced. Only the Carolina Panthers are worse through four weeks. Baltimore’s depleted defensive front struggled mightily to disrupt Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Tavius Robinson accounted for the only Ravens sack, forcing Mahomes down after about four seconds. Beyond that, Mahomes was only hit thrice (compared to the eight QB hits on Jackson). According to Pro Football Focus, he had an average of 2.70 seconds to get rid of the ball, nearly four-tenths of a second longer than his average this year. Even then, Mahomes had no issue in the quick game, completing 17 of 22 for 142 yards and 3 TDs under 2.5 seconds, his most quick TDs since Week 1, 2022, per Next Gen Stats. Related Articles Ravens coach John Harbaugh says team’s offense got ‘exposed’ in Chiefs loss Ravens’ Lamar Jackson injury: John Harbaugh declines to say if QB will miss time Ravens DT Nnamdi Madubuike will miss rest of season with neck injury READER POLL: What’s most to blame for the Ravens’ 1-3 start? The Ravens are 1-3. History says they’re a Super Bowl long shot. 11 How about one positive figure? Seems like a while ago, and a drive that will be long forgotten in the lore of this Ravens loss, but Baltimore’s opening drive cruised 70 yards on nine plays, capped by an 11-yard passing touchdown to Hill. That was the last semblance of the high-octane Ravens offense we remember, moving the ball forward on 8 of 9 plays. Here’s how the next five drives unfolded before halftime: interception, three penalties that forced a third-and-a-mile, a failed fourth-and-one passing attempt, a Jackson fumble and a 43-yard field goal. “I mean that’s play calling,” Harbaugh said. “I am not going to sit here and say I’m happy about it, at all. I am sure that [offensive coordinator] Todd [Monken] is not happy about it either. None of us are.” Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article

A day after Ravens quarterback and two-time NFL Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson suffered a hamstring injury in a 37-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, coach John Harbaugh on Monday did not say if Jackson would miss any time. “I got a pretty good feel with all the injuries,” he said, “but not commenting on them today.” Jackson suffered a hamstring injury midway through the third quarter Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium and did not return. Harbaugh also said that he could not say with certainty on which play Jackson suffered the injury but hinted that it could have been an accumulation of plays. He also said that Jackson was unable to go back into the game. “There was no way he was gonna go back in the game,” he said. “The injury precluded it. “I know Lamar. If he could have gone in the game, he would have been in the game. That’s how Lamar is. But I can assure you that he would not have been able to go back in the game under any circumstance.” Jackson was not made available to reporters after the game because he was receiving treatment, a team spokesperson said. He was sacked from behind by Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis on his final play of the game and remained on the bench, occasionally flexing his right leg. Though Jackson did not speak afterward, he was seen leaving the locker room with a significant limp. Even before being injured, Jackson struggled against Kansas City’s blitz. He was pressured on 48.1% of his dropbacks, according to Next Gen Stats, the highest rate since Week 4 in 2023. That pressure helped result in a pair of turnovers, with Jackson throwing an interception in the first quarter and losing a fumble in the second when he ran into center Tyler Linderbaum. Related Articles Ravens DT Nnamdi Madubuike will miss rest of season with neck injury READER POLL: What’s most to blame for the Ravens’ 1-3 start? The Ravens are 1-3. History says they’re a Super Bowl long shot. 5 things we learned from the Ravens’ 37-20 loss to the Chiefs Mike Preston: Ravens’ Lamar Jackson disappears in pivotal moment | COMMENTARY Before Sunday, Jackson had not turned the ball over this season. Jackson, 28, also hasn’t missed a game because of injury since 2022 when a knee injury kept him out of the final five games of the regular season as well as a wild-card playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. If he can’t play Sunday against the Houston Texans at M&T Bank Stadium, Cooper Rush will make his first start for the Ravens. Rush, 31, completed 9 of 13 passes for 52 yards in relief of Jackson on Sunday. He appeared in 12 games and started eight for the Dallas Cowboys last season, going 4-4 while throwing for 1,844 yards with 12 touchdown passes and four interceptions. Jackson’s injury comes at a particularly concerning time. The Ravens (1-3) are off to their worst start since 2015 when they also lost three of their first four and went on to finish 5-11. Only 35 of 252 teams that have started a season with one win in their first four games have gone on to make the playoffs, and only the 2001 New England Patriots, who switched to Tom Brady as their starting quarterback, started 1-3 and won the Super Bowl. This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

The Ravens’ injury news has gone from bad to worse. Pro Bowl defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike will miss the rest of the 2025 season, coach John Harbaugh said Monday. The confirmation came two days after Baltimore placed the 27-year-old on injured reserve with a neck injury and less than 24 hours after Harbaugh said he could not provide insight on the decision to put the former third-round pick on injured reserve. When asked if the neck injury could be career-threatening, Harbaugh said, “Yeah, that’s a good question. … I’m trying to explain it in the best way I can, in terms of what I’m allowed to tell you. A lot of that are things that he needs to address with you guys, you know, in his time. I really can’t speak for him. Wouldn’t want to. Those are questions that would be best answered by him going forward, and he may be still getting some information on that as well, but leave that for him to answer.” Losing Madubuike for the season is a crushing blow to a defense that is already the worst in the NFL, allowing 33.3 points per game. It’s just the latest in a series of injuries that have depleted Baltimore’s defense. Roquan Smith (hamstring), cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey (calf) and Nate Wiggins (elbow) were all knocked out of Sunday’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, while defensive tackle Broderick Washington Jr. (ankle) was also placed on injured reserve on Saturday. Outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy (hamstring) and Travis Jones (knee) were inactive. Madubuike, whom the Ravens drafted 71st overall out of Texas A&M in 2020, has been an ascendant force in recent years with 5 1/2 sacks in 2022 and a team-high 13 a year later, which was also tops among all interior linemen in the NFL. Last season, Madubuike’s sack total dipped to 6 1/2, but he was one of the most double-teamed linemen in the league. Through two games this season, he had a team-high two sacks along with 10 pressures. Madubuike has also been a stalwart, appearing in 55 straight games before suffering the injury. His last start came Sept. 14 against the Browns. Harbaugh said adding a defensive lineman to the roster is “always something that would be on the table.” This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. Related Articles READER POLL: What’s most to blame for the Ravens’ 1-3 start? The Ravens are 1-3. History says they’re a Super Bowl long shot. 5 things we learned from the Ravens’ 37-20 loss to the Chiefs Mike Preston: Ravens’ Lamar Jackson disappears in pivotal moment | COMMENTARY Fire John Harbaugh? Ravens are too beat up for drastic measures. | COMMENTARY View the full article

The Ravens’ season is teetering. Baltimore got crushed by the Chiefs, 37-20, in Kansas City to fall to 1-3, and lost two-time NFL Most Valuable Player quarterback Lamar Jackson to a hamstring injury in the process. Several other prominent Ravens are injured, too. What is most to blame for Baltimore’s disastrous start to the 2025 season? We want to hear from you. After you vote, leave a comment and we might use your take in The Baltimore Sun. The Baltimore Sun reader poll is an unscientific survey in which website users volunteer their opinions on the subject of the poll. To read the results of previous reader polls, click here. View the full article

One team in NFL history started its season 1-3 and went on to win the Super Bowl. The group was led by perhaps the greatest quarterback of all time. The New England Patriots found themselves sitting at 1-3 in 2001, which is the same situation the Ravens find themselves in this year after an ugly 37-20 loss to the Chiefs. New England overcame an injury to starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe in Week 2 of the 2001 season, as backup Tom Brady led them to an 11-3 record in his starts. Brady, of course, went on to win the first of his seven Super Bowl titles that year. That New England team rallied after starting 1-3 (and 3-4) to put together a spectacular finish to the season. The Patriots won 11 of their final 12 games, including the postseason. Of the 11 wins, seven came by one possession and three came in overtime. Baltimore can certainly point to that New England team as an example for hope after its 1-3 start, which has also included notable injuries. Quarterback Lamar Jackson was among the key contributors to exit the Chiefs loss with an injury, and star defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike landed on injured reserve last week with a neck injury. “I believe we’re going to be a good football team,” coach John Harbaugh said Sunday. “We’re just not a good enough football team yet.” Still, history suggests an uphill climb for this Baltimore team. Since 1990, 35 teams have made the postseason after starting 1-3, with only the 2001 Patriots hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. Since the playoff field expanded to 14 teams in 2020, just five teams have started 1-3 and made the playoffs. One of those teams, the Washington Football Team in 2020 benefited from a woeful NFC East. Washington started its season 1-5 and made the playoffs as a 7-9 division champion. With the Pittsburgh Steelers at 3-1, it seems unlikely the Ravens can count on winning the AFC North with a losing record. Baltimore still gets both of its head-to-head meetings with Pittsburgh, though. The Bengals, expected to be an AFC North contender, are 2-1 (and play Monday night) but without quarterback Joe Burrow, who could miss most of the season with turf toe. The Browns are just 1-3 with a head-to-head loss to the Ravens. Betting odds reflect Baltimore’s sluggish start, but the oddsmakers are far from done with Baltimore. Once the Super Bowl betting favorite this season, the Ravens now hold the fourth-shortest odds to win the title. It’s a notable drop through four weeks, but sportsbooks aren’t ready to say it’s a lost season. Harbaugh isn’t either. “There’s football to be played, and there’s a division to be won,” Harbaugh said. “We’ve got to find a way to become good enough to win it.” Winning the division wouldn’t guarantee a deep playoff run that fans, players and coaches so desperately want. Of the five teams to make the playoffs since 2020 after a 1-3 start, none made it past the divisional round. It’s rare that a legitimate Super Bowl contender opens the season with three losses in its first four games. Related Articles 5 things we learned from the Ravens’ 37-20 loss to the Chiefs Mike Preston: Ravens’ Lamar Jackson disappears in pivotal moment | COMMENTARY Fire John Harbaugh? Ravens are too beat up for drastic measures. | COMMENTARY Ravens’ defense is struggling like never before: ‘Got to get it fixed’ The Baltimore Sun’s Ravens report card: Position-by-position grades for 37-20 loss to Chiefs Baltimore faces another 1-3 team falling well short of expectations in Week 5. The Houston Texans, who made the playoffs a season ago, started 0-3 before beating the Titans on Sunday for their first victory. “I’m thinking about, ‘How can we beat the Texans?” Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton said after Sunday’s loss. Both sides desperately need a win, and history says it’s a championship elimination game, if the teams haven’t already played themselves out of a realistic shot of winning it all. No team has ever won the Super Bowl after a 1-4 start to their season. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Bennett Conlin at bconlin@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/BennettConlin. View the full article

The now 1-3 Ravens found a new nadir, losing to the Chiefs, 37-20, in a game that ended with more questions than answers. Here are five things we learned: Suddenly, the entire Ravens season hangs in the balance There he sat, the two-time Most Valuable Player, sulking on the bench with a hat replacing his helmet and tape swaddling an ice pack against his hamstring. Lamar Jackson looked over his left shoulder, up to the big screen at Arrowhead Stadium, the stadium where so many of his demons live, and watched helplessly. An injury yanked him from a long-shot chance at a comeback. Instead, backup Cooper Rush checked in for the final minute of the third quarter as Baltimore limped to the finish line, dropping the Jackson-era Ravens to 1-6 against the Chiefs and 0-4 at Kansas City. Coach John Harbaugh couldn’t offer much intel postgame. He could only say that it didn’t appear season-ending, while across the hall, his star quarterback limped out of the locker room to get medical treatment. The entirety of this Ravens season — which began with Super Bowl projections for a deep and talented roster — hinges on Jackson’s status. Perhaps Week 4 will be remembered as a blip in time, a loss that proves unsubstantial. Or, there’s a world where it’s immortalized as that fateful September Sunday when the Ravens’ hopes of a playoff run were flushed by an all-too-familiar opponent. Jackson hasn’t missed a game because of injury since 2022, sidelined for the last six weeks of that regular season and a playoff game for a PCL injury in his knee. He has missed one game since — an innocuous Week 18 matchup in 2023 with the division race wrapped up. Baltimore is 4-9 when Jackson has been sidelined over the past six seasons. Even before the injury on Sunday, Jackson didn’t look ready to get the monkey off his back. He fled back from a blitz in the first quarter and flung a duck to Mark Andrews against the right sideline that fell short, into the waiting hands of linebacker Leo Chenal — Jackson’s first interception this season. His turnover woes worsened a quarter later when he bumped into center Tyler Linderbaum and coughed up the football. In all, he completed 14 of 20 passes for 147 yards with one touchdown while taking three sacks. Jackson’s teammates love to lean on the truism that this team can do anything with No. 8 at the helm. If they’re without him for any considerable amount of time, it’s hard to fathom them going anywhere. Related Articles Mike Preston: Ravens’ Lamar Jackson disappears in pivotal moment | COMMENTARY Fire John Harbaugh? Ravens are too beat up for drastic measures. | COMMENTARY Ravens’ defense is struggling like never before: ‘Got to get it fixed’ The Baltimore Sun’s Ravens report card: Position-by-position grades for 37-20 loss to Chiefs Ravens lose Lamar Jackson to injury in 37-20 loss to Chiefs, fall to 1-3 ‘Something’s wrong’ with the defense The messaging has spiraled at record pace. Four weeks ago, the Ravens deemed themselves a team capable of striking fear in opposing offenses, returning to the standard set by their predecessors. Before Week 2, Pro Bowl cornerback Marlon Humphrey bluntly called the defense immature and, after a second loss, “just not very good.” Now, with most metrics showing Baltimore in the cellar of the league, All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton took to the dais inside Arrowhead Stadium Sunday night bearing a new look of despair: “The product that we’re putting on the field right now is not up to par,” he said. “Obviously, something’s wrong.” It was clear in Week 1, when the defense played a lead role in Buffalo’s 15-point comeback. Week 3 showed this team might not have what it takes against the cream of the NFL crop, like the Bills and Lions. Sunday night stamped what we now know to be true, which is this defense doesn’t have what it takes to be a legitimate contender — at least not right now. The Ravens only stopped the Chiefs from scoring twice in nine drives. One was a missed Harrison Butker field goal from 56 yards. The other forced backup quarterback Gardner Minshew into a fourth-and-long inside the game’s final four minutes. And Kansas City converted on all four of its fourth-down tries, one-upping Detroit’s 3-for-3 line last week. Such leaky defense this time culminated in the most lopsided Ravens loss since Oct. 24, 2021, against Cincinnati. As Hamilton maturely put it, “there haven’t been a lot of teams in Ravens history, since 1996, to underachieve to the point where fans felt disappointed in the season as a whole.” The latest disappointment marked the first time in franchise history that the Ravens have allowed 133 points four games into a season. Sunday night, those issues didn’t discriminate against any one position group. Xavier Worthy torched the secondary with five catches for 83 yards, the most of any single receiver against the Ravens thus far. Mahomes, who clocked his best outing of the year by throwing 270 yards and four touchdowns, spread the ball around to nine pass catchers. Five of them went over 25 yards. Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco, center, is congratulated by quarterback Patrick Mahomes after scoring a touchdown Sunday against the Ravens. (Charlie Riedel/AP) The secondary couldn’t do much to consistently contain them and the front failed to pressure one of the few escape artists in the same conversation as Jackson. Mahomes looked unbothered, perched back there in the pocket, protected as if his offensive line were a moat. Baltimore sacked him once (Tavius Robinson) and hit him thrice. Mahomes’ average time to throw was 2.70 seconds, according to Pro Football Focus, up four-tenths of a second from his season mark. “There were way too many times in this game where the Chiefs did what they do well,” Harbaugh said, “they get into third-and-short. And our goal was to try to keep them to third-and-six plus, and that just consistently did not happen.” Somewhere along the way, the Ravens must have ticked off the football gods. Their injury luck has been disastrous. By the fourth quarter of a must-win game against a fellow AFC juggernaut, the Ravens defense matched one of the game’s most brilliant quarterbacks with three practice squad elevations, an undrafted rookie and four more non-starters. The Chiefs punished that group, and the subsequent injury-filled one to follow, in total, for 382 yards of offense and four passing touchdowns. By game’s end, the Ravens’ injury report included 10 starters: Jackson, left tackle Ronnie Stanley (ankle), fullback Patrick Ricard (calf), defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike (neck), defensive end Broderick Washington (ankle), nose tackle Travis Jones (knee), outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy (hamstring), linebacker Roquan Smith (hamstring), Humphrey (hamstring) and Nate Wiggins (elbow). Not all of it unraveled at Arrowhead. On Wednesday, the Ravens practiced without the entirety of their interior defensive line. By week’s end, Madubuike and Washington both wound up on injured reserve, meaning they won’t return for at least another three weeks. Jones practiced but was later ruled out. Van Noy was unable to go, too. That left Brent Urban, C.J. Okoye and Josh Tupou, all of whom were on the practice squad, veteran John Jenkins, and rookie Aeneas Peebles to hold down the fort. “That’s a part of the game,” said running back Justice Hill, who accounted for both of Baltimore’s touchdowns. “Not everything can be sunshine and rainbows.” It certainly wasn’t this weekend. Humphrey hurt his calf on a touchdown throw to JuJu Smith-Schuster in the second quarter and never returned. T.J. Tampa, who was once a bubble defensive back but has played well in spurts this season, slid up the depth chart. As did undrafted rookie Keyon Martin. Shortly after, Smith limped off the field (under his own power). Trenton Simpson backfilled there, weeks after losing his starting job to rookie Teddye Buchanan. And Stanley, who was limited in practice this past week, exited early after trying to play through an ankle injury. When CBS Sports sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson asked Harbaugh at halftime about the slew of injuries, the longtime coach flashed a fallacious smile, “Next man up. We’re playing well.” By night’s end, his defense leaned primarily on rookies and glorified minor leaguers. Lamar Jackson no longer believes the Chiefs are his ‘kryptonite.’ Steve Spagnuolo might disagree. Fourth-and-1 with three minutes before halftime. Harbaugh took a risk to go for it from their own 41-yard line. The ball was snapped and one-Mississippi later, there were three red jerseys ready to topple Jackson. Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who is considered the mastermind behind rattling this two-time MVP, sent a six-man rush that forced Jackson to his back heel, flinging a no-shot ball out of bounds. Even before the injury, Jackson and the offense appeared as out of sorts and mistake-prone as they have all season. On the drive before, they were flagged three times on a four-play sequence. Two of them were delay of game penalties, no doubt influenced by the roars of Kansas City’s noisy, bright-red pressure cooker. Harbaugh called that “really out of character for us.” The third was intentional grounding on a second-and-long that saw Jackson scramble for his life and dirt the ball 16 yards behind the line of scrimmage. They punted two plays later, and the Chiefs turned it into points. After a first-drive touchdown that looked like an effortless ride upfield, the offense had difficulty getting started. Longer-yardage situations left offensive coordinator Todd Monken straying away from the run, despite the ground game being “a big part of the plan” going into Sunday, according to Harbaugh. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is sacked by Chiefs defensive tackle Jerry Tillery, left, in the first half Sunday. (Ed Zurga/AP) Derrick Henry finished with just 42 yards on eight carries, his fewest attempts and second-fewest yards in a single game as a Raven (at least he didn’t fumble). “Yes, I mean that’s playcalling. I am not going to sit here and say I’m happy about it, at all,” Harbaugh said. “I am sure that Todd is not happy about it either. None of us are. You have to look at that and decide what you want to run there, in some of those circumstances and situations. “Maybe we just need better plays, plays that are going to pop open. Maybe we have to do a better job of game-planning in those plays. That’s what I would say. I think that we need to put our guys in better positions and give them opportunities to make plays in those situations, because in a game like this, you have to be aggressive, you have to go for stuff. We didn’t get it done.” Baltimore’s offense has been at the top of the league for so long because of Jackson. But it seems Spagnuolo still has his number. Ravens are 1-3 with a steep climb ahead of them Take out the panic button. Set it on the table. Flip up the glass covering, like it were the “Deal or No Deal” buzzer. Don’t touch it. But keep it within arm’s reach. The Ravens’ season will be defined by how they respond to this 1-3 start, their worst since 2015. How concerned is Harbaugh? “I’m concerned,” he said, “but I’m not overwhelmed by it. The three losses are against probably three of the top teams in the league, for sure. That’s just the hand we’ve been dealt, but it doesn’t really matter. We have to win the next game. And then once you win the next game, then you have a chance to start stacking some wins.” He’s right. Their schedule eases up from here, staring down three teams with a combined six wins after four weeks. All of which are in Baltimore. And they have the luxury of an early bye to address the unusually cruel health issues. But it’s worth reckoning with the fact that chances like this don’t come along often. The Ravens, who are judged by how they match up against the upper echelon of the league, failed at their last chance to take down a Goliath. They’re now 1-6 against the Bills, Chiefs, Eagles and Lions dating to the start of last season. So yes, they’re right to narrow their view of this season to one week at a time. As Robinson put it, “You have two hours where we could sit here and drown in the water, or we can pick ourselves up.” The overwhelming response out of the visiting locker room was, “There’s still a lot of season left.” “Bring it on,” Henry said. “We are 1-3. Nobody is going to come out and do it for us.” They have to. Their season depends on it. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Ravens were down 20-10 at halftime, and it was the perfect time for quarterback Lamar Jackson to finally escape the encompassing shadow of Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes. Then he disappeared. Poof. Gone. Jackson left the game late in the third quarter and was replaced by backup Cooper Rush because of a hamstring injury, and there is no doubt about Jackson’s ailment. But imagine the headlines on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” if Jackson had brought the Ravens back and they won in Kansas City, where the Chiefs are nearly unbeatable. Hold the presses! Instead, the Ravens were blown out, 37-20, at Arrowhead Stadium. Now, Mahomes has a 6-1 record against Jackson, and this was really a beatdown. As for the highly anticipated showdown between Mahomes and Jackson, Mahomes was the winner, completing 25 of 37 passes for 270 yards and four touchdowns. He finished with a passer rating of 124.8. As for Jackson, he was 14 of 20 for 147 yards with one touchdown, one interception, one fumble and a passer rating of 86.9. “No, I don’t have any updates on the seriousness of injuries right now. There’s nothing that looks like it’s [going to be] season-ending, by any stretch, for anybody,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “But we’ll have to look at those injuries tomorrow and see where we’re at going forward.” Jackson started the game off strong as the Ravens went 70 yards on nine plays in an opening drive that lasted 5:25. It was finished on an 11-yard screen pass in the middle of the field to halfback Justice Hill as the Ravens took a 7-0 lead. That must have annoyed Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who started calling blitzes and keeping a spy on Jackson if he escaped through the line of scrimmage. Throughout the game, Jackson was sacked three times and hit on eight other occasions. Then he started to unravel, much like he did against Detroit last week on “Monday Night Football.” Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is sacked by Chiefs defensive tackle Jerry Tillery. Jackson was sacked three times after taking seven sacks in a loss to the Lions. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) The two-time NFL Most Valuable Player completed 12 of 18 passes in the first half for 108 yards, but he didn’t appear comfortable. Twice he was called for delay of game penalties, and once he was called for intentional grounding. That should never happen, not if the coach or the quarterback are paying close attention. Despite those problems, there was a belief that Jackson would overcome those setbacks and that this offense would become magical again with Jackson leading the way. It never happened. Mahomes opened the third quarter with a six-play, 65-yard touchdown drive, connecting on an 11-yard touchdown pass with Tyquan Thornton. Jackson answered with an eight-play, 56-yard march that was finished by a 32-yard field goal from Tyler Loop. This appeared to be a shootout, and maybe with a turnover or two, the Ravens might get back in the game. That was wishful thinking. Throughout the game, and even last week against the Lions when they sacked him seven times in a 38-30 loss, Jackson never took over. In that time, he has been hesitant, holding the ball too long. There were times when he could have run but chose not to. There have been times in those games when he should have just thrown the ball away instead of taking a sack and losing yards, but he certainly isn’t the same Jackson I’ve seen in his first seven seasons. His feet appear slower, but that might all come down to the decision-making process. Instead of a shootout, it was the Mahomes show again. He now appears comfortable in that offense, especially with receiver Xavier Worthy back on the field after missing virtually the first three games with a shoulder injury. Related Articles Fire John Harbaugh? Ravens are too beat up for drastic measures. | COMMENTARY Ravens’ defense is struggling like never before: ‘Got to get it fixed’ The Baltimore Sun’s Ravens report card: Position-by-position grades for 37-20 loss to Chiefs Ravens lose Lamar Jackson to injury in 37-20 loss to Chiefs, fall to 1-3 Instant analysis from Ravens’ disastrous 37-20 loss to Chiefs The expectations are just as high with Jackson because he is the best dual-threat quarterback in NFL history, and the Ravens have loaded him up with top receivers such as Rashod Bateman, Zay Flowers and DeAndre Hopkins and tight end Mark Andrews. Yet, something is missing. It’s obvious that the running game has been lacking with Derrick Henry, who had only 42 yards on eight carries Sunday against Kansas City. The offensive line has struggled in the past two weeks, especially guards Daniel Faalele and Andrew Vorhees and right tackle Roger Rosengarten. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley tried to play on a bad ankle but only lasted a quarter against Kansas City. Despite all of those problems, including the defensive line missing three starters, I just expected more from Jackson because he has been carrying this team for years now. Regardless of Andy Reid being a better big-game coach than Harbaugh or Spagnuolo always coming up with some new defensive maneuver that throttles Jackson, I thought it was the perfect time for him to step out of Mahomes’ shadow. But it never happened. Mahomes showed why he is the best quarterback in recent history, possibly only second to Tom Brady. And Jackson showed that he still has some growing pains, even though he missed the perfect chance to replace Mahomes at the top of the proverbial food chain, much like Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen did against Jackson in the Ravens’ season-opening loss to the Bills. Allen showed up. Jackson didn’t. Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. Quarterbacks Lamar Jackson, left, and Patrick Mahomes meet after the Chiefs' 37-20 victory over the Ravens on Sunday. (Charlie Riedel/AP) View the full article