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Here’s how The Baltimore Sun sports staff views the outcome of Sunday’s Week 5 game between the Ravens and Houston Texans at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore: Brian Wacker, reporter Texans 20, Ravens 17: The Ravens will get a couple of players back from injury for this critical showdown against the likewise 1-3 Texans, but with so many key players still missing on defense, it’s hard to imagine that even a modest Houston offense won’t find some degree of success. Add in not having Lamar Jackson against a Texans defense that leads the NFL in points per game allowed (12.8) and that will likely key on Derrick Henry and this just feels like too big of a hill for the Ravens to climb. Coach John Harbaugh has generally navigated these storms well in the past, but this one feels a little different with so many key players not available. Sam Cohn, reporter Texans 21, Ravens 13: Cooper Rush can’t win the Ravens this game and Derrick Henry can’t run amok against a Texans defense that allows the fewest points in the NFL. The injury report will, in many ways, decide this game. That doesn’t bode well for a Baltimore team with 11 starters dealing with some kind of injury. With the run defense forced to rely on a rookie and practice squad elevations, expect Texans rookie running back Woody Marks to be the difference maker. He recorded 119 total yards and a pair of touchdowns against Tennessee, the other worst run defense in the NFL. By Sunday night, this season will be on life support (if it wasn’t already). Mike Preston, columnist Ravens 21, Texans 17: It really comes down to how many injured players might be on the field for the Ravens. In addition to quarterback Lamar Jackson being ruled out, cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Chidobe Awuzie and middle linebacker Roquan Smith won’t play. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley and safety Kyle Hamilton are questionable. In this game, injuries become the great neutralizer. Houston has a terrible offense, ranked No. 25 in the league, but the Texans have a strong, mobile defense that is allowing only 12.8 points per game, tops in the NFL. The Ravens are at home and still might have too much firepower for Houston. Josh Tolentino, columnist Ravens 24, Texans 21: The Ravens enter Sunday against Houston battered and bruised, with more than a quarter of the active roster listed on the injury report and Lamar Jackson sidelined. Even so, Baltimore, with its backs truly up against the wall, should have enough offensive firepower to scrape out a narrow victory if the defense finally resembles the unit it was billed to be. One might argue that the defense is without All-Pro talent at all three levels, but was it even a formable unit when the Ravens were healthy? Any improvement from the poundings Baltimore has taken the past few weeks will be welcomed, even if those contributions come from depth pieces waiting for their shot. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken must lean into tailback Derrick Henry instead of overthinking his usage. Expect an ugly game, but one the Cooper Rush-led Ravens manage to survive. If not, things could get pretty ugly at The Castle before Jackson returns to the field. C.J. Doon, editor Texans 19, Ravens 16: As bad as the Ravens’ defense has been, the Texans’ offense might be worse. Surely this is the moment for Zach Orr’s unit to rally and turn its season around … right? But what should really make Ravens fans nervous is the pass-rushing duo of Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter teeing off against a struggling offensive line and a statuesque pocket passer in Cooper Rush. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley is still dealing with an ankle injury, too. If Lamar Jackson can get sacked 15 times in four games behind this line, how often will Rush get hit? Offensive coordinator Todd Monken will have to find creative ways to get the ball to his playmakers in space, which is easier said than done against Houston. This one feels like a coin flip, and with the Ravens’ luck of late, I’m betting that it doesn’t go their way. Bennett Conlin, editor Texans 20, Ravens 17: Neither of these teams are as bad as their records suggest. The Ravens are still a Super Bowl threat at 1-3, and the Texans can still make a playoff push after narrow losses to the Rams, Buccaneers and Jaguars — three good teams. With Lamar Jackson available, I’m not sure this pick would even be a debate given Houston’s inconsistent offense. Without Jackson, this matchup becomes fascinating. Well, competitive, at least. “Fascinating” probably isn’t the right word to describe what’s likely to be a grind of a game. I’ll take the team with a healthy starting quarterback and a competent defense. The Ravens are staring a 1-5 record in the face with a game against the Rams next weekend. Related Articles Arthur Jones, beloved Super Bowl champion with Ravens, dies at 39 Ravens QB Lamar Jackson ruled out; Cooper Rush will start vs. Texans Ravens injury report: Lamar Jackson, 3 key defenders ruled out vs. Texans 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 Tim Schwartz, editor Ravens 24, Texans 23: This has to be the Derrick Henry game. Cooper Rush is going to start under center for an injured Lamar Jackson, and the Ravens simply need him to manage the game — hand the ball off to their star running back (and a healthy dose of Keaton Mitchell, too, please) and avoid turnovers. Do that, and they have a chance. Do that and get a defensive performance that even closely resembles the unit we expected to see this season, and Baltimore should win. Houston is not a very good team, though its defense is fifth in yards allowed and its 11 sacks are tied for seventh most. C.J. Stroud has looked average, if not worse, over the past year or so, and isn’t off to a hot start. He’s beatable. This is as big of a must-win a game for the Ravens as I can remember. Patrice Sanders, FOX45 Morning News anchor Ravens 24, Texans 20: The Ravens are in unchartered territory losing two in a row. This game will certainly be tougher because of all of the injuries, but losing three in a row is just unheard of for the Ravens’ organization. They need this home game, and they need a win. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Tim Schwartz at timschwartz@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/timschwartz13. View the full article

Former Ravens defensive tackle Arthur Jones has died, the team announced Friday afternoon. Jones, 39, played for Baltimore from 2010 to 2013 and was a key part of their Super Bowl 47 championship team. He had a third-quarter sack on San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick just before the lights went out at the Superdome in New Orleans and recovered a fumble in the second quarter of the 34-31 victory. He was also popular in the locker room and active in the Baltimore community. “We are terribly saddened to learn of Arthur Jones’ sudden passing,” general manager Eric DeCosta said in a statement. “Arthur’s presence was a gift to everyone he encountered. His big, bright smile, infectious energy and eternal positivity created a presence that continuously uplifted others. He was kind, courteous and enthusiastic — always displaying a love for family, teammates and friends.” No cause of death was announced. Baltimore drafted Jones in the fifth round out of Syracuse in 2010. In his second season, he appeared in 14 games (one start) and made 20 tackles. The following year, he played in all 16 games, starting six, and notched 4 1/2 sacks to go with 47 tackles and a forced fumble. In 2013, he had four sacks along with 53 tackles in 14 games (13 starts) and that offseason signed a five-year, $33 million deal with the Indianapolis Colts. But injuries and other issues quickly derailed his career in Indianapolis. Jones missed all of 2015 with an ankle injury. He was then suspended for the first four games of 2016 after violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Upon his return, Jones started eight straight games before being placed on injured reserve again, this time with a groin injury. The Colts released him in March 2017 and he signed with Washington in November of that year but was placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury 10 days later. Jones announced his retirement at the end of that season. Related Articles Ravens QB Lamar Jackson ruled out; Cooper Rush will start vs. Texans Ravens injury report: Lamar Jackson, 3 key defenders ruled out vs. Texans 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 What’s wrong with the Ravens’ offense? Start with the running game. A native of Rochester, New York, Jones finished his career with 10 sacks, 173 tackles and two forced fumbles in 64 games (31 starts) across seven seasons. Jones is the older brother of former UFC star Jon Jones and former NFL defensive end Chandler Jones, who played for the New England Patriots, Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders. Their older sister, Carmen, was diagnosed with brain cancer and died at age 17 in 2000 when Arthur was in eighth grade. His son Arthur Jones IV, a defensive lineman in the 2028 recruiting class from Christian Brothers Academy in New York, recently received his first scholarship offer from Syracuse. This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. Rob Carr, Getty ImagesUFC fighter Jon Jones (left) jokes around with his brother, Ravens defensive end Arthur Jones, during a news conference.Baltimore Sun photo by Gene Sweeney Jr.Vonta Leach and Arthur Jones walk off the Paul Brown Stadium field after the Ravens' win.Lloyd Fox, Baltimore SunThe Ravens appear resigned to the fact that defensive lineman Arthur Jones will cost too much in free agency for them to bring him back.Baltimore Sun photo by Kenneth K. LamArthur Jones celebrates on the sideline as the Ravens' beat the Patriots.Christopher T. Assaf, Baltimore SunFrom left to right, Ravens defenders Corey Graham, Elvis Dumervil and Arthur Jones prepare for a play against the New York Jets.Lloyd Fox, Baltimore SunThe entire defense played with a lot of intensity. Haloti Ngata and Arthur Jones, pictured, were dominant up front for three quarters and got solid relief from backup Pernell McPhee. End Chris Canty has a presence sometimes, but there are times when he disappears. The Ravens have to get more pressure with their front four, and this group wore down in the fourth quarter. Grade CChristopher T. Assaf, Baltimore SunRavens defensive lineman Arthur Jones talks to teammates on the sideline after he sacked Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton in the fourth quarter.Lloyd Fox, Baltimore SunRavens defensive lineman Arthur Jones warms up before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field.Algerina Perna, Baltimore SunRavens defensive lineman Arthur Jones, top, celebrates after sacking Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the first quarter.Algerina Perna, Baltimore SunRavens defensive lineman Arthur Jones, center, celebrates after sacking Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, right, in the first quarter.Karl Merton Ferron, Baltimore SunRavens defensive lineman Arthur Jones, left, celebrates after sacking Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the first quarter.Lloyd Fox / Baltimore SunRavens defensive lineman Arthur Jones arrives at training camp.Kenneth K. Lam, Baltimore SunRavens defensive end Arthur Jones talks with news media after second day of work out during mandatory minicamp.Show CaptionRob Carr, Getty Images1 of 13UFC fighter Jon Jones (left) jokes around with his brother, Ravens defensive end Arthur Jones, during a news conference.Expand View the full article

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was officially ruled out Friday for Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans at M&T Bank Stadium with a hamstring injury. The news comes three days after The Baltimore Sun first reported that the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player was unlikely to play and could also be sidelined for next week’s home game against the Los Angeles Rams depending on how he responds to treatment. It marks the first time that Jackson, who did not practice all week, will miss a game because of injury since 2022, when a knee injury kept him out of the the final five games of the regular season as well as a wild-card-round loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. With Jackson sidelined, veteran and former Dallas Cowboys backup Cooper Rush will get the start. “It’s always a lot better when you get all of the reps in practice like that to prepare yourself for a game compared to a usual week when you are preparing and all that, but you don’t get those reps,” Rush said Friday. “Got a good plan being out there with the [starting] group and understanding the receivers and what they see and how they see it, and the tight ends and things like that, it was fun. “You always watch from behind there and Lamar and how they run it and try and replicate that and get a good feel for it.” The Ravens are also expected to elevate Tyler Huntley from the practice squad, and it’s possible that he could get on the field in some specific packages as well given his mobility. Rush, 31, however, will get the nod. He was signed this past offseason for a scenario such as this, with Baltimore having inked him to two-year, $6.5 million contract worth up to $12.2 million in March. His start also comes at a critical time for the Ravens, who have lost two straight and have already fallen two games behind the AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers a month into the season. “They all feel like must wins,” said Rush, who filled in for an injured Dak Prescott last season. “It doesn’t feel any different. “Whenever a franchise QB goes down, it’s always a sky is falling feeling everywhere you are. It’s normal. If you have to go out there on Sunday and do what you got to do, it’s nice knowing you had a whole week to prep for it.” Last week, Rush relieved the injured Jackson in the third quarter of an eventual 37-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium and completed 9 of 13 passes for 52 yards. Sunday will mark his first start since a 41-7 loss by Dallas in Week 17 last season to the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. In that game, he completed 15 of 28 passes for 147 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Rush also faced the Texans in Week 11 last season. He completed 32 of 55 passes for 352 yards and a touchdown with one interception but was sacked five times in the 34-10 defeat. Ravens quarterback Cooper Rush, who signed in the offseason, will make his first start for Baltimore on Sunday. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) In all, he appeared in 12 games for Dallas in 2024, including eight starts, and completed 60.7% of his passes for 1,844 yards with 12 touchdowns and five interceptions. An undrafted free agent out of Central Michigan in 2017, Rush spent seven seasons with the Cowboys and helped guide them to a 9-5 record in games that he started over three seasons. For his career, he has completed 60.9% of his passes for 3,515 yards with 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. What kind of success he can have against the Texans, though, remains to be seen. Houston (1-3) has the league’s top scoring defense (12.8 points per game) and is led by Pro Bowl edge rushers Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr., along with All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. and linebackers Azeez Al-Shaair and Henry To’oTo’o. The Ravens (1-3) have also struggled to find a rhythm with their offense and are dealing with several injuries, particularly on defense. No injury looms larger than Jackson’s, however. He is at the center of everything Baltimore does and through four games this season has completed a career-high 71.6% of his passes for 869 yards along with a NFL-best 10 touchdowns with just one interception. He has also rushed for 166 yards and another score on 21 carries. Related Articles Ravens injury report: Lamar Jackson, 5 key defenders miss final practice 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 What’s wrong with the Ravens’ offense? Start with the running game. Ravens Week 4 high school football Coaches of the Week Being without the dynamic Jackson impacts what Baltimore can do with its play-calling as well, especially with run-pass option plays with Rush far less mobile than Jackson, who last season broke Michael Vick’s NFL record for most career rushing yards by a quarterback. “That’s a challenge, obviously [with] the type of player and leader that Lamar is and how much he means to us,” tight end Mark Andrews said. “The beautiful thing is that we have a lot of fighters in this group and a deep organization with a ton of players that are going to step up and make plays. I just have a lot of faith and trust in the guys.” As for what Rush brings, he is a prototypical drop-back passer. He is also apt to get rid of the ball quickly and has experience. “He was here the whole offseason, and you can see why he has been successful,” offensive coordinator Todd Monken said Thursday of Rush, adding that the veteran is a consummate pro. “Everybody that you spoke to in Dallas … they loved him. He’s been as good as advertised.” Sunday will mark the 12th time that Jackson has missed a regular-season game because of injury or illness since he became the starting quarterback. In addition to 2022, he also missed five games in 2021 with a season-ending ankle injury and one game in 2020 because of COVID-19. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

The Ravens’ final practice Friday ahead of Sunday’s Week 5 game against the Houston Texans brought more of the same bad news. Quarterback Lamar Jackson (hamstring) was one of several key players not on the field in Owings Mills during the portion open to the media. The two-time NFL Most Valuable Player has not practiced all week after getting hurt in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and is not expected to play. Backup Cooper Rush is set to make his first start for Baltimore. Safety Kyle Hamilton (groin), middle linebacker Roquan Smith (hamstring), cornerbacks Chidobe Awuzie (hamstring) and Marlon Humphrey (calf) and outside linebacker Odafe Oweh (eye) were also absent from Friday’s practice. Smith, Humphrey and Awuzie haven’t practiced all week, and Hamilton was only a limited participant Wednesday. That could leave the Ravens without four defensive starters in addition to defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike, who was ruled out for the season with a neck injury. Fullback Patrick Ricard, who hasn’t practiced since mid-August with a calf injury, was also absent Friday. Coach John Harbaugh is expected to speak after practice, and an official injury report will be released later this afternoon. This article will be updated. 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

In any normal week, this exercise of delineating advantages between the Ravens and Texans would be an easy call. Favor would fall to Baltimore’s top-to-bottom more talented roster. This is, by no stretch, a normal week for the team in Owings Mills. Who will have the advantage when the 1-3 teams meet Sunday afternoon at M&T Bank Stadium? Ravens passing game vs. Texans pass defense The last time Cooper Rush started an NFL game was Dec. 29, 2024. He struggled mightily against the eventual Super Bowl champion Eagles to conclude a 9-5 record over the past four years as a spot starter with the Cowboys. On Sunday, when he replaced the injured Lamar Jackson (hamstring), he completed 9 of 13 passes for 52 yards — an uneventful garbage time sample size. The lights get brighter Sunday, assuming he’s called on to start for the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player in a must-win AFC matchup. Coach John Harbaugh had this to say of his confidence in Rush: “Everybody kind of knows what his game is, and he can play that game.” Rush gets rid of the ball quickly and can be a solid pocket passer, a far cry from the offense under Jackson. Even with a bevy of playmakers around him, Rush might be charged with leading this Ravens offense against a Texans defense that leads the league points allowed (12.8 per game, 4 points fewer than the next best defense) and ranks fifth in yards allowed (280.5). After the Texans pitched their third shutout in franchise history last week, star defensive end Will Anderson Jr., who could be lined up opposite a backup left tackle Sunday, said “that’s the type of defense that we knew we had.” EDGE: Texans Texans passing game vs. Ravens pass defense Houston’s passing attack isn’t anything to write home about. Quarterback C.J. Stroud took a step back. Some of that can be attributed to a worse offensive line, a lack of a second option in the passing game after Nico Collins and what has been a slow ramp-up running game. The Texans are bottom-10 in passing yards per game (185.3) and fourth-to-last in points per game (16.0). There are 17 quarterbacks with more passing yards than Stroud and 21 with more passing touchdowns. Last week’s win over Tennessee at least showed something to build on. Still, it’s hard to picture the Ravens’ secondary holding up without All-Pros Kyle Hamilton or Marlon Humphrey. Chidobe Awuzie, who has been one of Baltimore’s more consistent defensive backs thus far, also hasn’t practiced this week. They’re a depleted group among a decimated unit. But before the slew of injuries, no team allowed more points per game than the Ravens. Coming off Week 4, Houston took a step forward and the Ravens took two steps back. EDGE: Texans Ravens running game vs. Texans run defense ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky has taken a baseball bat to the Ravens this week, at one point calling them “broken.” One observation, which even Orlovsky said shocked him, was Baltimore’s propensity to shy away from its bell cow back on early downs. The Ravens rank last in the league when it comes to giving the ball to their running back on first or second down. But when they do hand the ball off there, most often to Derrick Henry, they’re second in yards per carry. Henry has 284 rushing yards on 49 carries through four games, with as many touchdowns as fumbles (3). Houston, meanwhile, hasn’t allowed one running back to go for more than 71 yards. Although Henry’s history against the Texans would like a word. In 15 career games versus Houston, the former Titans star has 280 carries for 1,578 yards with 13 touchdowns. When the Ravens and Texans matched up last year on Christmas, Henry clocked 147 yards on 27 carries. With Rush under center, expect Henry, who hasn’t been a world-beater this year, to get the ball a lot. EDGE: Ravens Texans running game vs. Ravens run defense Baltimore’s interior defensive line has been its most banged up positional group. Nnamdi Madubuike is out of the season with a neck injury. Broderick Washington Jr. (ankle) is on the injured list for another three weeks. And Travis Jones missed Sunday’s game in Kansas City because of a knee injury that has limited his practice availability. A group that was already near the bottom of the league in run defense suddenly lost its entire core trio — and at least two of three for a significant period of time. A veteran, rookie and two practice squad elevations will be in charge of plugging a solid running back duo if Jones can’t play. Nick Chubb brings name recognition to the backfield but is having a down year overall, averaging 4.0 yards per carry, which is well below his career average. Rookie Woody Marks is picking up the slack, having gashed the Titans for 119 total yards and a pair of touchdowns. You might think, well, it’s the Titans. There are two teams in the NFL who have allowed a league-most seven rushing touchdowns: the Ravens and Titans. Here’s what Texans coach DeMeco Ryans had to say about Marks: “Some of the runs he made, making guys miss in the hole, playing physical on some of our short yardage runs, him being able to get downhill in the passing game, not just catching the ball and running, but the protection. He had some really good protection clips as well. I thought overall he had a really outstanding game. For a rookie to step in and play the way that he played, really proud of what he did. He sparked a lot of excitement for us, offensively, for our team.” EDGE: Texans Ravens special teams vs. Texans special teams If there’s one aspect of the Ravens that doesn’t seem to need immediate or drastic help, it’s the special teams unit. Rookie kicker Tyler Loop has been perfect on field goal attempts, including 1-for-1 from 50-plus, with a single missed extra point attempt in Week 1. The one question for special teams coordinator Chris Horton is how the laundry list of injuries impacts his unit. “It’s like a trickle-down effect,” he said. “To me, the message is, it’s very simple. You get a lot of guys that ask for opportunities. You get a lot of guys that want to play, right? Well, here’s your moment; here’s your opportunity.” Houston’s Ka’imi Fairbairn has been a tick below perfect (8-for-10) on field goal tries. He’s also missed 2 of 7 attempts from 50-plus, one in each the past two weeks. He’s perfect on extra point tries. Fairbairn — whose full name is John Christian Ka’iminoeauloameka’ikeokekumupa’a Fairbairn — is a nine-year veteran who has been called on for far more big kicks than Loop. Both kickers are off to good starts this season. If this game turns into a slog, Fairbairn’s resume has the edge. EDGE: Texans Related Articles Ravens playoff odds: The projections are still confident in a 1-3 team 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 Ravens intangibles vs. Texans intangibles Brian Clough, widely considered one of the greatest English soccer managers ever, once said, “We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass.” There’s no doubt that the Ravens enter the weekend with a more talented roster. But this must-win game, played on grass without a few big names from that piece of paper, will test Baltimore’s depth. There were 15 players from the 53-man roster on the injury report this week. Eleven of them are starters. Can Rush challenge a stout Texans defense? Can Baltimore’s cornerback depth and cobbled-together defensive line stand up to an offense trending in the right direction? EDGE: Texans Prediction Sure, they could do it. But it’s disingenuous to pick the Ravens. The Texans have the best defense in the NFL and the Ravens are trotting out a backup quarterback to operate an offense that has already endured confounding stretches of rhythm-less play. Houston’s offense is a respectable group that, even with its faults, looks to be moving in the right direction while Baltimore is reeling from one injury after another. The Ravens’ season will be on life support by Sunday night (if it isn’t already). What once looked to be the perfect get-right opportunity for the season now seems destined to bury the Ravens into a 1-4 hole. Texans 21, Ravens 13. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article

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