ExtremeRavens Posted September 23 Posted September 23 Here’s what The Baltimore Sun sports staff had to say immediately after the Ravens’ 38-30 loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 3 of the NFL season on Monday night at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore: Brian Wacker, reporter There’s no understating how significantly the absences of Nnamdi Madubuike and Kyle Van Noy impacted a Ravens defense that simply couldn’t keep Detroit’s high-powered offense off the field and out of the end zone. The Ravens were gashed on the ground and through the air as Lions quarterback Jared Goff had all night to find a plethora of open receivers. Baltimore’s offensive line issues reared their head again as well with Lamar Jackson getting sacked seven times. For as potent as the Ravens’ offense can be, the defense continues to hold this team back with too little pressure and thus too much time for opposing quarterbacks and too many open receivers in the secondary. Mike Preston, columnist It wasn’t the Super Bowl, but it was perhaps the best game of the young season. The formula, though, for beating the Ravens was on display Monday night. It’s nearly impossible to stop quarterback Lamar Jackson and all the weapons he has on offense, but the best way to keep Jackson off the field is to establish a strong running game. The Ravens had two glaring turnovers, one that nullified a scoring opportunity at the goal line and another that led to Detroit field goal in the fourth quarter. The Lions’ last score came on a 31-yard touchdown run by David Montgomery with 1:42 left in the game. But this wasn’t just about run defense. The Ravens couldn’t stop Detroit’s passing game, and the Lions consistently challenged the Ravens’ cornerbacks, particularly Marlon Humphrey on the outside. The Ravens are now 1-2 and look a lot like they did last season when they struggled in pass defense. At least the good news is that Baltimore goes to Kansas City, which has struggled offensively all season. Josh Tolentino, columnist Marlon Humphrey’s defensive holding penalty didn’t matter. Amon-Ra St. Brown fought through Humphrey’s tug in the game’s most critical moment, streaked up the right sideline and hauled in an arcing pass from quarterback Jared Goff to move the Lions on fourth down with less than two minutes left. Humphrey was just one piece of a broken Baltimore defense that showed no backbone against the Lions and their high-powered offense that seemingly did whatever they wanted to through the air and on the ground. Derrick Henry’s inability to protect the football in key moments — he has a lost fumble in all three games this season — is quickly becoming a concerning issue. Next week’s date with Kansas City looks like a much more manageable contest than many anticipated at the beginning of the year, but the Ravens’ defense has a laundry list of problems to address after Monday night’s meltdown. Sam Cohn, reporter That was about as uncharacteristic a prime-time performance as we could have expected from the superstar duo of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. Jackson was sacked seven times, fumbled (which he recovered on fourth down for a turnover anyway) and nearly threw an interception. Henry looked human in goal-to-go situations and coughed up a costly fumble in the fourth quarter. Neither capitalized on chances to take or extend leads, and it yielded what was their worst collective showing this season. On the other side, the heart of Baltimore’s defensive issues were a product of not having pass rushers Nnamdi Madubuike and Kyle Van Noy. That put too much pressure on the young guys, who struggled to pressure Jared Goff. Interior issues made life tougher on the back end, and the Ravens now head to Kansas City in a must-win game at Arrowhead Stadium. Sam Jane, reporter The dichotomy of skill sets between the two quarterbacks couldn’t be much different. Lamar Jackson is one of the most elusive quarterbacks in NFL history, while Jared Goff is largely a statue in the pocket. But Monday’s stat line told a much different story. Jackson was sacked seven times while Goff’s jersey was pearly white from the lack of pressure he faced. Baltimore’s pass rush was abysmal, pressuring the Lions quarterback only 10 times while Detroit generated 18 pressures. The Ravens’ offensive line is a significant issue three weeks into the season, and without Kyle Van Noy or Nnamdi Madubuike, their lack of a pass rush is also a growing concern. Ravens vs. Lions, September 22, 2025 | PHOTOS C.J. Doon, editor The Ravens officially have a “big game” problem. The 2024 season-opening defeat at Kansas City. The home loss against the Eagles last season. The divisional round defeat at Buffalo. The 15-point blown lead to those same Bills to open 2025. This game. Allowing explosive plays is one thing, but when was the last time you saw a Ravens defense give up an 18-play, 98-yard drive that lasted more than 10 minutes? Detroit’s biggest gain on that first-half march was 13 yards as it converted four third downs. Then, when Baltimore finally did get the ball back, it drove all the way down to the goal line only to get stuffed three times before Lamar Jackson fumbled the ball away on fourth down. It was as disheartening a 15 minutes of game action for the Ravens since … well, since the Week 1 collapse in Buffalo. It didn’t get much better after that. The Ravens gave up a 96-yard touchdown drive to open the third quarter on just seven plays. So much for those halftime adjustments from Zach Orr’s unit. Just about everything frustrating about this team bubbled to the surface. The defense couldn’t get off the field when it needed to. Todd Monken’s play-calling was questionable at best. The offensive line couldn’t keep Jackson clean, allowing seven sacks. Henry fumbled for the third time this season. Things don’t get any easier with a desperate Chiefs team hosting Baltimore on a short week. The Ravens were able to overcome a slow start last season and become a championship contender. This year’s schedule is shaping up for Baltimore to go on a run and comfortably make the playoffs again. (Seriously, go look.) But when the postseason does arrive, how serious will this team’s title hopes be? Tonight, the Ravens looked below the top tier. Tim Schwartz, editor The Ravens looked lost in the fourth quarter and got beat, in many ways, at their own game. The Lions ran all over Baltimore behind Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery and their pass rush got to Lamar Jackson often. The Ravens’ running game? Derrick Henry fumbled (again) in a crucial spot, which resulted in points for Detroit. Jared Goff wasn’t sacked. Games are often won in the trenches, and the Lions took control. At 1-2 with a 1-2 Chiefs squad looming Sunday, the Ravens have shown they are a step behind the Super Bowl contenders. Bennett Conlin, editor The Ravens’ defense dominated Joe Flacco and the Browns in Week 2. Hang the banner! A group that spent all offseason talking about imitating the legendary 2000 Ravens and wanting to be feared should start by being competent. I know they’re without key players in Kyle Van Noy and Nnamdi Madubuike, but the Lions bullied them up front and forced enough mistakes from the Ravens’ offense to leave Baltimore victorious. The defense also cost the Ravens a win in Week 1, allowing 41 points to the Bills. Baltimore is supremely talented, but the Ravens are 1-5 against the Chiefs, Bills, Lions and Eagles dating to the start of last season. Those teams were four of the first five behind the Ravens in terms of shortest odds to win the Super Bowl entering Monday’s game. The common denominator in the losses is the offense being out of sorts and the defense not picking up the slack. There’s a legitimate case to be made that the Ravens could be 5-1 in those six games. Instead, this team can’t get out of its own way. 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 Quote
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