Ravens Insider: Ravens lose Lamar Jackson to injury in 37-20 loss to Chiefs, fall to 1-3

ExtremeRavens · September 28

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Lamar Jackson limped to the sideline and threw his helmet in disgust Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. The frustration late in the third quarter was a perfect summation of a long afternoon, for the Ravens’ quarterback and a banged-up Baltimore defense that only got more depleted as the day wore on against the Chiefs.

A little more than a year after the two teams played a thriller that went down to the end (and a toenail), the drama was sucked out of this one long before the clock hit zero. Only unanswered questions remain.

The Chiefs (2-2) rolled to a 37-20 victory in the critical AFC showdown, dropping the Ravens to 1-3 for their worst start to a season in a decade. Worse yet for Baltimore, Jackson suffered a hamstring injury after being tackled from behind by defensive end George Karlaftis.

It was one of a handful of injuries on the day for the Ravens, who entered the game without four defensive starters because of injuries and lost three more along the way, including cornerback Marlon Humphrey (calf), inside linebacker and defensive play-caller Roquan Smith (hamstring) in the second quarter and cornerback Nate Wiggins (elbow) in the fourth.

Coach John Harbaugh did not have an update on Jackson’s status after the game but said that it “doesn’t look like it’s season-ending by any stretch” for any of the injured players.

Jackson was not made available to reporters after the game, with a Ravens official saying that he was receiving treatment for the injury. The quarterback did eventually emerge from the locker room and had a significant limp as he exited.

“Those are the challenges that you do face from time to time,” Harbaugh said of the spate of injuries. “It’s tough in a game like this against a really good team on the road, but you gotta try to find a way to win anyway.”

Now the question is how much winning they’ll be able to do going forward, particularly if Jackson or others are out for any extended period.

With the defeat, the Ravens, who entered the year as the favorites to win the Super Bowl, are off to their worst start since 2015, when they finished 5-11. How they will respond this time remains to be seen, but 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. Only the 2001 New England Patriots, who switched to Tom Brady as their starting quarterback, started 1-3 and won the Super Bowl.

Baltimore came into Week 4 with the NFL’s top offense but looked like anything but for a second straight week. Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo sent a series of blitzes and used a spy on Jackson, who completed 14 of 20 passes for 147 yards with a touchdown and his first interception of the season while running six times for 48 yards. The Ravens’ defense was leaky again, too.

Two days after safety Kyle Hamilton said that Ravens fans had been spoiled over the years, Sunday’s performance led to a lengthy apology afterward.

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“The product that we’re putting on the field right now is not up to par with what the Ravens have been in the past and been in the recent past,” he said unprompted to begin his postgame news conference in a speech that lasted about two minutes. “I think we know that. We’re trying our best to correct it, but obviously something’s wrong, so it’s up to all of us to try to fix that.”

He also said he used a “poor choice of words” when calling Ravens fans spoiled.

“Meant in the sense that that Ravens fans been accustomed to great defense, great teams, haven’t been a lot of teams in Ravens history since ’96 to underachieve to the point where fans felt disappointed in the season as a whole,” he said. “We gotta get it fixed.”

That was evident early and often. The Chiefs scored on their first four possessions and did not punt until they led 37-13 midway through the fourth quarter.

After the Ravens easily sliced through Kansas City’s defense on the game’s opening possession, covering 70 yards in nine plays that ended with a dump-off from Jackson to Justice Hill over the middle for an 11-yard score, the Chiefs had their way. They scored on a pair of field goal attempts before Patrick Mahomes (25 of 37 passing, 270 yards, four touchdowns) threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster and an 8-yard scoring pass to Isiah Pacheco in the second quarter for a 20-7 lead.

Meanwhile, Spagnuolo, who has continuously vexed Jackson over the years, did so once more. That included a blitz late in the first quarter that led to an interception by linebacker Leo Chenal on a pass up the sideline intended for tight end Mark Andrews and another on fourth-and-1 from the Ravens’ own 41 with three minutes to go in the first half that resulted in Jackson’s pass sailing into the sideline incomplete. Derrick Henry also had just four carries — all in the first half — for 31 yards.

Six plays later, the Chiefs found the end zone again.

Then, their defense struck again. On the Ravens’ next possession, Jackson was sacked for a 2-yard loss and lost the ball in the process, with linebacker Drue Tranquill recovering the fumble at the Ravens’ 47.

Kicker Harrison Butker missed a 56-yard field goal attempt, while the Ravens’ Tyler Loop tacked on a 43-yarder of his own to end the half and cut the deficit to 20-10, but that was as close as Baltimore would get.

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, left, argues a call with field judge/side judge Greg Gautreaux, right, during the first half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025 in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann) — Ravens coach John Harbaugh, left, argues a call with referee Greg Gautreaux in the first half. (Reed Hoffmann/AP)

With the Ravens already down their entire starting defensive interior, with Pro Bowl defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike placed on injured reserve on Saturday and Travis Jones (knee) inactive, along with outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy (hamstring), more injuries piled up. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey (calf) and linebacker Roquan Smith (hamstring) were ruled out in the third quarter before Jackson and Wiggins went down. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley (ankle) started after being a game-time decision but exited in the first quarter and did not return.

The Chiefs marched 65 yards in six plays on their opening possession of the second half, ending in a touchdown reception by Tyquan Thornton before another touchdown pass from Mahomes to former Ravens star Marquise “Hollywood” Brown in the fourth.

Meanwhile, three times the Ravens faced third- or fourth-and-1 in the game, and they opted to throw each time. They didn’t convert any of them.

“That’s play calling,” Harbaugh said. “I’m not gonna sit here and say I’m happy about it at all. I’m sure [offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s] not happy about it, either. None of us are.

“Maybe we just need better plays. We need plays that are gonna pop open.”

Mahomes improved to 6-1 all-time against the Ravens, while Jackson fell to 1-6 and 0-4 at Arrowhead Stadium.

The Ravens’ 133 points allowed over the first four games are a franchise high.

“It’s a long season,” Harbaugh said. “But the short term, it’s a challenge right now.

“I’m concerned, but I’m not overwhelmed by [the 1-3 start]. Doesn’t really matter, we gotta win the next game.”

This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson sits on the bench after being replaced by Cooper Rush during the second half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

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Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson sits on the bench after being replaced by Cooper Rush during the second half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

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Ravens Insider: Ravens lose Lamar Jackson to injury in 37-20 loss to Chiefs, fall to 1-3

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