ExtremeRavens Posted yesterday at 07:56 PM Posted yesterday at 07:56 PM Kyle Van Noy thought that his defense earned a rare stop after rookie cornerback Keyon Martin sacked C.J. Stroud on third down. But alas — on a day when the Ravens’ defensive woes became a calamity — even a “good” play was negated. Martin was flagged for being offsides, wiping out the sack and giving the Texans a first down. Van Noy looked skyward, hands on his hips, as if searching for a solution that never came. In one of the worst performances of the John Harbaugh era, Baltimore trailed 24-3 at halftime and got crushed by Houston, 44-10, on Sunday afternoon at M&T Bank Stadium. The 34-point loss is the third-worst in franchise history and tied for the team’s worst home defeat. The 44 points allowed are the fifth most in team history and the most at home under Harbaugh. The Ravens, who have lost their past five games without Lamar Jackson, who missed the contest with a hamstring injury, are 1-4 for the first time since 2015 and just the second time in franchise history. That team started 1-6 and finished 5-11. Baltimore’s defense has now surrendered the most touchdowns, passing yards and rushing yards in franchise history through five weeks. The unit has also generated the fewest quarterback pressures and turnovers during that stretch. After preaching all week that better results were coming, defensive coordinator Zach Orr’s unit allowed three touchdowns and a field goal in its first four drives. Houston rushed for 5.1 yards per carry, converted several third-and-shorts and rarely faced any pressure. The Ravens have forced two punts and zero turnovers over the past two games, and one punt came after Houston pulled its starters. Stroud’s 5-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson was the quarterback’s first against Baltimore. The Ravens had stifled the signal-caller into three of the worst starts of his young career entering Sunday’s game, including a 2023 divisional round defeat in Baltimore. But with five starters out, the Ravens’ defensive slide has turned into a full-blown disaster. Three players in the secondary — safety Reuben Lowery III and cornerbacks T.J. Tampa Jr. and Martin — made their first career starts, and beleaguered players such as linebacker Trenton Simpson, cornerback Jaire Alexander and defensive end Brent Urban also returned to the lineup after playing reserve roles for most of the season. Houston’s offense moved the ball at will against the depleted defense, going on drives of 5:36, 5:40 and 3:53. Stroud completed a career-high 85% of his passes to go with 244 yards and four touchdowns before being relieved by backup Davis Mills midway through the fourth quarter. One fan cried out, “Guard somebody, please,” midway through the second quarter. Boos rained down onto M&T Bank Stadium as Baltimore entered the locker room facing its largest halftime deficit since 2017. This wasn’t the Bills’, Chiefs’ or Lions’ offense, either. Houston entered Sunday with the 29th-best scoring offense in the NFL, averaging just 16 points per game. Those numbers were also bolstered by a 26-0 win over the Tennessee Titans (0-4) last week. Against one of the worst pass-protecting teams in football, Baltimore recorded just nine pressures on Stroud. And despite being the healthiest unit on the field, the defensive line struggled again, allowing 167 rushing yards. Without Jackson, the Ravens’ defense needed to control the game. Instead, they got dissected by Stroud and his counterpart — backup Cooper Rush — struggled mightily, reaching the red zone just twice. Ravens vs. Texans, October 5, 2025 | PHOTOS Rush finished 14-for-20 passing for 179 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions in his first start with the Ravens. Henry ran for just 33 yards on 15 carries, and the team finished with just 207 total yards. Rush rarely attempted a pass beyond the first-down marker, constantly checking it down to shorter options. Any hope of a comeback was dashed in the third quarter after a lazy pass to Henry in the flat was intercepted by Texans safety Jalen Pitre. The Texans scored three plays later to make it 31-3. M&T Bank Stadium was less than halfway filled with more than seven minutes to go in the third quarter. Fans booed the offense, slumped their heads after each Texans touchdown and watched their team fall further into the abyss. Only 7.9% of teams that started 1-4 have made the playoffs since the NFL expanded to 32 teams in 2002, according to CBS Sports. Relief is not coming, with the playoff-contending Los Angeles Rams traveling to Baltimore next Sunday before the Ravens have their bye week. The fans who stayed tried to muster a “defense” chant with Baltimore trailing by 24 points in the third quarter. Houston promptly went on a seven-play, nearly four-minute scoring drive for its fifth touchdown of the day. A different yet faint chant of “Fire Harbaugh” started after that. This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Jane at sjane@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/Sam_Jane230. Ravens defenders look on as the Texans celebrate a second-quarter touchdown. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) View the full article Quote
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