ExtremeRavens Posted October 20 Posted October 20 Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton gazed up in disbelief at the scoreboard inside Highmark Stadium, gobsmacked by what he saw and physically ill from what had transpired. He didn’t know it then, but the path was etched from that very first game of the season. Baltimore’s historic collapse last month in Orchard Park, New York, where Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen threw for nearly 400 yards and erased a 15-point deficit in the final minutes, was dismaying. It was also an unwelcome tone-setter. The emotional toll of the shocking 41-40 defeat spilled over into the performances in the weeks that have followed and, eventually, into a roiling speech by Hamilton behind closed doors inside the Ravens’ training facility in Owings Mills. “It was that Bills game that put a beating on us mentally where it felt like everything was ending, even though it was the first game,” one veteran player who spoke on the condition of anonymity told The Baltimore Sun. “When we have so much time to recover, such a long season, and we let that carry over.” Following a stunning 1-5 start to a Ravens season — tied for worst in the franchise’s 30-year history — that was expected to end in a rain of purple confetti, the once-Super Bowl favorite is on the brink. The Sun spoke with more than 25 sources in and around the Ravens to gain a better understanding of what’s really wrong with a team laden with All-Pro and Pro Bowl talent, led on offense by a two-time NFL Most Valuable Player in quarterback Lamar Jackson and a defense that just two seasons ago was among the league’s elite. Most of those who spoke to The Sun came from inside the locker room, and some were granted anonymity so they could speak freely without fear of retribution. A few league sources also offered a perspective on the team’s struggles. The discussions provided a revealing view of an offense that is frustrated with a lack of creativity, a defense that has played tentatively and is scared to make even the smallest mistake, and a group of veterans and rookies alike who have struggled to find joy in their work. Particularly stark has been the drop-off from a team that just a year ago became the first in NFL history to pass for at least 4,000 yards and rush for at least 3,000 in the same season. From players to coaches, there has been an acknowledgment of a lack of rhythm among the offense. Jackson’s hamstring injury, which knocked him out of a Week 4 showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs in the third quarter and sidelined him in embarrassing losses to the Houston Texans and Los Angeles Rams, has been a big factor. But even before he got hurt, there were indications something was amiss. “It just feels different. I just don’t feel like guys are being put in positions to succeed with this offense,” one veteran offensive player told The Sun, aiming his criticism at offensive coordinator Todd Monken, now in his third year in Baltimore. Asked what he meant, the player said, “It’s freakin’ Lamar Jackson, how can you not find ways to have success with him? But I’m pretty sure if you put [Chiefs quarterback] Patrick Mahomes out there for us right now, the same things would be happening.” ‘Everybody catches up to you in this league’ The numbers bear that out. After leading the NFL in yards per game and ranking third in scoring last season, the Ravens ranked 21st in yards and 13th in points through their first six games this year. They plummeted from No. 1 in red zone scoring (85%) in 2024 to 15th this year (40.6%). Baltimore has also turned the ball over 10 times, one shy of all of last season’s total. Players and coaches have acknowledged a lack of consistency. “Three years ago, we had a new OC, new DC,” another veteran offensive player said. “Teams didn’t have any film on us. Now, they’ve seen everything that we’ve done, so we have to be more creative and put guys in spaces [to succeed].” Having so many playmakers on offense between running back Derrick Henry, receivers Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and DeAndre Hopkins, along with tight ends Mark Andrews and now Isaiah Likely, has been, in the eyes of Monken, “a good problem to have.” But to some of his players, sometimes it’s just a problem. “It has pros and cons,” one longtime offensive player said. “You got so many guys you want to get the ball to, but then it can get confusing at times. You’ve got so many different personnels and plays for certain guys. I think, at times, it can be a little confusing.” The issues extend beyond scheme. Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken speaks with the media after the team's 1-5 start. After a pair of superb seasons leading the offense, Monken has watched his group regress in 2025. (Surya Vaidy/Staff) “We got a lot of young guys around here,” one offensive player said. “They haven’t been around to build up battle scars, so it may get to them mentally, emotionally in their head. O-lineman, we have a lot of young guys, special teams, especially on defense right now. “You’re already gonna have nerves regardless, and then if things aren’t going well you’re going to have the outside noise. It’s a lot stacked up against you. “I think that’s the difference from the past — we had more mature teams.” Talk is cheap When the Ravens arrived at training camp in July, they spoke assertively about a singular goal: “We want to be the most feared unit in the league,” defensive coordinator Zach Orr said. Humphrey gave an impassioned speech about recovering a lost “standard.” The 2000 Ravens — Super Bowl champions, widely considered one of the best defenses ever — marked the mountaintop for a high-upside group laying out their goals from the season’s foothills. Fast forward six weeks into the regular season and the Ravens, who have been ravaged by injuries to several key starters, entered their bye week ranked last in the NFL in points allowed (32.3) and 29th in yards allowed (380.8) per game. Only two teams have fewer sacks and takeaways. Maturity has been a point of contention on defense, too, with All-Pro cornerback Marlon Humphrey noting that coach John Harbaugh broached the topic in a team meeting just a week into the season. Baltimore’s once-dominant defense has also played “soft,” according to one assistant coach from a rival team, in what has been a departure from the norm. How did they fall so far, so fast? “You can’t just talk about it,” veteran linebacker Kyle Van Noy said. “You got to do it.” Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton speaks with the media in late August. Hamilton is among the veteran defensive leaders trying to help the Ravens fix the unit's woes for the final 11 games of the season. (Kevin Richardson/Staff) Orr, 33 and in his second year, has taken the brunt of the criticism for Baltimore’s defensive struggles. His seat warmed with each loss, but might have cooled a bit after what he called “the most intensity” they’ve played with all year in the team’s Week 6 loss to the Rams. Harbaugh has repeatedly defended Orr’s job. Players stand behind him “110%.” They say their lack of success is on them, not him. It has led to extra walk-through sessions, extra meetings and extra position group meetings to “make sure knowledge of the playbook is good,” veteran defensive end Brent Urban told The Sun, adding that the quality of practices hasn’t translated to games. Others have shared that sentiment. “It’s not like we’re going in there just lollygagging and not doing our job,” Henry added. “It’s just so many things,” Urban continued. “Just guys getting on the same page, it’s one thing here, one thing there, these little things that are really adding up.” In an attempt to explain such a troubling trend, one player recalled one of four successful fourth-down conversions from the Chiefs game. The Ravens’ offense ran a play in practice that caught Orr’s defense by surprise. They didn’t stop it. Kansas City ran that exact play. Orr knew what was coming, schemed against it properly, and the Chiefs still converted. “It’s hard for me to comprehend at times,” one veteran defensive player said. “The game is a different environment. If you go in there scared to make a mistake, you’re probably going to make a mistake. When the poor results keep happening, it’s almost like the pressure is building, and guys are more scared to make a mistake. “A mistake’s not going to kill you. But these little mistakes all over the place continuing, it’s just like a snowball. It messes with you mentally.” Added another offensive player: “It makes Z.O. look bad when he’s calling the right [stuff].” ‘There’s a lot going on’ Accountability in the locker room was also a pillar of past teams, and it has been a talking point this year. Rob Burnett, a defensive end for the Ravens from 1996 to 2001, said that if a player missed a meeting, they’d end up on a milk carton. If someone lagged behind in practice, Burnett and Tony Siragusa, two partners in crime along the defensive line, would drown their belongings in a lake. “We’re old school,” Burnett said. Times are different now, but Harbaugh said accountability is “critical” and something “that we work on all the time.” “I feel like we’re going to get great, great veteran leadership,” he said. “Nothing is going to be more important than that.” Perhaps more impactful than perceived player accountability, injuries and the underwhelming play of key veterans have pushed inexperienced players into larger roles. When general manager Eric DeCosta pieced the roster together in the offseason, he couldn’t have imagined it would look like this before midseason. In the Ravens’ 34-point loss to the Texans on Oct. 5, three defenders made their first career starts and five rookies (two undrafted) were part of the opening lineup. Fourth-round rookie linebacker Teddye Buchanan wore the green dot as the primary play-caller, while first-round safety Malaki Starks fed communication in the secondary. “When a contender has that many young players and rookies forced into real roles this fast,” one high-level NFL executive said, “it’s hard to mask.” Starks acknowledged that he’s still feeling out his role, having “stepped into a [leadership] zone that I haven’t been in yet.” The rookie’s potential is undeniable. But the Ravens didn’t envision thrusting him into such a high-leverage role so quickly. “I mean, there’s a lot going on,” Starks said, “but it’s really just like a tunnel. I can only control what I can control.” ‘Get back to having fun’ Because of it all — what Hopkins, the 13-year veteran and three-time All-Pro wideout, aptly called “bad football” — the locker room looks different now, too. In the week leading up to the Sept. 28 loss to the Chiefs, punter Jordan Stout posted an Instagram story of Jackson sitting in front of a video game console, controller in hand, with the caption: “Hard at work.” It was a harmless, friendly jab. But two days later, the quarterback hobbled off the field at Arrowhead Stadium with a hamstring injury he suffered in another deflating 37-20 loss. When the team returned to Owings Mills, the toys had disappeared. The Ravens promptly removed several recreational staples from the locker room, including the basketball hoop near Jackson’s and Flowers’ stalls, the pingpong table that rookies Buchanan and Mike Green often battled on after practice, the once-popular cornhole boards, and yes, the video game consoles, often lit up with intense rounds of Super Smash Bros., that regularly drew small crowds of teammates late in the day. Ravens outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy ponders a reporter’s question during the offseason. Van Noy and the Ravens' defense has struggled through their first six games of the season, allowing 32.3 points per game. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Multiple players told The Sun the decision came from the coaching staff, who wanted to strip away distractions and have the team fully locked in amid its disappointing start. It’s not the first time they’ve done it. In previous seasons when the Ravens stumbled early, coaches leaned on similar tactics, dialing back locker-room freedoms in an effort to boost focus and reset the work environment. From a player’s perspective, the recreational activities helped break up long days and allowed the locker room to breathe and relax, even for a moment, from an atmosphere that demands intense daily focus. Since the removal of the activities, the Ravens have lost two more games, extending their season-long losing streak to four. The fun stuff is gone. The team is still searching for answers. Only four teams in NFL history have started 1-5 and gone on to make the playoffs. For Baltimore, the belief in a turnaround feels paramount. “The only worse thing is 0-6, so yes, it’s a big hole. We’re going to have to bounce back,” center Tyler Linderbaum said. “We have 11 games left to try to run the table.” That kind of hope is often where teams either splinter or rally. Amidst the worst stretch of his storied career — four straight games with fewer than 50 rushing yards paired with three early season fumbles — Henry gathered his teammates after a Friday practice leading into Baltimore’s Oct. 12 loss to the Rams. According to three players in attendance, he told teammates the only way they’d start winning games again is if they “get back to having fun.” Henry’s message was simple. For a team stuck searching for itself, weighed down by its historic Week 1 collapse, Baltimore needed this bye week — a timely physical and emotional reset. All that’s left is to see how they respond. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com and x.com/samdcohn. Contact Josh Tolentino at jtolentino@baltsun.com, x.com/JCTSports and instagram.com/JCTSports. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson speaks to the media after a September practice. The Ravens lost both of their games with Jackson out of the lineup because of injury. (Kevin Richardson/Staff) View the full article Quote
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