There may be no bigger surprise through five weeks of the 2025 NFL season than the Baltimore Ravens starting 1-4. They’ll host the 3-2 (and probably somehow underperforming) Los Angeles Rams this weekend.
Lamar Jackson is injured—and few teams can win without their starting quarterback—but they are significant problems with this year’s Ravens team beyond the individual taking snaps under center.
How bad are the Ravens really? How did their season effectively end before it even started?
The scoreboard does not lie
Week 1 at Bills: 40-41 (loss)
This was one of the best games of the young season. The Ravens did not punt a single time in Buffalo but ultimately came up short to a Super Bowl contender. At the time it was difficult to see this as a sign Baltimore would not be able to contend in 2025.
Week 2 vs Browns: 41-17 (win)
While the final score suggests a blow out, this game was much closer than it appears. The Browns trailed 10-20 at the end of the third quarter before Baltimore scored 21 in the fourth.
It was simply a matchup that was tough for the Ravens. Joe Flacco and the Browns offense couldn’t take advantage of a Ravens secondary that is prone to big plays, and their talented defense mitigated the damage of Jackson and others for most the game.
On the surface this looks like a get right game for Baltimore but in reality it was maybe our first sign of trouble.
Week 3 vs Lions: 30-38 (loss)
Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery combined for 218 yards and two scores, which is entirely out of character for what we think of as the Ravens defense. Similar to Baltimore’s fourth quarter explosion versus the Browns in the prior week, Detroit put up 17 towards the end of the game to close this one out.
Week 4 at Chiefs: 20-37 (loss)
This is when we knew to hit the panic button on the 2025 season for Baltimore. The Chiefs are not the deadly force that we’ve come to know in recent years. Still, the Ravens never stood a chance and they made Patrick Mahomes look like the 2018-2022 version of himself. Jackson left midgame with a hamstring injury and is still sidelined.
Week 5 vs Texans: 10-44 (loss)
Week 5 gives us a litmus test on where the Ravens are without Jackson. They didn’t stand a chance against a team the Rams have already beat in the Texans with Cooper Rush under center, and now Baltimore may turn to their other backup in Tyler Huntley. If this is a reliable indication, we should expect the Rams to throttle this Ravens team in Baltimore.
Where did it all go wrong?
We often underrate the impact of coaching changes on the defensive side of the ball. Mike MacDonald is making his impact felt with the Seattle Seahawks, who are one of the NFL’s best defenses in the first five weeks. Inversely, the Ravens seem to miss MacDonald despite continuing to run his scheme. Second-year coordinator Zach Orr was considered a promising hire but he may be no replacement for the original.
In addition to Jackson, the Ravens are also missing star defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike who is now ruled out for the season. Madubuike played only two games and is an important component of their run defense, though he also brings juice as a pass rusher. It’s difficult to replace a player of his caliber on short notice.
According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Baltimore ranks 31st of 32 teams in run defense grading. This came to light against the Lions but has been a theme throughout their struggles. Their defense overall ranks 29th. There isn’t much of a pass rush to speak of even if the coverage players on the backend are contributing more positively than the front seven.
It’s difficult to see the struggling pass rush unit improve in the near future. The Ravens’ two leading pressure producers are Odafe Oweh and Madubuike. We knew Madubuike wasn’t coming back, and now Baltmore just traded Oweh to the Los Angeles Chargers in a late-round pick swap. This leaves them with Tavius Robinson, Kyle Van Noy, and rookie Mike Green as their primary rushers.
With Matthew Stafford coming off one of his best games of the season—and uncoincidentally the Rams’ best pass protection effort on the young year—we could see the Rams attack vertically down the field more often in Week 6. This could mean increased roles for Tutu Atwell and Terrance Ferguson, who both contributed in positive ways despite losing to San Francisco last week.
The Rams have a sound opportunity to right the ship against a tepid Ravens defense in Week 6 and advance to 4-2 on the year.
Could Baltimore score an upset, marking the second-straight week where the Rams lost against a backup quarterback? Crazier things have happened.
