On a warm, sunny day at M&T Bank Stadium, the Ravens put forth a performance that did nothing to brighten their situation.
Suffering their third straight loss that was tied for the most lopsided in team history, the injury-riddled Ravens dropped a 44-10 decision that made their early-season hole even deeper.
They are 1-4 through five games – dangerous territory for any team that expects to make the playoffs. Not only do the Ravens need to get better, but they are in desperate need to get healthier.
Their seven inactive players against Houston included six Pro Bowlers from last season – Lamar Jackson, Kyle Hamilton, Roquan Smith, Marlon Humphrey, Ronnie Stanley, and Pat Ricard. Another Pro Bowl player from last season, defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike, is out for the season.
That left the Ravens severely shorthanded, and it showed. When Nick Chubb rumbled for a 27-yard touchdown run to put Houston ahead, 31-3, in the third quarter, it felt like the knockout punch in a one-sided fight.
"We got beat in every way you can get beat," Head Coach John Harbaugh said. "I did not expect to see that. I thought we'd play a lot better than that. A big disappointment. We've got to figure out a way to turn it around, figure out who we are this next week. We've got to find ourselves."
Here are my five thoughts on a Ravens team looking for answers to a myriad of issues:
Being the NFL's worst defensive team isn't going to cut it.
The Ravens are giving up the most points in the league (35.4 per game) and that is their biggest issue. They've surrendered at least 37 points in all four of their losses. Being scored on at that rate makes it extremely difficult to win, and the turnaround the Ravens will need to make the playoffs won't happen unless their defense greatly improves.
Houston scored on its first eight possessions – five touchdowns and three field goals. The Texans ran with success, threw with success, and showed no mercy until starting quarterback C.J. Stroud left the game with just under nine minutes left.
Once again, Baltimore's run defense was porous, yielding 166 yards on the ground.
"This run defense is not OK," Harbaugh said. "We haven't fixed that all year yet. That's the No. 1 thing that's got to start."
To solely blame injuries isn't an honest assessment.
Even in their injury-depleted state, the Ravens didn't expect to be dominated Sunday. Cooper Rush entered this game with a 9-5 career record as a starting quarterback, and Baltimore had a week to prepare for his Ravens debut. They expected to win and got blown out.
However, remember that the Ravens were much healthier in Week 1 when they squandered a fourth-quarter lead against Buffalo. They expected to be a solid defensive team from the start this season, and that simply hasn't happened.
Baltimore was the NFL's top rushing team in 2024, yet its running game has been contained for four straight games. Forcing turnovers was a priority for the defense this offseason, yet the unit has had zero takeaways in four out of five games.
Even before the injuries started piling up, the Ravens weren't playing quality football. Being shorthanded in this game made their problems more glaring. Regardless of who's on the field, the Ravens need to find more answers.
"No excuses," veteran outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy said. "Professionals, you get paid to play. We've got to play better."
Winning without Lamar Jackson remains a major challenge.
The Ravens are now 4-11 without Jackson in the lineup since he became their starter during the 2018 season.
Rush was acquired during the offseason to give the Ravens a better chance of winning if Jackson went down. Pinning this loss on Rush (14 of 20, 179 yards) would not be fair, although he threw three interceptions – something a backup quarterback can't afford to do.
However, the Ravens didn't support Rush with a consistent running attack. Derrick Henry (15 carries, 32 yards) was held to 50 yards or less for the fourth consecutive game, pre-snap penalties set them back, and the Ravens' offense became one-dimensional once they fell way behind.
Winning without Jackson, who was out with a hamstring injury, didn't look any easier for the Ravens than it ever has, and they face that challenge again if he can't play in Week 6 when they host the Los Angeles Rams.
The Ravens' current situation will test them in every way.
Starting the season with such high expectations, but starting the way they have, will test coaches and players. They'll have to lean on each other, look in the mirror, and stick together if they are going to fight their way back into the playoff picture.
Harbaugh said he did not see a lack of effort.
"I think the effort was there, I just didn't think the execution was there. It's going to have to start with us as coaches to figure it out," Harbaugh said.
Harbaugh was asked to compare this to other difficult situations during his 18-year tenure.
"Every year had challenges, none more challenging than this right now," Harbaugh said. "This is the one we're in. This is a tough one. This becomes the measuring stick. It's how you handle it. When people look back, when things were the toughest, when we were at our worst point, how did you handle it? I'm looking for people to come out fighting."
Extra Points:
- Isaiah Likely had two pre-snap penalties in the first half. "That's just a drive killer," Likely said. The Ravens were penalized nine times for 49 yards, compared to four penalties for 26 yards on the Texans.
- The Texans entered the game averaging just 16 points. This was their highest-scoring game of the season.
- In its last two games, Baltimore has allowed nine touchdowns and has not forced a turnover, while only forcing two punts.
- The 24-3 halftime deficit was the Ravens' largest home deficit since 2007, when they trailed the Indianapolis Colts, 37-7, at intermission.
