Losing four of their first five games has forced the Ravens to take a hard look at themselves heading into Week 6.
Scheme and lineup changes have not been ruled out, according to Head Coach John Harbaugh.
"We've got a lot of decisions to make, a lot of planning to do," Harbaugh said Monday after evaluating Baltimore's 44-10 loss to the Houston Texans. "The urgency is high. I've got a long list, based on how the game went."
Harbaugh was asked specifically about possible changes on the offensive line. According to Pro Football Focus, left guard Andrew Vorhees (49.9), right guard Daniel Faalele (42.4), and left tackle Joe Noteboom (42.3) all earned sub-50 grades against Houston.
"Everything's on the table," Harbaugh said. "There are guys in that area where they still have to prove themselves. They are the starters because they have earned that, to a point, but you've got to keep earning that. You've got to keep getting better. You can't plateau. If we were hoping for you to make more progress as a player and it's not happening, at some point in time, somebody else is going to get a chance."
Cooper Rush, who threw three interceptions, played the entire game at quarterback against Houston. If Jackson is sidelined for the second straight week, Harbaugh did not rule out Tyler Huntley seeing action.
"Consider everything," Harbaugh said. "Every part of it to try to get the win. That'll be talked about the next 24 hours."
Harbaugh gave a further assessment of Rush's overall performance. Besides his three interceptions, Rush completed 14 of 20 passes for 179 yards and drove the Ravens down the field on the game's opening drive.
"I thought he handled it well," Harbaugh said. "I don't like the result. I think Cooper would probably tell you that the late throw interception to [Jalen] Pitre early, that was not a good one. He'd want that one back.
"The tipped ball was kind of crazy. It's been one of those years so far. You've got to think it's going to turn, think we'll start getting some interceptions with some crazy plays, some tipped balls for touchdowns."
Some Injured Players Are Expected Back to Face Rams
Harbaugh does not expect the Ravens to be as shorthanded in Week 6 as they were against the Texans.
Jackson (hamstring), Kyle Hamilton (groin), Roquan Smith (hamstring), Marlon Humphrey (calf), Ronnie Stanley (ankle), Patrick Ricard (calf), and Chidobe Awuzie (hamstring) were inactive against the Texans.
While defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike (neck) is lost for the season and defensive tackle Broderick Washington Jr. (ankle) remains on injured reserve, Harbaugh expects some other players to return against the Los Angeles Rams.
"With Lamar and the other guys, I would say we're in the process of figuring that out right now," Harbaugh said. "We'll just have to see how they progress. There'll be some number of those guys back. How many is up in the air. It won't be everybody.
"The good news is we didn't have any new major injuries from this [Texans] game. That's a plus. We should be in better shape than we were last game. I don't know how games in the NFL have had that many guys out for a team, on top of Nnamdi. That's just the reality of it. I appreciate the way our guys fought."
Harbaugh said the lopsided loss to the Texans was in some ways explainable by "young guy mistakes." The Ravens had five rookie starters on defense.
Harbaugh Shares Insight on Ricard's Calf Injury
Ricard has yet to play this season but was not placed on injured reserve prior to Week 1. Harbaugh provided more insight into Ricard's progress, hoping he will return after the Ravens' bye to face the Chicago Bears in Week 8.
"It was supposed to be a two- [or] three-week injury when it first happened at training camp," Harbaugh said. "He kind of re-tweaked it and it was supposed to be another two to three weeks. It's been a slow burn. If we had known it was going to be this, we would've put him on IR the first week and we would've had another roster spot.
"Nobody's more frustrated than Pat. We're looking at the Bears game, that's the one I'm hoping for. He is, too. We'll see."
Harbaugh indicated that Ricard's absence is "definitely a factor" in some of the offensive issues, particularly the troubles running the ball.
Harbaugh Discusses Chuck Pagano's Role on Defensive Staff Assisting Zach Orr
Harbaugh values the experience that Senior Defensive Assistant/Secondary Coach Chuck Pagano has brought to the Ravens' staff.
Pagano has been a defensive coordinator with the Ravens and Bears and head coach with the Indianapolis Colts. That gives Pagano a unique perspective as he works with Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr and the entire staff, trying to improve the Ravens' defense that has struggled this season.
Baltimore has surrendered the most points in the NFL (35.4 points per game).
"Chuck's got all that experience, he's been there every day, he's in the meetings, he's a big part of how the defense is built already," Harbaugh said. "He's on the [head] phones. He's making suggestions all the time, it's a great conversation with the whole staff. Chuck is a great coach. He and Zach are talking all the time. That's one of the reasons I'm so confident."
Harbaugh said he also had a conversation with former Ravens defensive coordinator Dean Pees, who was brought back as a senior advisor midway through last season, on Monday.
"We've got people we lean on for sure," Harbaugh said.
