After Ravens' Fourth Straight Loss, Will Lamar Jackson's Return Be Enough to Make a Run?
As the adage goes, if it's not one thing, it's another.
The Ravens' beleaguered defense stepped up against the potent Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, and the Derrick Henry-led running game got back on track.
Despite that typically being a winning formula, the Ravens (1-5) lost their fourth straight game, 17-3, to the Los Angeles Rams. The Ravens have dropped two games in a row at home by a combined score of 61-13.
This time, the main culprit was the mistake-prone offense, which sputtered despite putting up 179 rushing yards and possessing the ball for nearly 38 minutes.
Quarterback Cooper Rush, who started for the second week in a row with Lamar Jackson (hamstring) sidelined, finished with 72 yards and an interception before being relieved by Tyler Huntley in the fourth quarter.
While the defense got its first takeaway since Week 2, the offense turned the ball over three times. In addition to Rush's interception, wide receiver Zay Flowers lost a fumble and was involved in another lost fumble.
"The Ravens' backup quarterback struggled to operate the offense efficiently for the second consecutive week, and it cost Baltimore," The Baltimore Sun’s Bennett Conlin wrote. "Jackson's best traits are seemingly everything. He runs and passes in a way we've never seen in the NFL. Rush's best trait Sunday? His hard count. That's not a lot for Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken to use. Nobody on either side of the ball picked up the slack."
On the injury front, safety Kyle Hamilton and cornerback Marlon Humphrey returned after missing last week's game, but outside linebacker Tavius Robinson suffered a broken foot. Robinson's injury occurred four days after the Ravens traded outside linebacker Odafe Oweh to the Los Angeles Chargers. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley (ankle) was back after a one-week absence but did not finish the game.
The Ravens head into a much-needed bye week with a lot of questions. Time will tell if there are any answers.
The main question is whether the Ravens are capable of turning their season around when Jackson makes his expected return after the bye for the Week 8 game against the Chicago Bears. Only four teams in NFL history have made the playoffs after starting 1-5.
Jackson may be Superman, but unlike the Man of Steel, he can't reverse time by flying around the Earth so fast that it speeds backward. The Ravens can't go back and start the season over.
The Ravens also hope to get inside linebacker Roquan Smith, fullback Patrick Ricard, and cornerback Chidobe Awuzie back after the bye, but the reality is that they'll need to go on a torrid run. The Ravens would need to win nine of their 11 remaining games to reach 10 wins.
CBS Sports’ Zachary Pereles: "Jackson provides hope. Justice Hill called him a 'generational player.' DeAndre Hopkins said that while it can't be an excuse for losing, the past two games did show how important he is. Tyler Linderbaum chuckled and said, 'It's Lamar Jackson. He's the best quarterback in the game, so he's certainly going to help our team out.' But he's not a cure-all. The Ravens lost to the Bills and the Lions with Jackson. They were down big to the Chiefs even before Jackson left. The defense has to prove Sunday wasn't a flash in the pan. That's part of why the Ravens will practice even during their bye: so that they can build."
NFL.com’s Judy Battista: "Maybe Jackson and the rest can return after the Week 7 bye and get the Ravens back on track, but there may be too many issues, and already too many losses, to make a deep run this season."
The Baltimore Banner’s Giana Han: "The good news is Head Coach John Harbaugh expects Jackson to be back after the bye. The bad news is, that won't make much difference if the team can't figure out how to make plays in critical moments."
The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec: "What choice do the Ravens have other than to grasp at positives? There are still 11 regular-season games left to play. You can't forfeit them and start the task of rebuilding the organization in mid-October. But just how much can the return of Jackson and others cover for other issues? The Ravens weren't playing particularly well when Jackson was under center and Roquan Smith was calling the defensive signals. A few weeks later, there is still nothing they can really hang their hats on. There's nothing they can say they consistently do well on either side of the ball."
Should Ravens Have Kept Feeding Henry at Goal Line Instead of Calling Two 'Tush Push' Plays?
There was no better example of the Ravens taking one step forward and two steps back than the sequence at the end of the first half.
With the score tied 3-3, LaJohntay Wester's 35-yard punt return set the Ravens up at the Rams' 32-yard line. Henry gained 31 yards on five carries to put Baltimore in second-and-goal at the 1.
The Ravens direct-snapped to tight end Mark Andrews in their version of the "Tush Push" on second and third down. There was tush, but zero push. On fourth down, Henry was dropped for a 2-yard loss. A golden opportunity to take a touchdown-lead over the favored Rams was squandered.
Pundits understandably questioned why the Ravens opted for the "Tush Push" instead of keeping the ball in the hands of their bruising running back. However, Han pointed out that feeding Henry near the goal line hasn't worked out so well either this season.
"Last season, the Ravens gave the ball to Henry on every opportunity from 3 yards out. He scored on nine of 15 attempts. This season, he has scored on one of four," Han wrote.
Whether or not two consecutive "Tush Push" plays was the right call, Harbaugh said there's no justifying why at least one of them wasn't successful.
"I think all of us would agree, every single player and coach would agree, that we should be pushing that in [the end zone] there," Harbaugh said. "It should get pushed in on the first one, and if not the first one, it should get pushed in on the second one. … The fact that it didn't go in, I think it's easy to criticize it; I do the same myself, but come on, we should be able to put that in there, so I'm disappointed in that one. Then the other play – I didn't love that play either."
New-Look Defense 'Came Out With Much More Fire and Intensity'
Holding a Rams offense that entered the game second in the league in scoring to 17 points and 241 total yards was a positive development and something the Ravens hopefully can build on after the bye week.
"Ravens Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr has been a weekly punching bag on social media this year, with the Ravens ranked near the bottom in virtually every defensive metric and allowing the most points in the league," Press Box’s Bo Smolka wrote. "Last week, a 44-10 loss to Houston might have been rock-bottom, as Orr's depleted, injury-ravaged defense started five rookies and watched C.J. Stroud and a struggling Houston offense score on eight straight possessions.
"Against the Rams, the defense came out with much more fire and intensity — and certainly having Pro Bowl defensive backs Kyle Hamilton and Marlon Humphrey back helped. Humphrey broke up a pass in the end zone for Rams receiver Puka Nacua, who entered the game as the league leader in both catches and receiving yards. (Nacua left the game for a while with a foot injury, and Humphrey hobbled off late.) Safety Alohi Gilman, acquired just days ago from the Chargers in the Oweh trade, started, and he, Hamilton and Malaki Starks were on the field together in three-safety looks. That helped solidify the secondary."
Does It Make Sense for Ravens to Still Be Buyers Before Trade Deadline?
General Manager Eric DeCosta has never hesitated to make moves that will improve the team, with the latest examples being trading for Gilman and the signing of veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the practice squad.
With defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike (neck) out for the season, Oweh in Los Angeles, and Robinson sidelined, the Ravens need a pass rusher.
However, with the Ravens sitting at 1-5, The Baltimore Banner’s Kyle Goon wondered if being buyers before the Nov. 4 trade deadline is the best course of action.
"DeCosta will feel the pinch of a responsibility to swoop in and make moves to shore up the roster. But historically the Ravens are loath to part with draft capital, and honestly it would make sense to be conservative here," Goon wrote. "Trying to make swaps to help this team would be chasing bad money with bad money, attempting to prop open a 2025 window that is nearly shut.
"This group is probably a loss or two from a sell-off before the Nov. 4 deadline. They've nearly crossed the Rubicon where it makes more sense to move the team's free agents and get salary-cap relief for 2026. … You can't fix the problems the Ravens have easily, even if you throw a bunch of trade options or draft picks around. A prime pass rusher or a steady offensive lineman always comes at a premium in season."
