The Baltimore Ravens slow start combined with a slew of injures is one of the biggest storylines in the NFL. Lamar Jackson is dealing with an injury, Derrick Henry has been dealing with a case of the fumbling yips, and the defense has morphed back into the unit that struggled mightily through the first half of the 2024 NFL season.
This surprising 1-3 start has one NFL writer handing the Ravens one of the lowest team grades across the league through September.
Ravens Receive Fourth-Lowest NFL Team Grade for September by USA Today
Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz of USA Today did not pull any punches when he gave the Baltimore Ravens a scathing grade of D+ for September.
“How did Baltimore stumble to a 1-3 start after looking virtually unstoppable for the first three quarters of the season opener against the Bills?” wrote Middlehurst-Schwartz. “Injuries are responsible for sapping a chunk of the defense’s prowess, and the attrition has only accelerated in the last two weeks. But with Lamar Jackson and the offense unable to go it alone â and the two-time MVP also nursing a hamstring injury â the Ravens have supplanted the Chiefs as the most concerning top contender.
The Kansas City Chiefs 1-2 start somehow felt more staggering than the Ravens 1-2 entering Week 4. After all, the Chiefs looked very shaky against the Russell Wilson-led New York Giants while the Ravens two losses came against a pair of Super Bowl contenders in the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions.
Well, the narrative rightfully flipped for the Ravens after their lackluster performance at Arrowhead on Sunday, where Baltimore looked helpless in a 37-20 drubbing at the hands of their AFC contender counterpart.
After struggling mightily to score points through the first three weeks, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes outclassed Lamar Jackson across the board with his 270 passing yards and four touchdown passes. Objectively, Mahomes thoroughly outplayed the Ravens‘ two-time league MVP, who exited the game early with a hamstring injury.
Could the Ravens Actually be in Real Danger of Missing the Playoffs in 2025?
Despite the 1-2 start, Middlehurst-Schwartz still believes a softer schedule moving forward and some players returning from injury could be an antidote to the Ravens‘ early woes.
“A softer schedule and better health could give rise to yet another midseason surge,” added Middlehurst-Schwartz. “Until an uptick starts to take shape, however, Baltimore will be left to ponder how the rare level of continuity the team was set to enjoy came undone so quickly.”
Yet, if Lamar Jackson misses any significant amount of time or, even worse, sees this hamstring injury linger throughout the season — do the Ravens really have enough on this roster to stay competitive with Cooper Rush under center?
Sure, Rush has played some decent football during his time with the Dallas Cowboys when called upon, but the product the Ravens’ defense is putting on the field right now projects to put the backup quarterback in a situation where he would need to win shootouts.
No offense to Rush, but that doesn’t sound like a winning formula that could be sustainable.
Throw in other injuries like Roquan Smith, Kyle Van Noy, and Marlon Humphrey and this actually has the potential to get ugly quickly for Baltimore.
If Jackson can return to the field healthy, then this team should be able to rattle off enough wins with a lighter schedule to stay in the AFC playoff picture. In other words, it is not time to panic quite yet — but the symptoms for a very disappointing season are almost impossible to ignore.
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