The 2025 season is not unfolding as the Baltimore Ravens had imagined it would be coming into the season. Their 37-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs dropped the team to 1-3, marking their second straight defeat. In every loss this year, the Ravens’ defense has given up over 35 points. The Ravens are a team searching for answers and leadership.
One of the biggest leaders on the Ravens, quarterback Lamar Jackson, left the game early with a hamstring injury, the severity of which is yet to be determined. Linebacker Roquan Smith exited with a hamstring injury, and cornerback Marlon Humphrey left the game with a calf injury.
The leadership of the Ravens went missing both on and off the field this week.
Dejected Locker Room
Following the Ravens’ listless performance in Kansas City, including several key injuries, not many people wanted to talk in the locker room afterwards.
Giana Han of The Baltimore Banner described the scene of a dejected locker room, where not many players wanted to answer for what had transpired in the game.
“But, if you had made it in right as the locker room doors opened, you still would have struggled to find leaders to answer questions in the quiet room,” Han said.
With Lamar Jackson, Roquan Smith, and Marlon Humphrey all unavailable due to injuries sustained in the game, other players not typically considered vocal leaders stepped up to address the media. Rashod Bateman was one of those players, and it was direct and to the point.
“I don’t think nothing was clicking for us today,” Bateman said with a self-deprecating laugh. “It’s been a tough past couple of weeks. We’ve just got a lot of work to do, on both sides of the ball, top down in this organization. We just got a lot of work to do.”
The organization is searching for answers, and with key players dropping flies, the early-season struggles feel like the walls are closing in on Baltimore. The next few weeks can define the rest of the season, and head coach John Harbaugh knows that.
Harbaugh Still Had Confidence in Zach Orr
The Ravens have the worst defense in the league. According to Fox Sports, the Ravens rank 32nd in the NFL, giving a league high 415 yards per game and 12 touchdowns through four weeks.
Obviously, this is not conducive to winning, as highlighted by the Ravens’ 1-3 record. To make matters worse, the team is now down several more starters for the next few weeks. Still, head coach John Harbaugh believes the defense and defensive coordinator Zach Orr can turn the season around.
Speaking at his Monday press conference, Harbaugh reiterated his belief in the Ravens’ resilience and Orr as a coach. Ravens.com provided the transcript of Harbaugh’s answer.
“I have confidence in all of our guys, including Zach [Orr], our players, our coaches, and I watch our guys every day,” Harbaugh said. “I watch how they work. I watch how well they coach. I’m in meetings, I watch the meetings, and I know the schemes that we’re running. I know the soundness of what we’re doing. I understand what we’re up against from week-to-week and play-to-play even in this game.”