Will The Real Ravens Please Stand Up?

The Ravens last played on October 12th, suffering a 17-3 loss to the LA Rams to fall to 1-5 on the year. In the interim, the discussions of the team’s various shortcomings have filled up talk radio, podcasts, message boards and websites.

How did the odds on, pre-season Super Bowl favorites end up all alone in last place in the AFC North as we enter Week 8 of the 2025 season?

Unfortunately, for the organization and the fans, there is no simple answer to that question, there is no quick fix.

The only thing that is certain, is a once promising season is now on life support and can only be resuscitated by a turnaround of historic proportions.

The next logical question to ask; is this group capable of engineering an epic comeback to save the 2025 season?

Does Coach Harbaugh still command the hearts and minds of his locker room? Can embattled defensive coordinator Zach Orr put together a mediocre to league average defensive effort over the last 2 ½ months of the season? Can the injured stars return (Lamar Jackson in particular) and the rest of the roster remain relatively healthy to help facilitate a run?

Given the body of work from the core group in the “Lamar era”, it’s certainly fair to question what they have under the hood, so to speak. While there has been plenty of regular season success and many memorable blowouts, those highs have been juxtaposed by painful lows that all exhibit similar characteristics.

In the biggest moments, against the toughest opponents, there’s sloppy play that’s marred by mind boggling turnovers, questionable coaching decisions and generally speaking, a poor response to adversity.

A recent article in the Baltimore Sun article 1 confirmed that this mental hurdle is certainly prevalent amongst the team. Albeit the quote was anonymous, one veteran player said, “It was that Bills game that put a beating on us mentally where it felt like everything was ending, even though it was the first game. When we have so much time to recover, such a long season, and we let that carry over.”

That Week 1 collapse in Buffalo, while uniquely historic in nature, was not an uncommon occurrence for the Baltimore Ravens over the last 6 years or so. Large leads have melted away in the 4th quarter by way of critical turnovers, defensive breakdowns and coaching shortfalls.

With all of this said, the schedule gods have presented the Ravens with a fleeting opportunity to author a reversal of fortune for the 2025 season.

The bye week came at a near perfect moment to allow injured players an additional week off. The team held a “bonus” practice on Monday and that practice included Roquan Smith, Ronnie Stanley, Chidobe Awuzie, Patrick Ricard and Devontez Walker.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that Lamar Jackson was not present for Monday’s practice but the organization is still hopeful for his return versus the Chicago Bears in Week 8.

Along with the well timed bye week, the next six games for Baltimore are vs Chicago, at Miami (on TNF), at Minnesota, at Cleveland, vs the Jets and vs Cincinnati on Thanksgiving night.

Certainly, a favorable turn in the schedule for the Ravens. (Although the Ravens’ respective opponents may be saying the same as they see Baltimore upcoming)

The bottom line is this, while recent history and the eyeball test may not suggest the Ravens are capable of saving their 2025 season, the raw materials are in place to do just that. Improving health, a favorable schedule, a soft division and roster that still carries an awful lot of talent.

For the remainder of the 2025 NFL season, all we can ask is will the real Ravens please stand up?

This article is brought to you courtesy of Sustain CFO – “Business growth can sink a company. Sustain CFO keeps you financially strong and strategically developing, with chief financial officer services tailored to your business goals.”