Nobody needed a highlight reel to tell us what happened Sunday night in Baltimore. The scoreboard did. The tape did. And the way this season has unfolded — loss after loss in games that felt winnable — the truth was obvious long before the final whistle.
The Ravens lost 28–24 to the New England Patriots, surrendering 15 unanswered fourth-quarter points and watching another late lead slip through their fingers in a game that was, at times, fully in hand. What unfolded on the field was not just another disappointing loss — it was a microcosm of the Ravens’ 2025 season.
It’s thoroughly frustrating to recap yet another meltdown at home no less, against a team that they were better than for most of the evening. But as has become custom Baltimore continues to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in the most confounding of ways.
The Ravens built a lead on the strength of the running game as Lamar Jackson was forced to exit due to a back injury early in the second quarter. Jackson has dealt with a plethora of injuries during this campaign, and those pains have led to a decrease in his production and his ability to use his legs when needed most. A telling statistic for me was that he does not have a run over twenty plus yards in 2025.
Luckily Tyler Huntley was more than capable as his backup completing 9 of 10 passes for 65 yards and keeping the offense moving. But it was Derrick Henry who was the star of the game as he ran for 128 yards with two touchdowns on only 18 carries. Henry fumbled early in the contest but he more than made up for his mistake by hammering the New England front most of the night. It seemed that the only people that were able to halt Henry’s assault were his own coaches who chose to sit him in favor of Keaton Mitchell and Rasheen Ali due to rotation.
Let me pause for a moment while I think about why that explanation for not having your best offensive player on the field at a crucial point in the game when your two-time MVP Quarterback is injured is utter nonsense. Then again how many times have we questioned the soundness of the decisions made by the coordinators and the head coach this season.
The late collapse looked like so many others, Baltimore led 24-13 with 13 minutes left after Henry’s second touchdown. That should have been where the offense chews up game clock, the defense clamps down and the Purple and Black walk out of the Bank with a win. Instead, the Patriots scored on successive possessions which included an 89 yd drive that gave them the lead with under two minutes left. Huntley attempted to lead the charge to answer but Zay Flowers fumbled and that was the ballgame – all without Henry touching the ball the rest of the quarter.
The loss was one that was all too typical, the offense can’t get enough first downs, the defense can’t stop their opponents and when impact plays are needed the players can’t rise to the occasion.
Mathematically the team’s playoff hopes are still alive but realistically this season is over. A Super Bowl contender at the start of the season that fell far short of expectations.
So, what about the future? Right now I’m ready for baseball.
Matt has lived in Maryland his entire life and is a graduate of Calvert Hall and Towson University. has always been an avid Baltimore sports fan. Since 2007, he has been writing and talking about Baltimore sports, especially the Ravens. His work has appeared on Ravens Gab, Russell Street Report, and he currently co-hosts a podcast “The Blitz- A Ravens podcast” with Brent Harris.