Back to Basics for Baltimore

For the last few months, I’ve been saying the only team that can beat the Ravens is the Ravens.

Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened.

Inexplicably, after a swift, dominant opening drive of the game last night, Baltimore let its foot off the gas and allowed the Steelers back into the game. Aaron Rodgers was uncharacteristically inaccurate and flustered, yet the Ravens couldn’t adjust to simple pass concepts. Running backs into the flat and tight ends down the seam was about the extent of Arthur Smith’s wheelhouse last night. But hey, it worked just enough.

Think about this: Baltimore’s defense allowed 23 points in the 2nd half to an offense that only scored six points in an entire game last week against the Browns. Maybe that had something to do with key Ravens defenders missing routine tackles and getting walled off at the point of attack.

There are too many guys that make tens of millions of dollars per year that made rookie mistakes, while the actual rookies played like $20 million veterans. Bottom line: it’s embarrassing to lose that game to that team when so much was going your way, despite the stakes being as high as possible. How often do teams lose a lead on the road and then revert the entire flow of the game? Rarely, but the Ravens did that. They were right there. But it wasn’t enough.

When Baltimore did have the ball, Pittsburgh eventually forced the Ravens out of their run game and away from Derrick Henry. Actually, never mind, the Ravens did that themselves.

Henry by the half:

• 1st half: 15 for 112 yards, 7.5 ypc
• 2nd half: 5 for 14 yards, 2.8 ypc

Do you think that maybe a Hall of Fame running back is worth investing carries in? Do you think that maybe, though it may take a few carries to get him going, he’s your best offensive option? It’s almost as if Henry didn’t out-gain all other Ravens on the ground by 11.5x (126-11). In his last four games, Henry rushed for an average of 143 yards per game and scored six rushing touchdowns.

In what world, with your season on the line, do you watch that game unfold and say to yourself, “You know what we need? Less of Derrick Henry.”?

Truly, truly unbelievable.

Thank goodness for Jordan Stout and the coverage and return units, otherwise this game might have been a blowout. Give credit to Pittsburgh. They played poorly too, but they made less mistakes than Baltimore.

The Ravens had every chance to set themselves up for a lengthy playoff run this year, but overwhelmingly, they weren’t able to get the job done.

So, the question now is how does the team move forward?

Firing John Harbaugh is not the answer. So many people—self-proclaimed fans of the Ravens, mind you—want “their” team to fail because they equate the team losing to an increased chance of Harbaugh being fired. Okay, fine. You don’t like him? Fine, you don’t have to. But don’t call yourself a fan of the Ravens while at the same time rooting for their demise because Harbaugh made some decisions you didn’t agree with.

By the way, firing a head coach and cutting a player are not one in the same. Those moves are massively different. Cutting a player is essentially a like for like switch, where you let one go in favor of a backup currently on your team or in favor of a veteran you’re about to sign or trade for. Firing a head coach is code for resetting the franchise. You’re not just firing him, you’re firing an entire staff, and you’re risking all the progress you’ve made with your core players.

Many people are salivating at this prospect without the slightest clue of who could tangibly replace him. It’s beyond dumb to complain about a problem and not offer a solution. Don’t forget, either, Harbaugh was there for Lamar when many others weren’t. He’s been in Lamar’s corner since Day 1, so if you get rid of Harbaugh, you risk losing Lamar.

All that said, I do think changes need to be made. For one, the team needs to heavily emphasize the lines of scrimmage in the offseason, as opposed to their traditional best player available approach. The Ravens were below average in sacks allowed (45, 20th) and sacks recorded (30, T-28th). The identity of Ravens football does not compute with numbers like that.

If I’m Eric DeCosta, I’m looking to draft one offensive lineman at each position (tackle, guard, center), and even explore the free agency market. Baltimore’s run blocking was excellent, but when…Henry “slows down” (i.e., doesn’t get the ball) and Baltimore migrates to a passing offense, their offensive line productivity plummeted.

Names to watch in the upcoming draft are: ·

• Ola Ioane, Guard, Penn State ·
• Emmanuel Pregnon, Guard, Oregon ·
• Chase Bisontis, Guard, Texas A&M ·
• Carter Smith, Tackle, Indiana ·
• Caleb Tiernan, Tackle, Northwestern ·
• Gennings Dunker, Tackle, Iowa ·
• Logan Jones, Center, Iowa *2025 Rimington Award winner (nation’s best center) ·
• Peter Woods, DT, Clemson ·
• Kayden McDonald, DT, Ohio State ·
• Caleb Banks, DT, Florida ·
• Domonique Orange, DT, Iowa State ·
• Zane Durant, DT, Penn State ·
• David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech ·
• Kenyatta Jackson Jr., EDGE, Ohio State ·
• Joshua Josephs, EDGE, Tennessee ·
• Anthony Lucas , EDGE, Southern Cal

On the free agency front, Baltimore’s best approach would be to retain their own. According to Over the Cap, Ravens starting linemen/edge defenders that are set to become unrestricted free agents in March are: Tyler Linderbaum, Daniel Faalele, Dre’Mont Jones, Kyle VanNoy, and Brent Urban. That’s 60 percent of your starters at those positions. Between the deep draft class and the lengthy free agent to be list, as well as the most basic fundamental part of football, refreshing the front lines on both sides of the ball should be priority one.

After that, the usual suspects come to mind: wide receiver and cornerback. And now, suddenly, inside linebacker is a worry. Teddye Buchanan was probably the best of the group this year, and Trenton Simpson really came on strong over the last month of the season. Roquan Smith had a pretty good season, until last night when he left plays on the field, and Jake Hummel is primarily a special teams contributor. One player to keep your eye on is Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, winner of the following major accolades:

• Lombardi Award (nation’s top player)
• Nagurski Award (defensive player of the year)
• Bednarik Award (defensive player of the year)
• Butkus Award (outstanding linebacker)
• 5th in Heisman voting · The highest-graded player in college football (Pro Football Focus)

All this without changing a single coach (which Eric DeCosta, Sashi Brown, and Steve Bisciotti will surely discuss doing).

This isn’t a stump speech for John Harbaugh. It’s an imploration for the Ravens organization to get back to basics, learn from last night, and remember how fruitful investing in the lines of scrimmage can be. Five of Baltimore’s nine losses were by one score. If they even turn two of those five losses into a win, they’re AFC North champions for the 3rd consecutive year and preparing for a home playoff game.

From 2023-24, the Ravens had a combined record of 25-9 and an average point differential of +10.6 points per game. This year, their record was 8-9 and they finished with an average point differential of +1.5 points per game.

What was the great, big change? Nothing really, except for Nnamdi Madubuike’s devastating injury. While he’s a tremendous talent, losing his production isn’t an excuse for such a precipitous drop in performance. In fact, everyone on the team should’ve been better, given one more year together and the collective resolve to avenge last season’s gutting playoff loss in Buffalo.

Instead, the 2025 Ravens were, in a word, mindboggling.

Make no mistake: what happened this year cannot happen again. The 2025 season is over and done with. It’s time to move on to draft season.

Remember, you win and lose football games up front. Period.