After Sunday’s loss to Kansas City, with injuries quickly piling up, the Ravens’ season feels like it’s in free fall. After a 1-3 start that has them tied for last in the division, the Ravens need to end their struggles before they get any worse.
Coming into Sunday’s game, the Chiefs have been the Ravens’ biggest kryptonite. Kansas City is 5-1 against them (including the playoffs) since Lamar Jackson became the Ravens’ starting quarterback. While the Chiefs had their number before, it has become especially true with Jackson under center for Baltimore.
The numbers speak for themselves when the Ravens play Kansas City: their completion percentage is down, their passer ratings are down, and their turnovers shoot up.
Baltimore came into Arrowhead desperate, looking to get back to .500, and pick up Jackson’s first win there. Instead, the Ravens fell flat in what became a disastrous game where everything that could’ve gone wrong went wrong for Baltimore.
What made the loss hurt even more for Ravens fans was that Baltimore saw several key starters go down with injuries in the game, adding to a list that is growing by the day.
Injuries Piled Up
Throughout the first four weeks, the Ravens have been hit hard by injuries, with the defense being hit the hardest, as seven of their 11 starters on defense are currently sidelined.
The loss to Kansas City hurt Baltimore, especially with the number of injuries they suffered in the game. In the game against Kansas City, Baltimore lost several key starters. Jackson exited, dealing with a hamstring injury, and starting cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins both went down with injuries.
Humphrey suffered a calf injury vs the Chiefs and is expected to miss a couple of weeks. At the same time, the second-year Wiggins is dealing with an elbow injury.
On top of all that, All-Pro middle linebacker, Roquan Smith, is dealing with a hamstring injury, a grade 2 sprain, and is expected to miss some time. Star tackle Ronnie Stanley also reaggravated his ankle injury.
The biggest blow on defense so far was to their defensive line, as defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike was placed on IR, ending his season with a neck injury. Before going on injury reserve, he recorded two of the team’s four sacks.
It is no exaggeration that part of the team’s struggles stem from the early decimation of the roster due to injuries, just four weeks into the season.
Narratives To Look For
With Sunday’s loss, the Ravens will now look to make history and become only the second team ever to win the Super Bowl after starting the season 1-3. The last time it happened was in 2001, when the Patriots started 1-3 and Tom Brady took over as the starter, leading the team to a championship.
On top of trying to become that second team, the Ravens are on only their third 1-3 start in franchise history, with the two previous instances resulting in playoff misses.
Besides just winning the Super Bowl, the Ravens aim to defy history, as only 43 teams to start 1-3 since the start of the Super Bowl era (1966) have been able to regroup to make the playoffs.
Coach’s Thoughts
When asked about the team’s 1-3 start, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh stated he was “concerned but not overwhelmed,” via ESPN’s Jamison Hensley.
He later discussed how two of those three losses came against two of the top teams in the league — the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions. For the Ravens to bounce back, they need to start stacking wins, which starts with this week’s game against the Houston Texans.
What’s Next?
With the season quickly unraveling and Baltimore on their only third 1-3 start in franchise history, the Ravens will look to steady the ship and see if they can get back into position to make the playoffs. Another loss will push them to 1-4 and might create too big a hole to climb out of.
For the Ravens to get their act together, it all starts with picking up a crucial win against the Texans. After the Texans, the Ravens have yet another tough matchup at home against the LA Rams, The Ravens need to win both games to reach .500.
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