Four biggest culprits of Ravens' disastrous 2025 season

Since hiring John Harbaugh before the 2008 season, the Baltimore Ravens have been a model of consistency. 

The purple and black have made the postseason 11 times in those 16 seasons and have posted just two losing records. While they experienced a drop-off at the end of Joe Flacco’s tenure, the emergence of Lamar Jackson turned the Ravens into an offensive juggernaut. The two-time MVP has won at least 10 games in every healthy season, including 25 victories in just the last two campaigns. 

Though several perennial contenders have experienced subpar 2025 seasons, the stability of the Harbaugh/Jackson combination makes the Ravens' falloff perhaps the most shocking of them all. A crucial Week 14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers dropped the Ravens' record to 6-7 and significantly narrowed their path toward a third straight division title. The Ravens will likely need to win at least three of their last four games, a task that is easier said than done with matchups against the division-leading Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots on the horizon. 

While it may be easy to place all the blame on Harbaugh or Jackson, any falloff this drastic goes beyond one coach or player. Here are the top four reasons for the Ravens' frustrating 2025 campaign. 

1. Another step back by the defense 

The 2023 Ravens may have had the team’s best defense since the Ray Lewis/Ed Reed days, leading the NFL in points allowed. Its performance was so good, in fact, that it got defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald a head-coaching job with the Seattle Seahawks, and the Baltimore defense hasn’t been the same since. 

The unit regressed to ninth in 2024 before plummeting to 22nd this season. While injuries have certainly played a part, particularly with Pro Bowl defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike going down in Week 2, the Ravens defense has failed to improve even as it has gotten healthier.

It got torched by Joe Burrow on Thanksgiving before allowing 420 total yards to a previously dormant Steelers offense. Though standout linebacker Tavius Robinson is set to return soon, it’s difficult to see how he alone can turn around a defense that appears to be running on fumes. 

2. An unremarkable receiving corps

The Ravens have rarely had a strong vertical passing game in the Jackson era, but have made up for it with excellent tight end production. Yet, with Mark Andrews having the worst season of his career and Isaiah Likely missing significant time, the spotlight has been turned to the wide receivers. 

The group is headlined by Zay Flowers, who, despite nearing a second consecutive 1,000-yard season, is miscast as a leading receiver and has just one touchdown all season. Besides Flowers, the Ravens' only other wideout with over 250 receiving yards is 33-year-old DeAndre Hopkins, as Rashod Bateman has taken a significant step back after a breakout 2024 season. 

With such an uninspiring receiving group, opposing defenses have been able to devote even more attention to containing Derrick Henry, who, in turn, has seen his rushing yards per game drop from 113 to 78.8. 

3. A limited Lamar Jackson 

While Jackson may claim that injuries haven’t affected his play this season, the numbers tell a different story. Over his last five contests, Jackson has posted a lowly 70.0 passer rating and averaged less than 200 passing yards per game. 

Even more notable has been his lack of rushing impact, as his 30.7 rushing yards per game would easily set a career low. The combination of hamstring, ankle and toe ailments has forced him to be much more of a pocket passer, a suboptimal position given both his skill set and the Ravens' receiving group.