Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) talks to teammates before a play against Baltimore Ravens during the second half at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md. on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025. Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ravens Defensive Line Hits New Low in Rankings

Originally posted on Baltimore Ravens on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated Sep 26, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The Baltimore Ravens are prone to a few fourth-quarter collapses per season, instances in which they simply can't keep up with their opponents' gaining momentum or times they simply get embarrassed, but their once-respected defense has already returned as a major story just three weeks into the fall.

The same team that entered the regular season slate with what many analysts judged as the best assortment of linebackers and secondaries in the league has disappointed like few units have, nosediving all the way from the NFL's top pedestal into what some metrics are judging as the worst defense in the association. They're averaging 415 yards on their heads while allowing 12 total touchdowns, both markings good enough for unenviable league-highs.

Now, it's important to note that the Ravens, coming off of another division-winning campaign in 2024, are up against a slate of opponents that includes some of the best offenses in the league, with the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions proving themselves as two of the toughest squads in football. Those are the kind of offenses that know they can hang with anyone, but that's been no excuse for some of the embarrassing runs that Baltimore's once-vaunted defense have slumped out to.

Their cornerback room full of big names came out of that Week 1 loss to the Bills looking under-prepared, but that was nothing compared to how the Lions exposed the Ravens' run-stoppers in their most recent matchup. Detroit running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery didn't look afraid of the Ravens' line, an unfortunate pattern that won't go away until they stop losing players to injury.

Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

Baltimore's depth chart is already full of red next to their starters' names, set to trek on without the services the team's reigning sack leader Kyle Van Noy and fellow Pro Bowler Nnamdi Madubuike, as well as starters in Travis Jones and Broderick Washington Jr. Regular All-Pro star Roquan Smith will need to fill in a lot of the gaps, but outside of a loud Week 2 win, he's failed to make his presence known to other quarterbacks.

The Ravens don't have much depth to throw out behind those older starters, relying on similarly-weathered practice squad attendee Brent Urban alongside their slew of recently-drafted edge rushers in Mike Green and Aeneas Peebles, who will likely need more time before they're ready consistently crash pockets at the NFL level.

PFF gave the Ravens' defensive line a 59.3 grade, a long way down from each of the three teams that they've faced off against. The bottom quarter of the league isn't a zone that many of Baltimore's position groups have known since returning to contender status, but there's a big enough sample size to point to their consistent shortcomings beyond the intangible quality of "showing up in the clutch."

This article first appeared on Baltimore Ravens on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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