Baltimore Ravens quarterback Cooper Rush Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

Ravens HC Drops Truth Behind Cooper Rush Benching

Originally posted on Baltimore Ravens on SI
By Anthony Miller | Last updated Oct 14, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The Baltimore Ravens offense looked better in some ways during their 17-3 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 6, but in other ways, regressed badly.

One positive from the game was the performance of Ravens running back Derrick Henry, who had his first 100-yard game since Week 1, racking up 122 yards on 24 carries. Baltimore finished with 179 yards rushing and averaged 4.8 yards per carry. A nice bounce back from how they had been running the football.

On the flip side, the passing game struggled mightily with Cooper Rush making his second start in a Ravens uniform, replacing the injured Lamar Jackson. Rush just never seemed to get into the rhythm throughout the game as he completed 11 of 19 passes for 72 yards and an interception in the loss.

Throughout the game, there were chants from the Ravens fan base in the stadium to bench Rush and put in Tyler Huntley. The fans got their wish when Huntley entered the game in the fourth quarter.

It wasn't the smoothest performance from Huntley, but he was way more effective than Rush was. Huntley finished with 10 out of 15 passes being completed for 68 yards and added another 39 yards rushing on three attempts. Unfortunately, Huntley was ineffective when Baltimore got in position to score touchdowns in the red zone.

Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

While this seemed like a last-second decision in the fourth quarter to bench Rush in favor of Huntley, that might not have been the case. After the game, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh told the media a different story about what went into Rush's benching.

“The plan all along was to play both quarterbacks,” Harbaugh said.

Ravens fans might not buy that quote as the offense struggled with Rush in the game and the team never made a move up to that point. Before Huntley came into the game, the Ravens had 169 yards, three turnovers, and two turnover on downs on seven drives in the game. The opportunities were there to make a move, but it took until the fourth quarter to do it.

After Huntley entered the game, Baltimore had 93 yards and two turnover on downs on two drives. At that point in the game, though, the Ravens had to go for it on fourth down to score touchdowns.

To the naked eye, it's clear that Huntley has a better feel for the offense than Rush does and fits exactly what the Ravens want to do. During the bye, a decision needs to be made on whether Huntley or Rush should back up Jackson moving forward, as Jackson is returning to the lineup.

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

More must-reads: