Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson looks down field before everyone lines up during first half action against the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Sept. 7, 2025. Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ravens Must Avoid Familiar Trap After Heartbreaking Loss

Originally posted on Baltimore Ravens on SI
By Jon Alfano | Last updated Sep 10, 2025 11:00 AM ET

After being so good in season openers over the years, the Baltimore Ravens have now dropped to 0-1 for the second year in a row, and in the most heartbreaking fashion at that.

On Sunday night, the Ravens marched into Highmark Stadium seeking revenge against the Buffalo Bills for last season's Divisional Round defeat. For a while, it looked like they were poised to get said revenge, as the offense dominated en route to a 40-25 lead in the fourth quarter.

As has been the case far too often over the past few years, though, the Ravens shot themselves in the foot and utterly collapsed in the final minutes to lose 41-40 in humiliating fashion. Baltimore became the first team to ever lose when scoring 40+ points and rushing for 235+ yards (teams were previously 277-0 in that scenario), which really drives home how devastating the loss truly is.

Now the question the Ravens have to ask is: how do they pick themselves back up after losing in such heartbreaking fashion? There may not be a definitive answer, but they better figure something out before Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns, or they're going to find themselves in a very familiar situation.

Last year, the Ravens also began the season with a heartbreaking prime-time loss on the road, falling to the Kansas City Chiefs 27-20 after Isaiah Likely's touchdown as time expired was overturned due to him being out of bounds. The next week, they came home and faced a seemingly inferior opponent in the Las Vegas Raiders, only to fall 26-23 after blowing a 10-point fourth quarter lead. That loss dropped the Ravens to 0-2 for the first time since 2015, when they finished 5-11 for their worst record of the Harbaugh era.

Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

Of course, the Ravens recovered from their slow start to last year, but they still didn't want to put themselves in an early hole, and they definitely hope to avoid that same fate again.

"We'll probably let it linger for tonight, because we all hate losing on our team," quarterback Lamar Jackson told reporters after Sunday's game. "I feel like anybody who's playing a competitive sport is going to hate losing, but [we'll] probably let it linger tonight and then forget about it, because we're going to have to get prepared for the Browns, our divisional rival."

While the Ravens are eager to turn the page and move on from this loss, they know they have to learn from it if they don't want to repeat their mistakes.

"You just go back and watch the film, make the corrections," running back Derrick Henry said. "This one is definitely going to sting for a while. It's Week 1. We still feel that we should have won, but it's over now. We're just focused on getting better, deciding on the things we need to work on and go to work. We look forward to the next one."

The Browns are expected to be in the AFC North basement again this year, but after last year, the Ravens should know better than to underestimate teams like this.

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

More must-reads: