Ravens Still Showing Foundational Flaws

The Texans’ whole game plan was to sell out to stop Derrick Henry. They succeeded, helped by his playcalling, as he kept having the offense line up in condensed formations. This allowed the Texans to crowd the line and load the box even more. With star quarterback Lamar Jackson out with a hamstring injury, Monken had no packages for backup signal caller Tyler Huntley, who possesses a dual-threat skillset. The former Pro Bowler would have made the defense account for the chance he might keep the ball on a zone read, read option, or another variation of quarterback power, sweep, or draw. This would have taken some attention off Henry.

"I think it starts with us, as coaches," Harbaugh said. "We have to figure out how to put the guys in the best positions to make plays and do things right. There were a lot of things out there that weren't done correctly. So, we have to ask ourselves, 'How does that not translate to the game,' No. 1. And then, 'What else can we do?' What else can we come up with to figure out ways to challenge people and gain some yards and get some stops?"

Ravens Need to Go Back to Investing in Trenches

The Ravens have pumped a substantial amount of resources into upgrading their skill positions on both sides of the ball since general manager Eric DeCosta took over the front office, but especially as of late, using five of their last six first-round draft picks on either a wide receiver or a defensive back. They've also taken to the veteran free agent market to further fortifying both position groups, signing the likes of Odell Beckham Jr and Marcus Williams for $10-plus million and, most recently, DeAndre Hopkins, Chidobe Awuzie and Jaire Alexander to inexpensive one-year deals this past offseason.

Meanwhile, they've largely neglected the interior of their offensive and defensive lines outside of re-signing two-time Pro Bowl three-tech Nnamdi Madubuike, whose future is up in the air due to a neck injury, and selecting two-time Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum in the first round. They've gone bargain bin shopping at guard with reclamation projects, experiments and bets on mid-to-late-round picks panning out or just holding a spot for a year and getting replaced by another of the same ilk.

Starting guards Daniel Faalele and Andrew Vorhees haven't been studs this year, with some viral gaffes in pass protection, especially. Madubuike was the defensive linemen the Ravens could least afford to lose after not properly addressing the retirement of nose tackle Michael Pierce and not selecting an interior defensive lineman in the 2025 NFL Draft until the sixth-round with undersized pass-rush specialist Aeneas Peebles.

With the cyclical nature of football having returned to offenses across the league putting emphasis on not only establishing the run but dominating in that area, being able to hold up against and stuff the run on defense and impose your will on offense with a strong rushing attack is essential. The Ravens haven't been able to do either in their last 17 quarters dating back to the season opener and now rank outside of the top 10 in rushing offense for the first time this season, and are the third-worst defense against the run through five games. This team needs to get back to building the roster from front to back on defense, loading up on interior defensive linemen, and making more significant investments in trying to be more than serviceable at the offensive guard positions.

Depth Disappoints Again

After having pundits wax poetically about their roster and what was believed to be incredible depth all summer and especially during training camp and the preseason, the Ravens' young players and other reserves were called up to step up and perform well against an equally as middling Texans team.

Instead, they made Houston look like a prime contender with how they were moving the ball up and down the field offensively and shutting them down on defense all game long. For the second week in a row, the Ravens didn't force their opponent to punt until the fourth quarter when the backup quarterback checked into the game, and they didn't force a turnover for the third straight game.

"In our positions, we have young guys, they have to grow up fast; they don't have time to mature over time," Van Noy said. "We need them now to step up, and the older guys need to step up, too. Guys that have been here for a couple years just have to play better [from] top [to] down. [There are] no excuses."

Lack of Pride and Focus is Apparent

Of the four teams that played without their franchise quarterbacks in Week 5, the Ravens by far looked the most lifeless and played with the least amount of juice. It started on Thursday night when the equally as depleted San Francisco 49ers rallied around Mac Jones, who had a career day in an upset over the Rams. He gritted through injury and helped his team improve to 4-1, with three of those wins coming with him at the helm.

The first game that kicked off took place over in London and saw Carson Wentz lead a Vikings offense down three starting offensive linemen on a last minute game-winning touchdown drive against the vaunted Cleveland Browns defense. Even the Jake Browning-led Cincinnati Bengals showed more fight and found a way to force turnovers and log multiple sacks against the Detroit Lions, a feat the Ravens failed to do in primetime two weeks ago. Despite Browning throwing three interceptions like Rush did, they clawed their way back into contention and were within 11 points in the fourth quarter.

Meanwhile, in Baltimore, when the Ravens were getting bullied up front, they were too busy being their worst enemy instead of playing complementary football, which they needed to do to pull off an upset as a home underdog. Instead, they got called for multiple pre-snap penalties that set their offense back or negated what was a rare good play on defense. Three-time Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews bobbled a pass right into the hands of a Houston defender, veteran wide receiver Rashod Bateman pulled up on a deep route down the sideline that led to Cooper Rush's third interception and there were too many times where defenders weren't flying to the ball even after it left the quarterback's hands.

When the Ravens had the top-ranked defense in 2023, a big reason they led the league in takeaways was because all 11 players on the field swarmed to the ball on every play to limit extra yards, force and recover fumbles and possibly reel in tips and overthrows. This year's unit hasn't shown that it possesses anywhere near the same level of tenancies and hustle despite having most of the same core pieces.