The Baltimore Ravens’ troubles have been concerning. After a difficult 2025 season, the franchise turned the page on its long-time head coach, John Harbaugh. They hoped to begin a new regime under Jesse Minter.
New Coach, Same Issues
The Ravens under Harbaugh were known for blowing leads. They blew 17 double-digit second-half leads from 2008 to 2025. That’s the most by an NFL head coach since 1991.
The problem became more frequent during the latter part of Harbaugh’s tenure. More than half of those blown leads happened post-2020. It began to become the Ravens’ identity.
2025 felt like the final straw. Baltimore went 8-9 and missed the postseason. The season began ominously when Baltimore blew a 15-point lead against Buffalo in Week One.
Management decided that it was time for a new voice. That’s when Minter was hired as the lead man. The city was hopeful to get back to its winning ways.
The 2026 season, while not a disaster, has been underwhelming. Baltimore allowed the New Orleans Saints to rally from down 14-3 at half to win 24-17. The demons of the second-half collapse have reared their ugly head.
The issue has been more prominent in the last two weeks. The Ravens blew a 10-0 lead to the Cleveland Browns in Week Six, eventually losing 13-10. Then, in Week Seven, they blew a 13-0 halftime lead to the Cincinnati Bengals and lost 35-13.
Not only did the lead quickly evaporate, but Baltimore ended up being blown out, allowing 35 second-half points. They are now the worst second-half team in terms of point differential at -70. It’s early, but the same issue that plagued this team in the Harbaugh era is still rearing its ugly head.
That’s the first of the Ravens’ troubles.
Lamar Jackson Injury Mystery
The second part of the Ravens’ troubles features Lamar Jackson injuries. From 2021 to the present, Jackson has suffered an in-season injury in four of the six seasons, including the current one. Let’s begin in 2021.
In 2021, Jackson suffered an ankle injury in Week 14 and missed the remainder of the season. In 2022, Jackson suffered a knee PCL Sprain and missed the remainder of the season. In 2023 and 2024, he was healthy and won MVP in 2023 and had a historically great season in 2024.
In 2025, Jackson suffered a hamstring injury in Week Four that sidelined him for four weeks. He also had other ailments with his back, knee, and ankle and left in the middle of a game later in the year. This year, he suffered a high ankle sprain in Week Four and has missed three games in a row.
Here’s what is concerning: In 2021 and 2022, Harbaugh didn’t immediately rule out Jackson for the season in either case. The sports show First Things First did a good job collecting Harbaugh’s quotes speaking about the injuries.
For the injury in the 2021 season, Harbaugh mentioned that Jackson had a chance to play in the following weeks and was assured by Jackson himself that he’d be back. In the 2022 season, Harbaugh described his knee injury as “not a season-ending type of injury”. He ended up missing the rest of the year.
In 2025, Jackson injured his hamstring on September 28, 2025. On October 12, 2025, Harbaugh said, “Our quarterback is going to be back. That’s probably a big one.” He ended up returning on October 30th.
Now, in 2026, the Ravens didn’t initially rule Jackson out for the week after his ankle injury. He’s now missed three straight weeks.
The point of this wasn’t to question Jackson’s toughness or his ability to battle back from injury. The issue seems to be that the team has no idea about the timeline of when their quarterback is going to get back onto the field, and that’s an issue.
Injuries are inherently unpredictable, but Baltimore has repeatedly found itself navigating uncertainty surrounding its most important player’s return. For a franchise with championship aspirations, that uncertainty presents another difficult challenge.
End Of My Ravens’ Troubles Rant
The Ravens’ troubles have continued despite a new regime in the offseason. They, at the moment, sit at 4-3 and are last in the AFC North. Jackson’s status for next week is still unclear.
A new coaching staff was supposed to help Baltimore turn the page, but the second-half collapses and uncertainty at quarterback have made this season feel uncomfortably familiar. Is it time to hit the panic button in Baltimore?
