Baltimore’s 2025 nightmare deepens as injuries derail a once-expected title run. A 44-10 loss to Houston drops the Ravens to 1-4, the defense yielding season-worst numbers while the offense, shuffled by Cooper Rush, stalled behind an injury-riddled depth chart. CJ Stroud torched the secondary for four TDs as Noel bagged his first NFL score, shadowed by Ray Lewis’ squirrel-dance nod before Jaire Alexander shoved the rookie. A major roster rebuild looks overdue.

With half the season still ahead, Harbaugh vows to “find ourselves” after the bye, while the Ravens lean on a young corps to grow up fast. Derrick Henry’s late TD tied Walter Payton for the fifth-most rushing scores, but Baltimore’s challenge isn’t just the scoreboard—it’s a roster-wide shortfall of impact talent as key veterans sit out and the defense struggles to generate stops.

Baltimore lands second in The Athletic's front-office power ranking, a nod to culture, stability, and smart talent evaluation that executives and coaches alike notice.

Lamar Jackson anchors an offense with Derrick Henry in a backfield, plus Rashod Bateman, Zay Flowers, and Devontez Walker at receiver. The defense features Roquan Smith, Kyle Hamilton, and Marlon Humphrey. With DeCosta's blueprint and Harbaugh's leadership, Baltimore is positioned for a quick, high-upside rebound, and peers like Hopkins and Alexander weigh in as respected voices.