Baltimore Ravens face five major flaws after 35-13 loss to Bengals

The Baltimore Ravens dropped their third consecutive game on Sunday, falling 35-13 to the Cincinnati Bengals in what the coaching staff described as a historic implosion. With quarterback Lamar Jackson still recovering from an ankle injury, the team faces a critical stretch of the schedule starting with a trip to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Coach Jesse Minter told the team on Monday that they control their own destiny from this point forward.

The loss exposed specific mechanical and strategic problems across all three phases of football. One of the most pressing issues is the running game in short-yardage situations. The Ravens faced third or fourth down with two yards or less to gain on seven occasions in Sunday’s game and converted only three times. Running back Derrick Henry accounted for one of those first downs, which came via a pass. Henry is currently 2-for-9 on late-down, short-yardage runs, a 22.2 percent conversion rate that ranks among the worst in the NFL according to Sports Info Solutions.

Henry’s struggles in close quarters mark a sharp decline from the previous season, when he converted at a 62.5 percent rate in similar spots. The Ravens have lost key blocking personnel, including fullback Patrick Ricard and tight end Charlie Kolar, and have rotated through 10 unique offensive line combinations. As a result, Henry has been hit at or behind the line of scrimmage on 46.9 percent of his carries, up from 40.4 percent last year. Henry acknowledged the drop in performance after a 17-carry, 45-yard outing, stating that he is looking in the mirror and that his play is not good enough.

Discipline has also been a recurring theme, as the Ravens led the NFL with 38 offensive penalties entering Week 8. Sunday provided two examples where the team stacked penalties against itself. In the first quarter, a false start by tight end Mark Andrews was followed by a delay of game penalty before the next snap. Later, a false start by right tackle Roger Rosengarten was immediately followed by a holding penalty on left guard John Simpson. These infractions cost the team about 30.5 expected points, the third-most in the league, according to SumerSports. Center Cam Jurgens noted that these are controllable errors where the team fell short.

The pass defense has also underperformed relative to its personnel, particularly on deep throws. The unit has allowed 12.8 yards per attempt on passes of at least 10 air yards, which is the fourth-worst mark in the NFL. Opponents have connected on nine of 17 deep passes attempted against Baltimore, gaining 302 yards. Safety Kyle Hamilton, cornerbacks Nate Wiggins and Marlon Humphrey, and safety Malaki Starks combined for eight missed tackles in Sunday’s game, according to Pro Football Focus. The team has allowed a touchdown on 66.7 percent of opponent red-zone trips, a rate that would be the worst in franchise history if it holds through the end of the season.

Special teams have also struggled under new coordinator Anthony Levine Sr. The unit ranks 17th in overall DVOA, with punt returns placing 26th in the league. Kicker Tyler Loop has been inconsistent, going 2-for-5 on field goal attempts between 40 and 49 yards, while remaining 5-for-5 from 50 yards and beyond. The return game has also lacked impact, with only one kickoff return over 40 yards and one punt return over 20 yards this season.

Minter characterized Sunday’s loss as a tale of two halves, noting that the defense allowed five consecutive second-half touchdowns to Cincinnati. The Ravens’ offense managed only field goals on its two red-zone visits in the first half. As the team prepares to face the Bills, the focus shifts to correcting these five specific areas to stabilize the season.