Ravens Feeling Pressure to Make Changes

Teams at the top of their respective standings have no need for "soul-searching." Those who know who they are typically execute as one united front, letting their values be known through their play and their results.

The Baltimore Ravens can no longer associate with the stable, historic identity that's associated with the usually-successful franchise. "Defense-first" is no longer their mantra, as they've quickly devolved into the NFL's premier turnstile, while Lamar Jackson, their longtime franchise face, awaits his return to the field. They simply can't stop dropping games, and their once-guaranteed playoff road looks as murky as it's been in years.

Head coach John Harbaugh was at a loss for words following his team's highly-troublesome 44-10 weekend defeat to the Houston Texans, where he advocated for change of some sort without providing any specifics on where to start. He was surprised at their lack of fight and fundamentals, issues that can't be blamed on their admittedly-ridiculous injury list, but advocated against rashly firing defensive coordinator Zach Orr amidst the team's worst performance yet.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh said he doesn’t think it’s the answer to make a change with defensive coordinator Zach Orr pic.twitter.com/NE4GXeWvO4
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) October 5, 2025

But after just one day of postgame reflection, Harbaugh returned to the media with more of an open mind than ever. He sounds open to virtually any method for improvement as he looks to revive the Ravens' playoff hopes.

Asked about potential changes on the offensive line, Harbaugh said, "Everything is on the table."
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) October 6, 2025

"These guys, all of us, have a massive sense of urgency," Harbaugh said. "And we have had a sense of urgency. It's not like, all of a sudden, 'Oh, we better get our act together.' It's been like that way every single day in our building."

He didn't speak on much on Orr's status as much as he did freshly after the loss, but he did back up that alleged sense of urgency in touching on the inter-team efforts to salvage the defense. According to Harbaugh, senior defensive assistant and secondary coach Chuck Pagano has been feverishly trying to patch all of the holes in their defense and searching for answers on the fly.

Baltimore Ravens Safety Malaki Starks — Oct 5, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Christian Kirk (13) catches a pass past Baltimore Ravens safety Malaki Starks (24) during the fourth quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

Even some of his remaining impact players aren't guaranteed to hold down their jobs as the Ravens attempt to buck a three-game losing streak. This shouldn't be a surprise to the entire defense and the offensive line, but even second-string quarterback Cooper Rush may not be long for the starting job if he doesn't continue proving himself. Even after the coaching staff propped him up following his mixed bag of a showing against the Texans, Tyler Huntley remains lurking.

This team needs solutions now, and their head coach's understanding of the moment has to sound like music to the ears of fans sick of his occasional complacency, even if the team has a long way to go before they're out of the woods.

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