Winners and Losers From Ravens' Embarrassing Loss to Lions

For just the third time in eight years, a Baltimore Ravens team led by two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson lost to an opponent from the NFC as the Detroit Lions came into M&T Bank Stadium and handed them a 38-30 loss. Here are the standouts who put them in position to win and the culprits who deserve to shoulder some, if not most of the blame for their second shortcoming in primetime in three weeks.

Winners

TE Mark Andrews: After only having caught two of his four targets for a meager 7 receiving yards in the Ravens' first two games, the three-time Pro Bowler reminded everyone just how much of a potent playmaker he can be in this game. Going up against an elite safety tandem and linebackers with above-average coverage skills, he had a great game, catching all six of his targets for a game-high 91 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns.

INCREDIBLE!!! @Lj_Era8 to @Mandrews_81 for the TOUCHDOWN!!!

TUNE IN ON ESPN/ABC. pic.twitter.com/AZygJVpSlH
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 23, 2025

WR Rashod Bateman: The fifth-year veteran also rebounded from a quiet start to the regular season by coming up with several crucial drive-extending catches on third-downs and finished with 5 catches on 7 targets for 61 receiving yards and a touchdown.

P Jordan Stout: The fourth-year pro is one of several players on this year's team in a contract year, and he is playing the best of the bunch by far. Against the Lions, Stout continued to enjoy an incredible start to the season as a field-flipping weapon. He only punted three times and was able to pin Detroit's offense back deep inside its own territory twice with perfectly placed punts that gave his gunners just enough time to either down the ball or make a tackle on the returner for no gain. His first punt was only returned to the 7-yard line, and before a holding penalty backed it up to the 3-yard line, his second was downed at the 4-yard line after a great bounce.

WR Devontez Walker: Although his astonishing streak of every one of his career catches resulting in touchdowns came to an end, the second-year pro still made a huge play on his lone reception and target in this game by hauling it in for a 34-yard gain. On special teams, he was the player who ensured that Stout's second punt was downed inside the Detroit 5-yard line.

BIG PLAY @DevontezWalker!!!!!

TUNE IN ON ESPN/ABC. pic.twitter.com/YsLjc35CTw
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 23, 2025

RB Rasheen Ali: Despite the constant clamoring from fans for the Ravens to activate third-year speedster Keaton Mitchell, who has been a healthy scratch for the first three games, the second-year pro who battled his way off the roster bubble keeps showing his value on special teams. Ali can return and cover kicks, and made plays doing each in this game. He nearly took his first kickoff return to the house, ripping off a 43-yard return before getting tripped up by the kicker and he also recorded an assisted tackle on one of the coverage units.

Losers

Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (5) reacts after a play against the Baltimore Ravens during the first half. — Sep 22, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (5) reacts after a play against the Baltimore Ravens during the first half at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images | Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Run Defense: The Ravens suffered an uncharacteristic defeat by being overpowered in the ground game. Baltimore, usually the team that dominates the trenches, was instead dominated at the point of attack and surrendered a staggering 224 rushing yards to the Lions. Not only was it the most yards on the ground they've given up in recent memory, but it’s the third-most ever allowed in the nearly two decades under head coach John Harbaugh. Not having Pro Bowl veteran Nnamdi Madubuike and Kyle Van Noy was nowhere near reason enough to yield as many rushing yards as they did in this game.

Pass Rush: Not only were Van Noy and Madubuike sorely missed when it came to defending the run, their absences were made even more glaring given the lack of consistent pass rush the Ravens were able to generate. Going up against a second straight immobile quarterback in Jared Goff and an inexperienced interior offensive line with a pair of first-year starters, they managed to log five quarterback hits but couldn't get him to the ground and finished without a single sack.

Lamar Jackson's Pocket Presence: The final box score reflects another highly productive outing for the three-time All Pro with nearly 300 passing yards, three touchdowns to just six incompletions and a quarterback rating of 148.1. However, he left so many more plays out on the field by not using his legs to scramble or simply throwing the ball away. He was sacked seven times and according to Pro Football Focus, was pressed a whopping 30 times but the vast majority of both figures were a direct result of a lack of awareness and urgency by Jackson who both held the ball too long and got wrapped up behind the line of scrimmage and waited until the last second to decide to take off and run but got tripped up or tackled for either a loss or minimal gain before he could get a good stride going.

CB Marlon Humphrey: The secondary as a whole was far from perfect in this game, but the four-time Pro Bowler especially struggled when it came to covering Lions star wide receiver and fellow All Pro. Aman-Ra St. Brown. While the dynamic fifth-year veteran wideout didn't go for 100 receiving yards, Humphrey allowed him to get behind him twice in crucial situations. He gave up an 18-yard touchdown on a slot fade, a 20-yard reception for a key first down on fourth and short late in the fourth quarter and was flagged for illegal contact and holding.

what a throw and catch in the game's biggest moment 😮 pic.twitter.com/ESRZUQG45L
— NFL (@NFL) September 23, 2025

Late-Down Defense: Whether it was through the air or on the ground, the Ravens struggled mightily to get off the field on third and fourth down. The Lions converted exactly half of the third-downs, going 7-of-14, and were a perfect 3-of-3 on fourth down conversion attempts, including one that resulted in a touchdown off a pitch play where the Baltimore failed to seal the edge. They squandered both of Stout's perfectly-placed punts by allowing Detroit to mount touchdown drives of 98 and 96 yards, during which they converted multiple third and fourth downs en route to pay dirt.

RB Derrick Henry: Coming off a game last week in which he got bottled up for all four quarters, the five-time Pro Bowler couldn't have gotten off to a better start to this game. He picked up 36 yards and ripped off a 28-yard touchdown on the Ravens' first possession. Unfortunately, that would be the highlight of his night. The offense's inability to sustain drives prevented him from staying in rhythm. For the third game in a row, he had the ball punched out of his grasp. For the second time over that span, it came at the worst possible time in the fourth quarter with the Ravens having a chance to take command. Henry finished with just 50 rushing yards on 12 carries. He picked up only 14 yards after the first drive and nearly threw an interception on a trick play that the Lions didn't fall for.

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