Ravens Must Go Back to Basics

The Baltimore Ravens are looking to get back on track after a 1-4 start to the season and a current three-game losing streak.

The Ravens' 44-10 loss against the Houston Texans in Week 5 marks the lowest point of the season for the team, prompting some changes that need to be made in the coming weeks. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh preached the need of playing fundamentally-sound football with so many players injured on the sidelines.

"I think fundamental football is the most quickly fixable thing. And I expect to see us play fundamentally-sound football," Harbaugh said.

"I don't think we did that, all the time, today. It wasn't egregiously bad, but this run defense, it's just not OK. That's not something that should happen. We haven't fixed that, really, all year yet. That's the No. 1 thing that we have to start with. We can't let them get the yards [teams are] getting on first down. You can't play behind the sticks the whole game, on both sides of the ball. And that's been pretty much a theme throughout the course of the whole season so far."

Baltimore Ravens running back Justice Hill catches a pass during the third quarter against the Houston Texans. | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

The Ravens are already at a massive disadvantage with quarterback Lamar Jackson, cornerback Marlon Humphrey, linebacker Roquan Smith and offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley hurt among others, but the team also hopes to stay competitive with its backups. Unfortunately when those players continue to make mistakes, it leads to blowouts like Week 5's against the Texans.

"Even with me, just starting off a drive [with] me false starting, that's just a drive killer. Starting a drive first-and-15 is harder than first-and-10, obviously, [when you're] trying to get back into a game," Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely said.

"So, I'll just take the accountability on that drive, and the drives before for that. You never want to start behind the sticks, and in this game, we knew that they were going to be a tough opponent. We knew that their defense was really good. So, you're just trying to stack plays on plays to turn drives into touchdowns."

The Ravens committed nine penalties for 49 yards against the Texans, proving not to be very disciplined during the game. That needs to change if the Ravens want to win football games.

Another opportunity comes in Week 6 against the Los Angeles Rams, where another loss could easily happen against a talented team. However, if the Ravens can play fundamentally-sound football, it could lead them to victory.

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