Final Thoughts on Ravens' Abysmal 2025 Season

The 2025 Baltimore Ravens will likely go down as one of the most disappointing and underwhelming teams in recent memory, if not this century, given the high expectations surrounding them coming into the season and their ultimately disappointing finish.

This team epitomized the term 'paper champions' and is a testament that proves championships can only be won between the white lines of a football field, not just by looking at prominent names stacked up on a depth chart.

Five months ago, back in August and even throughout the entire summer, they were a popular pick to make it to the Super Bowl and touted as the most loaded and deepest roster in the league. Over the course of the season, they failed to put it all together and look like a true contender at any point.

After digging themselves out of a 1-5 hole to reach 6-5, they lost four their final six down the stretch. The death blow came by their own hand, or rather the foot of rookie kicker Tyler Loop on a missed chip-shot field goal in the regular season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they felt like a sinking ship long before that.

This season marked the first in which two-time league MVP Lamar Jackson finished a season, and the Ravens not only didn't reach double-digit wins but fell short of the playoffs entirely. It ultimately led to the firing of long-time head coach John Harbaugh, but the mistakes that led to this colossal letdown extend beyond his shortcomings.

Eric DeCosta's offseason gambles didn't pan out this time around

Nov 17, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta watches warm ups against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

There is plenty of blame to go around for this train wreck of a season, and a good chunk deserves to be directed at the Ravens' general manager. Last year, DeCosta made a handful of calculated risks that paid major dividends during the 2024 season, with the two main ones being moving on from three of their five starters along the offensive line in an effort to get younger and less expensive in the trenches on that side of the ball. After some early growing pains, the unit rounded into shape and was playing at a high level down the stretch and into the playoffs.

Instead of making a notable addition, they let versatile utility lineman Patrick Mekari walk in free agency, re-signed Ben Cleveland and spent a third round pick on Emery Jones, who spent over half his rookie season recovering from shoulder surgery. DeCosta and the coaching staff were hoping that the unit would be able to build upon last year with so much continuity after bringing back four of five starters, but several players either regressed or consistently played below their standard for three-fourths of the season, and Jackson ultimately paid the price with his health.

After losing veteran nose tackle Michael Pierce to retirement and despite the 2025 NFL Draft class being loaded with dynamic defensive tackles and entering with the most picks of any team in the league, DeCosta waited until the sixth-round to address the position. He picked an undersized rotational player in Aeneas Peebles, who was a healthy scratch for 11 games and hardly saw the field when he was active.

That came back to bite them as well, as both two-time Pro Bowler Nnamdi Madubuike and fellow sixth-year veteran Broderick Washington suffered season-ending injuries before their Week 7 bye. Those injuries hamstrung the pass rush for most of the season, and the Ravens finished tied for the third-fewest sacks in the league with 30 after recording the second-most in 2024 with 54.

One of DeCosta's biggest glaring blunders was making the most significant investment in the backup quarterback position in half a decade on a veteran like Cooper Rush, who, while experienced, was never a good fit in Baltimore with the style of offense the Ravens run with and without Jackson in the lineup.

Ravens struggled to play complementary football

Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely (80) attempts to make a catch against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first half. — Nov 27, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely (80) attempts to make a catch against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first half at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

There were only two instances all season where this team played well in all three phases of the game, and only one came with their franchise quarterback under center. The first was a Week 8 win over the Chicago Bears at home, where they were able to put it all together despite starting Pro Bowl backup in place of an injured Jackson. They recorded their first shutout since 2018 in Week 15 on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals, and Jackson was able to lead a decent offensive effort that scored 17 of the team's 24 points.

Other than those two games, every other contest the Ravens took part in saw them struggle and fall short or completely flat in one way or another. They were regularly a play or two away from being able to piece it all together, but kept finding new ways to lose in an inexplicable fashion or win ugly by the skin of their teeth. Good teams feature units that set the other two up for success by making plays and avoiding mistakes, yet time and time again, the Ravens failed to consistently do so, which cost them a chance to go to the playoffs as a result.

Against the Steelers in Week 18, they didn't continue to feed Derrick Henry in the second half once again after he rushed for over 100 yards in the first, and their defense couldn't find a way to hold onto two late fourth-quarter leads. The special teams couldn't redeem them all and extend their season one more week with a 44-yard field goal on a day where Cam Little of the Jacksonville Jaguars casually almost broke his own NFL record with a 67-yarder.

Ravens have lost their intimidating mystique

Baltimore Ravens cornerback Nate Wiggins (2) runs onto the field before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14. — Dec 7, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens cornerback Nate Wiggins (2) runs onto the field before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images | Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Prior to Harbaugh's arrival, and for the first decade or so of his tenure with the team, Baltimore was one of the toughest and most daunting places to play in, whether the game kicked off on Sunday afternoon, but especially at night in primetime. Opposing teams dreaded playing them at M&T Bank Stadium because the crowd noise was deafening, and the physical brand of football the team played on both sides of the ball was bone-crushing.

However, this year the Ravens didn't just play well on their home turf; they got punked and pushed around by opposing teams, and it resulted in them suffering the most home losses in franchise history, with six. Teams are no longer scared to go up against them, particularly on defense, where they now have the reputation of being infamous chokers incapable of closing games on a consistent basis, even when given multiple double-digit leads.

They are no longer the Bullies of Baltimore and are instead looked at as a team that lacks composure and poise when it matters most, with no killer instinct. Until they prove otherwise, this will continue to be how they are viewed by whoever comes to town or hosts them on the road. Instead of being a team that stacks impressive wins, in 2025, they were the team that their opponents got right against, posted season-highs against in passing yards, and were a notable victory for them instead of the other way around. Against teams with winning records, they went 2-7 and were 6-2 against teams that finished below .500, which speaks to them simply being mediocre this season.

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