Tyler Loop's Missed Kick Was Blessing in Disguise for Ravens

Make no mistake about it: a lot's been done to erase recent shortcomings in kicking off the offseason, but the Baltimore Ravens' demise hurt about as badly as anything the team threw at their beleaguered fan base over the course of the 2025 regular season.

And they didn't suffer from your painfully slow decline in the standings, either. Their elimination from postseason contention was sudden and shocking, with rookie kicker Tyler Loop's 43-yard field goal sailing awry to hand the Pittsburgh Steelers the berth that they seemed guaranteed to seal.

For the first time, internal forces were enough to hold a mostly-healthy Lamar Jackson-led operation from the playoffs, and a need for drastic change had never seemed too obvious for the normally-successful franchise.

Baltimore Ravens Kicker Tyler Loop — Jan 4, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Baltimore Ravens place kicker Tyler Loop (33) reacts after missing the game winning field goal against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The organization reacted accordingly to two consecutive seasons of gradual slippage amidst the group's hunt for a third Super Bowl win, swiftly handing the pink slip to longtime head coach John Harbaugh before granting Jesse Minter Baltimore's top job.

Even though the first-time top coach didn't have a fraction of Harbaugh's experience as a lead option, he offered a surface-level fresh start to pair with his upside as a defensive play-caller, a signal of the Ravens' initiative to heal their often-uncoordinated secondary and line-work.

Baltimore's brass said as much in laying out what they were looking for in a Harbaugh replacement a week before hiring Minter, when majority owner Steve Bisciotti made his frustrations with stymied development known.

That impatience with the way the Ravens were conducting themselves doesn't just come down to his own desire to escape the drought, even though he did joke that “It took (Brian) Billick two years, John (Harbaugh) five. Maybe I’ll give this guy six” in discussing a predecessor's timeline. They don't have forever to rely on Jackson, who turned 29 in January, and last season revealed just how ugly things can get when the usually mobile star is under constant duress.

This spring will have no shortage of questions to answer, notably surrounding another extension for the quarterback, along with countless upcoming conversations about his and the new staff's vision for their best avenue to success. And following their recent blockbuster trade to acquire star defensive end Maxx Crosby from the Las Vegas Raiders, it would appear that the parties involved have picked a lane.

ESPN sources: the Raiders agreed to trade five-time Pro-Bowl DE Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for 2026 and 2027 first-round picks.

The trade cannot be processed until next week, but it is in place. And Crosby is expected to be a Raven with two 1s back to Vegas. pic.twitter.com/rfExCLpXfF
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 7, 2026

Signs of Aggression

This isn's the sort of move that the Ravens would normally go out of their way to make. They'd built the franchise's brand on developing through the draft, usually cherishing the sort of first-round picks that went out in exchange for Crosby. In fact, this is the first time in the Ravens' three-decade history that such assets were rerouted in the name of an A-list upgrade.

But if last season's 17-game disaster, as well as the cherry atop the humble pie, proved anything, bucking trends in returning to a defensive-minded tradition may be the way to re-ignite the Ravens' fire. Crosby, one of the perennial leaders in sacks and tackles for loss, now joins resident premier safety Kyle Hamilton as Minter's newest Pro Bowl toys.

Las Vegas Raiders Defensive End Maxx Crosby — Dec 7, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) takes the field prior to a game against the Denver Broncos at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Now, Harbaugh wasn't exactly bulletproof before Loop's unfortunate miss. When asked whether the former Lombardi Trophy-hoisting coach would have still occupied the job should he have clinched a de facto divisional title, Bisciotti's response was cold and matter-of-fact.

#Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti was asked if John Harbaugh would still be their HC if Tyler Loop made the FG vs. the Steelers

"For a week." 💀 https://t.co/xBJsfnvFkH pic.twitter.com/QpP8AlBvDf
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 13, 2026

Still, consider that blown field goal the straw that may as well have broken the owner's back. The Ravens are looking ahead to win immediately upon Minter's introduction, tapping back into the dominating defense that's raised the team's ceiling into realistic championship expectations over previous seasons, and they were antsy enough to find coordinators and star-power good enough to back those potential heights up.

While the Pittsburgh Steelers continue running through mud after briefly enjoying the one-and-done playoff nod they won at the Ravens' expense, their rival is looking towards the future with hope.

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