Ravens Need To Do Some Soul Searching Ahead Of Critical Make-Or-Break Slate

Coming off two rough division losses, the Baltimore Ravens have a lot of self-reflection to do as they are about to face a pair of Super Bowl contenders in back-to-back games less than a week apart.

Oct 25, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) looks on during the first half against the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There's no denying that Lamar Jackson is the heart and soul of the Baltimore Ravens' offense and team as a whole, and fellow future Hall of Famer, Derrick Henry, admitted to as much when he spoke to the media on Wednesday.

The two-time league MVP has missed the Ravens' last three games since suffering what he later personally revealed was a high ankle sprain in Week 4.

"He's the leader of this offense, so anytime he's out there, it's always great," Henry said. "I know he wants to be out there with us and to put us in the best position to win. He wants the guys to play great as well. So, I'll be excited whenever he's back out there, and I look forward to it."

After rallying to notch a come-from-behind victory over the Atlanta Falcons in primetime in their first game without him, they went from sitting atop the AFC North standings to falling all the way to the bottom after dropping back-to-back games to the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals over the past two weeks.

Despite being without arguably the best player in the league when healthy, they built early double-digit leads and shut out both of their rivals, only to get shut out and get outscored by 10-plus points in the second half of each deflating loss.

This past Sunday's lopsided 35-13 loss to the Bengals was equally discouraging and infuriating because of how well they played on both sides of the ball in the first half compared to the second. The lack of leadership and juice without Jackson was on full display as they put up little-to-no resistance as Joe Burrow and Co. came storming from behind to beat them on their own home turf.

It marked the second year in a row that they allowed this particular opponent to come into M&T Bank Stadium and notch a statement win by multiple scores instead of getting sent home packing.

All signs are pointing towards Jackson being available for the Ravens' massive AFC showdown coming up this Sunday on the road against the Buffalo Bills after he's been a full participant in practice for the first time in nearly a month.

However, they are a setback away (normally a 4-6 week injury), a wrong plant or big hit away from being right back where they've been the past three weeks, looking to avoid letting history repeat itself and keep their hopes of returning to the playoffs alive without their best player.

Every team with a franchise quarterback, especially one as generationally gifted as Jackson, should be able to rely on him to give them a chance to emerge victorious whenever he's out on the field, but they shouldn't be so overdependent on him that they can't find ways to close out games without him.

The Ravens' offense has sputtered in Jackson's absence outside of promising and potent opening scripts. That shouldn't have any bearing on how the defense performs from one half to the next when it comes to maintaining focus, communication and executing proper technique, all of which waned far too many high-leverage moments in the second half over the past two weeks.

Some of these epic collapses would by no means be excusable. Still, they could be somewhat understandable for a team littered with and heavily relying on a young core of ascending playmakers who lack a plethora of big-game experience. That isn't and hasn't been the case for the Ravens since Jackson was still on his rookie deal.

The majority of the players who are responsible for the recurring mistakes that blow leads and make them a hard watch without him are his fellow established starters with years of experience and a number of impressive accolades under their belt.

"I think there's a level of accountability, especially when you're creating your own standard and culture and things like that, you have to be able to hold those guys accountable," head coach Jesse Minter said Monday.

"At the same time, normally the really good ones are the first ones coming in and saying, 'That's my fault. This was me. How do I do this better?' And so, we have a bunch of guys that take accountability when they mess something up, just like we have a coaching staff that does the same thing."

With Jackson set to be back in action against the Bills, there's no refuting that his return will provide them with a "big boost," but they can't continue to be a momentum team that constantly needs to be energized by a singular player or a turning of the tide in a game.

"We all know how good of a player he is, but we also don't want to rely on him having to carry us as a team," left tackle Ronnie Stanley said. Whoever's in there, we're confident that they're going to be able to perform, and we still feel like we had enough to win all the games that we had without him, but without a doubt, him being back would definitely be a boost."

The Ravens will face a pair of AFC powerhouses who are both currently leading their respective divisions and are legit Super Bowl contenders in back-to-back games in less than five days. After traveling to upstate New York to take on Josh Allen the Bills on Sunday afternoon, they'll turn around and host Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars in primetime on Thursday night.

This team remains strong on paper and appears to be getting healthier at the right time, but they have to look inward at the kind of team they want to be and what kind of product they want to put on the field moving forward. Their fragile mental fortitude, as a result of past trauma, has continued to be the root cause of their downfall, and that needs to change.

"It's okay for players to have scars and coaches to have scars," Minter said. "I have my own scars from other places that I've been, and things like that. But it's also us collectively together, let's look at what we've been through together. Let's keep chasing how we fix ourselves in those moments.

"We've proven a couple times that we can do well in those moments, and we've proven a couple times that we haven't had what it took to close out those really tight games. Let's keep attacking it together. Let's keep adjusting our process and finding a better way for us to play well in those big moments. That's what we'll constantly be searching for."

Core leaders admit shortcomings and vow change will come

Oct 4, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton (14) walks of the field after the game against the Tennessee Titans at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A huge talking point around the Ravens' building in both the locker room and in meeting rooms has been the leadership, or rather, lack thereof, from prominent players aside from Jackson, especially with how lifeless the team looked on the sidelines during the second half of the Bengals' losses as their rivals rallied past them.

"I can speak for myself. I pride myself in being one of the leaders on this team," Henry said. "I am one of the vets, and I haven't been doing a good enough job as far as leading.

"When I talked about it being flat on the sidelines, when we don't have energy or things are not going the way they're supposed to, somebody has to bring that spark, whether it's speaking or out there on the field making a play that turns everything around. That's what I need to do. The leaders have to lead, have to have accountability and have to bring the juice."

Stanley shared that some of the leaders met after the game without Minter suggesting or even having to tell them to address how they can improve in that vital aspect of the game.

"Just seeing the energy that we had on the sideline when things aren't going our way is something that needs to change," Stanley said. "A lot of people have different ways they lead and different leadership styles, but I think being more vocal is something that I can get better at personally."

Following Thursday's practice, three-time All Pro safety Kyle Hamilton, one of the Ravens' most outspoken leaders, admitted that the players and coaches come together to have some "grown-man conversations" and feels confident they can get things turnaround.

"This season can go one of two different directions, and there's obviously the direction that we want to go in, so I think everybody took steps this week to give us our best chance to do that," Hamilton said.