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Mengapa terlalu dini untuk panik karena Ravens yang terluka, cedera: 'Kami sudah menyusuri jalan ini'

A day after the Ravens’ 37-20 loss to the Chiefs, which dropped his team into the dreaded 1-3 hole, coach John Harbaugh expressed optimism in Baltimore’s prospects. He spoke of his belief in defensive coordinator Zach Orr, the playcaller of a banged-up unit in crisis.

“We’re not too far away on defense,” Harbaugh said Monday. “I really feel confident that we’re going to play really good defense this year. I really am. I know the fans hear that, and I hope they have a little bit of confidence in us that we’ve been down this road before a little bit.”

Harbaugh might not be totally off-kilter. In 2019, the Ravens started 2-2 and won their next 12 games. In 2024, they started 0-2 and finished the season 12-5.

On the other hand, it seems really bad right now, especially for a win-now team that entered 2025 as one of the Super Bowl favorites. In the Super Bowl era, only about 10% of teams that started 1-3 have even made the playoffs.

In Kansas City’s 37-20 win on Sunday, the Chiefs had 382 yards of total offense against the Ravens, including 112 on the ground. (Photo by Amy Kontras/Getty Images)

Through four weeks, Baltimore ranks at or near the bottom of the NFL in several defensive categories: points allowed (32nd), yards allowed (31st), passing defense (31st), sacks (tied-30th), EPA allowed per play (29th) and rushing defense (27th). The Ravens also have just two takeaways this season, fewer than only the Commanders (1) and Jets (0). They’ve given up at least 37 points in three of their first four games. 

The issues are because of, and compounded by, injuries to high-level starters. Pro Bowl defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike is out for the season with a neck injury. Other starters who already have, could or will miss games include Roquan Smith, Marlon Humphrey, Kyle Van Noy, Broderick Washington Jr. and Travis Jones.

“We could sit here and you could ask me about every single guy,” Harbaugh said on Wednesday. “It’s a fairly long list. Who’s got time for that?”

And that’s before getting to superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson, who injured his hamstring in the Kansas City game, putting his status in doubt this week against Houston.

“Obviously, you’re losing multiple All-Pro guys,” safety Kyle Hamilton said Sunday, “and that’s not going to help a defense.”

But keep in mind that the Ravens had a gauntlet to start the season — the Bills, Lions and Chiefs in three of their first four games.

That’s not an excuse for how Baltimore looked against teams that should be their equal. The Ravens blew a 15-point fourth-quarter lead to Buffalo in the season opener. In Week 3, Detroit had 224 rushing yards and sacked Jackson seven times. But no team is a finished product through September.

“The three losses are against probably three of the top teams in the league, for sure,” Harbaugh said. “That’s just the hand we’ve been dealt, but it doesn’t really matter. We have to win the next game. And then once you win the next game, then you have a chance to start stacking some wins. And that’s what we’ve got to do, big picture-wise.”

The Ravens boast a very favorable schedule moving forward. Seven of their next eight opponents are .500 or worse (Texans, Bears, Dolphins, Vikings, Browns, Jets, Bengals). They’re in a very winnable AFC North. They also have their bye in Week 7, which will allow them to get many key contributors back down the stretch. There’s a runway into playoff contention for the Ravens, even if a first-round bye is a long shot due to the losses to Buffalo and Kansas City.

Their offense needs to do its part, though. Star running back Derrick Henry has had uncharacteristic ball security issues, leading the league with three fumbles and two lost fumbles. Jackson needs to be better protected — his 13.6% sack rate tops the NFL. The Ravens’ ability to score points in a hurry — 32.8 points per game, third in the NFL — has also masked their drive-to-drive inconsistency. Baltimore is averaging only 5.0 plays per possession (tied for 30th), which adds pressure to its injury-plagued defense, which has faced a league-high 286 offensive plays.

“At times, we’re moving the ball extremely well,” tight end Mark Andrews said Wednesday. “There are things all over the field that are just limiting our success. For us, just dialing in, doing our job [and] Fokus, hal -hal baik akan terjadi. “

Lamar Jackson memiliki tingkat karung tertinggi liga melalui minggu 4 musim ini. (Tammy Ljungblad/The Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Perjuangan di kedua sisi bola menggambarkan tempat genting tempat para Ravens berada. Semua keripik mereka berada di tengah meja. Mereka memiliki kontrak quarterback mammoth Jackson pada buku-buku mereka, termasuk hit cap $ 43,5 juta untuk musim ini, pada saat yang sama dengan tuduhan besar uang topi besar dari sebagian besar pemain terkenal mereka yang lain, termasuk Smith, Hamilton, Andrews, Henry, Humphrey dan Odafe Oweh. Memiliki daftar yang berat telah membuat para Ravens memiliki kedalaman back-end, sebagaimana terbukti oleh semua pemula dan veteran masa lalu-prime dan talenta level berlatih-squad yang dipaksa menjadi peran kunci di tengah cedera yang meningkat.

Pada hari Minggu melawan Chiefs, Ravens pada satu titik memiliki lima pembela pemula di lapangan melawan Patrick Mahomes.

Agar Ravens mencapai tujuan akhir mereka, penting bahwa mereka memiliki pemain terbaik mereka yang tersedia – dan bermain di level tinggi.

“Kami memiliki masalah yang kami hadapi, dan kami harus menghadapinya dengan cara yang benar -benar cerdas,” kata Harbaugh. “Saya percaya kami akan menjadi tim sepak bola yang baik. Kami belum menjadi tim sepak bola yang cukup baik.”

Masih ada waktu untuk iman Harbaugh untuk dihargai.

Ben Arthur adalah reporter NFL untuk Fox Sports. Dia sebelumnya bekerja untuk jaringan Tennessean/USA Today, di mana dia berada Titans Kalahkan penulis selama satu setengah tahun. Dia menutupi Seattle Seahawks untuk Seattlepi.com selama tiga musim (2018-20) sebelum pindah ke Tennessee. Anda dapat mengikuti Ben di Twitter di @Benyarthur.

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