From offensive penalties to red-zone defense, the Ravens have these 5 flaws to fix

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Every Ravens loss this season has been a bit worse than the last one. Week 2 was an all-too-familiar collapse. Week 6 was another collapse, but in AFC North country. Sunday was a third collapse that morphed into a historic implosion.

All of which has lent coach Jesse Minter some experience with pick-me-up speeches. So what do you say to a team after its worst loss of the season?

“We control where we go from here,” he recalled telling the Ravens on Monday.

If Sunday’s 35-13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals was rock bottom, the only way is up. And if quarterback Lamar Jackson returns from an ankle injury for Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills, the Ravens could very well leave Highmark Stadium with their best win of the season.

But they’ve got issues besides their quarterback’s health. Here are five potentially fatal flaws in all three phases as the Ravens push ahead in the toughest stretch of their schedule.

Short-yardage rushing offense

The Ravens needed 2 yards or less on third or fourth down seven times Sunday. They converted just three times. Running back Derrick Henry was responsible for one first down — and that came through the air.

After a third-down stuff in the second quarter, Henry is now 2-for-9 on late-down, short-yardage runs this season, one of the worst conversion rates (22.2%) in the NFL, according to Sports Info Solutions. On his nine goal-line carries at the 3-yard line or closer, Henry has as many touchdowns as negative-yardage runs (three).

Henry’s regression as a close-quarters runner has come swiftly. He was 15-for-24 (62.5%) on late-down, short-yardage attempts last season. And on his 20 goal-line carries at the 3-yard line or closer, Henry had 10 touchdowns and just four negative runs.

The Ravens’ offseason losses (notably, fullback Patrick Ricard and blocking tight end Charlie Kolar) and offensive line instability (10 unique five-man combinations) have done Henry no favors. According to SIS, he has been hit at or behind the line of scrimmage on 46.9% of his carries this season, a significant uptick from last season (40.4%). On all short-yardage runs this season, his early-hit rate is 63%; last year, it was 52.4%.

But Henry himself has vented about his own disappointing play. He’s averaging 3.9 yards per carry this season, which would be a career low. He has topped 100 rushing yards just twice. He hasn’t scored a rushing touchdown since Week 4. And according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, he has produced more rushing yards than expected on just 33.6% of his carries, a 30th-percentile mark league-wide. Last year, he was in the 74th percentile.

“I got to be better,” Henry said after a 17-carry, 45-yard outing Sunday. “It’s not good enough. Terrible. I’m looking at myself. I think every man can look in the mirror, but as far as myself, I can speak on me. It’s not good enough at all.”

Offensive penalties

On two occasions Sunday, the Ravens couldn’t stop at just one penalty. And so they doubled down.

Late in the first quarter, on second-and-11, tight end Mark Andrews was flagged for a false start. Before the next snap, the Ravens were called for a delay of game.

Late in the second quarter, on third-and-1, right tackle Roger Rosengarten was flagged for a false start. On the next play, left guard John Simpson was called for holding.

Somehow, the pairs of penalties were not drive-enders. Quarterback Tyler Huntley found wide receiver Zay Flowers for 20 yards on a third-and-13 in the first quarter, and wide receiver Rashod Bateman for 18 yards on a third-and-16 in the second quarter.

As the Bengals avoided flags Sunday (one penalty for 15 yards), the Ravens hit double digits for the third time this season (10 for 57 yards). Penalties have gotten in their way all year; entering Week 8, only the Green Bay Packers (65) and Cleveland Browns (63) have more than the Ravens (60).

The issues are especially acute on offense. According to SumerSports, the Ravens lead the NFL with 38 offensive penalties and 27 presnap penalties, including 18 false starts and five delay-of-game infractions. Overall, the Ravens’ offense has lost about 30.5 expected points to penalties, the third-most in the league.

“Those are things we can control, and you always want to check that box and do as well as you can on the things you can control, and we didn’t do well enough on that,” center Cam Jurgens said Sunday.

Downfield pass defense

Maybe no unit in Baltimore has disappointed more this season than the Ravens’ pass defense. It entered Week 1 with what should’ve been the defense’s highest floor and highest ceiling, bolstered by a perennial All-Pro (safety Kyle Hamilton), two ascending young talents (cornerback Nate Wiggins and safety Malaki Starks) and a creative play caller (Minter). The signing of outside linebacker Trey Hendrickson and return of defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike didn’t hurt, either.

But as the Ravens’ pass rush has leveled up after a disappointing 2025, their pass defense has stumbled — especially against longer throws. On passes of at least 10 air yards, according to SIS, the Ravens have allowed 12.8 yards per attempt (fourth-worst in the NFL), 126 yards per game (ninth-worst) and a deserved-catch rate of 83.3% (second-worst), which includes catchable passes that a receiver dropped.

Minter’s Chargers defenses did not have especially talented defensive backs, besides star safety Derwin James, but they were sound in zone coverage and tackled well in space. The Ravens have struggled with both. Hamilton, Wiggins, Starks and cornerback Marlon Humphrey combined for eight missed tackles Sunday, according to Pro Football Focus.

Even worse, while quarterbacks have attempted just 17 deep passes (20-plus air yards) against the Ravens (tied for sixth fewest), they’ve connected on nine of them for 302 yards. They’ve also drawn three pass interference flags on deep shots that cost the Ravens a combined 70 yards in penalties.

Red-zone defense

Sunday’s game was “a tale of two halves,” Minter said. It was also a tale of two red-zone operations.

The Ravens made three trips inside Cincinnati’s 20-yard line. With a chance to extend their lead to 14-0 midway through the second quarter, the Ravens were held to a 34-yard field goal. And with a chance to go up 17-0 just before halftime, they had to settle for another field goal, this one from 24 yards. The Ravens later had a turnover on downs in the fourth quarter at the Bengals’ 12.

Cincinnati’s offense, meanwhile, had no such trouble in the red zone. On the Bengals’ first five second-half possessions, they moved inside the Ravens’ 20 each time. And on all five possessions, they ended the drive with a touchdown (four passing, one rushing).

The Ravens’ red-zone struggles added to a season-long trend on defense, as opponents have now scored a touchdown on 66.7% of their trips. That ranks only 20th in the NFL, but it would be the worst single-season mark in franchise history. The Ravens’ defense has allowed a touchdown rate above 60% just twice since 1996. Last year, the team finished at 50.8% (sixth in the NFL).

Opponents have fared well on the ground and in the air. The Ravens’ run defense has one of the league’s worst red-zone success rates (46.3%) and has allowed eight touchdowns on 41 carries. Quarterbacks, meanwhile, are 17-for-28 for 121 yards and eight touchdowns and have helped draw two pass interference penalties inside the 6-yard line.

Special teams regression

Over the final years of coach John Harbaugh’s tenure in Baltimore, the Ravens’ long-esteemed special teams play was not very special. In 2024, they finished 23rd in overall efficiency, according to FTN. Last year, they rebounded, but only to 12th.

This season, Anthony Levine Sr.’s first as special teams coordinator, the Ravens have again been mostly average. They rank 17th in overall DVOA, with their five phases ranging between eighth and 26th in efficiency:

• Field goals and extra points: 13th
• Kickoffs: 25th
• Kick returns: 13th
• Punts: Eighth
• Punt returns: 26th

Levine needs more consistency from kicker Tyler Loop and more juice from his returners. Loop is 5-for-5 on field goals of at least 50 yards but just 2-for-5 from between 40 and 49 yards. The Ravens also have just one kickoff return of at least 40 yards and just one punt return of at least 20 yards.