The Baltimore Ravens had their worst performance of the year against the Houston Texans in Week 5. They were beaten down for all four quarters, losing 44-10.
There were not many bright spots throughout the game. The defense never found any success, the offense quickly crumbled, and flags hurt the team all day.
Here are one winner and four losers from Sunday’s loss.
1 winner (and 4 losers) in Ravens' embarrassing Week 5 beatdown loss
Winner: Zay Flowers
Wide receiver Zay Flowers was the only one to show up ready in Week 5. He caught all five of his targets for 72 yards, including a long of 56. He was the security blanket for quarterback Cooper Rush, catching multiple screen passes on a day where Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken and the Ravens offense struggled to get Rush comfortable.
This performance is becoming typical for Flowers. He has now amassed 377 receiving yards on 28 receptions in 2025. He is quickly taking the strides to become one of the most feared wideouts in the NFL, and while the rest of the team struggled on Sunday, he proved he can make plays no matter how out of sync the offense is.
Loser: Todd Monken
The offense was never in a rhythm. Sure, Baltimore fell behind quickly, but without Lamar Jackson, there was a golden chance for the rushing attack to get a ton of reps and find a rhythm after a stagnant three-week stretch. Monken did not call the plays to make that happen.
Monken was stuck on screen plays and middle of the field concepts, instead of letting Derrick Henry and Keaton Mitchell go to work. Henry saw 15 carries for 33 yards, and he only got six attempts in the first half. Mitchell was also only given three carries for eight yards, and Justice Hill got in the action with one for three yards.
It was a day where Baltimore was never on track in any phase of the game, but with so many injuries, especially on defense, they could have focused on running the ball and chewing the clock more. Instead, they lost the time of possession battle by 13 minutes and failed to break 50 rushing yards for the second time in 2025.
Loser: Teddye Buchanan
Rookie fourth-round pick Teddye Buchanan was given the green dot on Sunday with Roquan Smith (hamstring) and Kyle Hamilton (groin) out. It was a tall task for the young linebacker, especially with so many other new starters on defense, but things looked off from the get-go.
There were several communication errors throughout the game, as Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud was picking the opposing defense apart all game, finding wide open receivers in the process.
Teddye Buchanan and Malaki Starks both went to cover a RB coming out of the flat, leaving a throwing window over the middle for C.J. Stroud.
— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) October 5, 2025
This was *after* a timeout.
Buchanan also contributed to maybe the biggest lowlight of the game for Baltimore, allowing Stroud to outrun him on a 30-yard run that would set up a touchdown.
CJ Stroud with the WHEELS 🔥 @texans pic.twitter.com/9Jeg1UwJ0b
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 5, 2025
Loser: Pass rush
The Ravens’ defensive front had two sacks in Week 5, but the pressure was not constant. Veteran outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy and third-year linebacker Trenton Simpson brought down Stroud for each of their first sacks of the season. However, Stroud was given all the time in the world to throw for most of the day.
Outside of Nnamdi Madubuike and Broderick Washington, who are both on injured reserve, the Ravens had most of their pass rush healthy, especially at outside linebacker. Going against a horrendous offensive line, it seemed like the perfect recipe for success. That was far from the case.
Stroud was comfortable as can be, completing 23 of 27 passes for 244 yards and four touchdowns. The pass rush group continues to be a major problem for Baltimore.
Loser: Rashod Bateman
Wide receiver Rashod Bateman saw three targets against the Texans and failed to come down with a reception. He obviously was not the biggest issue on Sunday, but he did not do his job. He even gave up on a play midway through the fourth quarter, leading to Rush’s third interception of the game.
Cooper Rush throws his third pick of the day as Rashod Bateman pulls up on his route pic.twitter.com/JCPJzc2yTg
— Bobby Trosset (@bobbybaltim0re) October 5, 2025
Sure, it was garbage time and the defense gave up 44 points, but it tells a bigger story in terms of the attitude of the team. The Ravens were asleep at the wheel all day long, and Bateman’s lack of effort was just one of the many things wrong in Week 5.