Ar'Darius Washington displayed a fourth-quarter trait the Ravens have solely missed

One of the most underrated losse of the Baltimore Ravens’ 2026 offseason was Ar’Darius Washington. Everyone knew at the time, too — the guy is a gamer and brings relentless energy. He showed that in the New York Giants’ Week 10 loss.

While the Giants somehow managed to lose in a way only John Harbaugh and the Ravens can, it’s far from Washington’s fault. He made several game-changing plays and displayed what should’ve been a closer mentality in the fourth quarter.

He made back-to-back plays to force a turnover on downs when down three with nine minutes to go in the fourth quarter.

He also intercepted Jayden Daniels on the Washington Commanders’ 45-yard line while up four with just over two minutes to go.

Sure, it didn’t result in a win, but it should’ve. And plays like that are what the Ravens have been missing in 2026.

Baltimore Ravens need more Ar’Darius Washington-like qualities on defense

Ar’Darius Washington was one of those free-agent losses most Ravens fans expected. John Harbaugh departed, and with Jesse Minter coming in, many of the pending free agents were almost guaranteed to head out the door, and unfortunately, that included Washington.

Of course, Washington joined the Giants, and while it’s taken him some time to carve out a role, he’s been firing on all cylinders over the past few weeks. He's been playing with his hair on fire, hovering everywhere on the field, and is now forcing turnovers.

Baltimore has missed that from their safeties. Kyle Hamilton is obviously an alien, but the rest? They’ve been more liabilities. Malaki Starks and Jaylinn Hawkins have allowed several big plays and are playing like two of the worst safeties in the NFL.

And it goes beyond the talent on the field. Washington would be a great player to have back. However, game-changing plays like the ones on Thursday night are more crucial. The Ravens aren’t getting much, especially in the fourth quarter.

The defense is tied for ninth-worst in the league with only 9 takeaways (4 interceptions and 5 fumble recoveries). The team is also a -2 in turnover differential (tied for 10th-worst).

That’s one thing that needs to change. The other? It’s still closing things out in the second half. The agonizing trend of the Harbaugh era hasn’t left — it’s a dark cloud looming over the team that’s become its identity.

Again, Washington’s efforts didn’t win New York the game. They really should’ve, though. And the issue is that Baltimore’s defense hasn’t shown much life late in the game to warrant hope in the fourth quarter.

Just how bad is it in the final 15 minutes? In nine games, the Ravens’ offense has only scored 35 points in the fourth quarter. The defense has allowed 103 points.

That’s a point swing. You won’t win games with that performance. It’s the exact opposite of clutch.

Now, Washington wouldn’t hide these issues, but his Week 10 primetime performance underscores exactly what’s missing in Charm City: closeout showings and statement plays late in the game.

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