The Baltimore Ravens looked awful in their loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. The showdown was an opportunity for Baltimore to significantly boost their playoff odds, but instead, the team saw its most heated division rival leapfrog them for the division lead.
A wide range of factors led to their Week 14 loss. The officiating was certainly under scrutiny, and rightfully so, but the Ravens also beat themselves. If it were not for efforts by quarterback Lamar Jackson, running back Derrick Henry, and wide receiver Zay Flowers down the stretch, the matchup likely could have gone toward blowout territory.
Many key starters had rough days, especially on offense. One of whom was wide receiver Rashod Bateman. After accounting for two receptions for 23 yards against the Steelers, he is up to just 18 receptions for 217 yards and two touchdowns in 2025. While he has only gotten 35 targets this year, it feels like he has made more costly mistakes than highlight reel plays.
The underwhelming campaign from Bateman comes directly after an offseason in which he cashed in on a three-year, $36.75 million extension. In 11 games, Bateman has yet to prove his worth for that money.
There is still a ton of time for Bateman to get back into a groove, and there is no reason to panic. However, after an offseason of trade rumors surrounding Bateman, it looks like General Manager Eric DeCosta may have gone in the wrong direction.
Eric DeCosta may have missed an opportunity to trade struggling Bateman
Over the offseason, several teams contacted DeCosta about Bateman. That included the Dallas Cowboys, who were in deep talks to acquire him before landing wide receiver George Pickens from Pittsburgh in May. Baltimore ultimately extended Bateman in June, and while at the time it appeared the wide receiver trio of Zay Flowers, Bateman, and DeAndre would be the best Jackson had ever had, it has been far from that.
Initially, the Bateman was viewed as a steal by many. Now, he is failing to hold up his end of the bargain in 2025. Along with the lackluster stat line, the 26-year-old has posted a 56.0 overall grade, per Pro Football Focus. He has three drops in 11 games, and a 14.3% drop percentage. He could not escape those issues on Sunday, where he had a critical drop on a pass deep inside Pittsburgh territory that would have led to a first down, and maybe even a touchdown.
Rashod Bateman’s third down drop. Backbreaking. pic.twitter.com/mOvggSGLEr
— Bobby Trosset (@bobbybaltim0re) December 7, 2025
As a deep threat, many of Bateman’s routes take time to develop. With an utterly abysmal offensive line, Jackson and the team’s passing attack have not had many opportunities to take the top off the defense. Still, when the protection does hold, Bateman does not appear to be creating the separation at the rate he was in previous years. Even then, the drops have made him unreliable, and on other occasions, he has given up on routes.
Bateman is still a talented player, but 2025 is a disappointing year after a breakout campaign in 2024. If the necessary changes are made next offseason to unlock Bateman and the deep passing game in 2026, things could change.
But at this point, it looks like a trade would have paid off, especially looking at how many players are set to be free agents in 2026. They did not spend an overabundance of cap space on the Bateman deal, but it is still money that seems it would have been better to spend elsewhere.