The Baltimore Ravens were without Nnamdi Madubuike for another game on Sunday, and they felt his absence. It felt like everything went wrong while Baltimore was blowing a lead to the New Orleans Saints, and the defensive line was one of the biggest problems.
While the team’s edge rushers at least got some pressure throughout the game, the same can’t really be said for the interior. Whenever Trey Hendrickson or someone else slipped into the backfield, the interior couldn’t do its job. They allowed Tyler Shough way too much room to get comfortable.
Even the New Orleans running game found some space. They weren’t anything terrific, but Travis Etienne found some timely gains late to keep the offense moving. There were too many moments where Baltimore had the running back stopped, and let them break tackles and plow through for extra yardage.
Clearly, the Ravens need Madubuike back more than ever.
Baltimore Ravens’ Week 2 loss proves the defense needs Nnamdi Madubuike back bad
The Ravens don’t really lack talent along their interior defensive front. The issue is, the negatives can outweigh the positives. No one’s questioning Travis Jones. He’s a Pro Bowl-level player. It’s the defensive lineman around him.
Calais Campbell is good, but he’s 40 years old and can’t be on the field 24/7; John Jenkins isn’t much more than a strong run-stopper; Aeneas Peebles’ size can limit how consistent he can be. In Baltimore’s Week 2 loss, it was obvious there wasn’t enough star power there.
The defensive line couldn’t collapse the pocket. The defensive line couldn’t contain Shough when he worked to extend the play. The defensive line struggled to wrap up and bring down the ball carrier at the line of scrimmage. Guards David Andrews and Cesar Ruiz and center Erik McCoy were locking that group down.
That lack of ability also hurts Baltimore’s edge rushers. No matter how quickly they come rolling off the edge, if there’s no pocket push, opposing quarterbacks can easily step up and make throws. Or, if they're the scrambling type, they can gash the defense on the ground.
That's why this defense needs a player like Madubuike back. He can not only generate pressure from the middle, but move the pocket just enough to give teammates like Trey Hendrickson enough leverage to close in and get sacks. It's all tied together.
When could the Ravens get Madubuike back?
There's a glaring lack of electricity coming from the interior when Madubuike isn’t on the field. He’s a two-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro for a reason. His 30 career sacks will bring a huge jolt to the defensive line whenever he does return.
Luckily, that might be soon.
Since training camp, Madubuike has been inching closer and closer to returning from the neck injury that ended his 2025 campaign. He avoided IR, meaning the team has hopes that he’ll be back on the field within the first four weeks.
Last Wednesday, Jesse Minter said Madubuike was in the day-to-day category. He's really close to re-joining his teammates on the field.
So at this point, will it be Week 3 or Week 4? With the Ravens facing the Dallas Cowboys next week, hopefully it’s Week 3. They can’t do what they did on Sunday against a high-powered Cowboys offense.
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