The Baltimore Ravens are being bitten by the injury bug in 2025. It took a toll on the team in Week 3 against the Kansas City Chiefs, where they lost starters Lamar Jackson, Ronnie Stanley, Marlon Humphrey, Nate Wiggins, and Roquan Smith to injuries. This was added on top of an already depleted unit that was missing Nnamdi Madubuike, Broderick Washington, Travis Jones, and Kyle Van Noy on Sunday.
On Monday, it did not get any better. The team learned they will be without Madubuike for the rest of the year, as his injured reserve stint will be a season-ender. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport also reported that Humphrey and Smith are expected to miss multiple weeks. However, Head Coach John Harbaugh has yet to provide updates on any of the injuries suffered in Week 4, outside the fact that they do not appear to be too serious.
Still, despite these injuries, some problems have remained constant over the past couple of years. Second-year Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr has his defense off to another slow start, Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken continues to make questionable play calls, and maybe the most prominent question mark of all is Harbaugh.
Ravens’ future with John Harbaugh is in question
In the eyes of the Ravens’ fanbase, most of the blame for the team’s 1-3 start has been directed at Harbaugh. It has been for good reason, too. It is hard to contend with the endless chain of injuries, but many common themes that have led to an end of prior seasons under Harbaugh have carried over to 2025. The lengthy injury report certainly takes some pressure off of Harbaugh’s shoulders, but the operations this year have been far from smooth, regardless of the team’s health.
Baltimore has been unbelievably undisciplined this season. They kicked off the regular season by blowing a 15-point lead to the Buffalo Bills, fell apart late in the game against the Detroit Lions, and looked unprepared versus a reeling Chiefs squad. Harbaugh has simply been outcoached in all three losses.
Much of this falls on the players, as well. On defense, missed tackles occur on nearly every play, and on offense, the same mistakes up front have hurt the unit time and time again. The discipline level of the 2025 roster is a far cry from what many usually expect to see from a Ravens squad.
It is shocking to see a team with so much talent perform in such a way each week. Leadership could be called into question, and while Harbaugh tends to find a way to right the ship after early troubles, the Ravens seem ready to plummet.
Again, it is unfair to put so much blame on a coach when they are dealing with as many injuries as the Ravens are. But Harbaugh’s inability to close games and look consistently competent against the best teams in the NFL should put him on the hot seat following the year. There is still plenty of time to make things right, though. It is only Week 5.