New coaching staff, same problems. The Baltimore Ravens brought in a new guard led by Jesse Minter. The high expectations were: no more blown leads, playoff success, maybe even a Super Bowl. Week 2 showed that the reality is: the fourth quarter is still an issue.
Baltimore squandered a lead to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. It was a new story fans have seen unfold way too much lately.
They had every chance to put the Saints to bed. However, the Ravens let them hang around all game, and in the fourth quarter, New Orleans caught lightning in a bottle, while Baltimore tripped over themselves. It was ugly, it was sloppy, it was embarrassing.
The response from the team’s leaders must bring them out of the darkness of these consistent fourth-quarter struggles. It happened once; don’t let it happen again.
Baltimore Ravens need to respond differently to persistent fourth-quarter issues
Under John Harbaugh, it felt like blowing leads in the fourth quarter was a horrible trend. The reaction in the locker room always seemed to be the same; nothing changed. Eventually, doubt and frustration took over, which likely played a role in firing Harbaugh and hiring Jesse Minter.
As Roquan Smith put it, though, it’s been all highs since bringing in Minter and company. The Ravens’ disastrous loss to the Saints is really the first taste of adversity. The ensuing response will be critical.
One fourth-quarter collapse into his head-coaching career, and Minter’s response following such a loss not only feels different…it sounds fairly encouraging.
According to Jaylinn Hawkins, Minter’s message was simple: watch the film and tell the truth.
Mike Green also added to that message.
“[Minter’s message was] we win together, and we lose together,” Green said. “If we wanna go to where we wanna get to, we’re gonna have to go through adversity, and we’ll have to take it head-on. We’re gonna have to bounce back next week and get stronger.”
That’s the perfect message. This Ravens roster is way too talented to play as they did on Sunday. Unfortunately, very few players actually played well for all four quarters. They need to admit that. If this team wants to return to being playoff contenders this year, they need to look themselves in the mirror and acknowledge their flaws.
That's the only way to improve. The mentality of the Baltimore Ravens needs to change. Being aggressive on and off the field with relentless film study and preparation is the solution to breaking into their Super Bowl contention window.
All of that has to translate when it’s game time, especially when they’re up in the fourth quarter. This team gets way too passive and comfortable. Minter has to fix that.
And in the locker room, the Ravens have a leader who’s experienced as it gets. Calais Campbell is 40 years old in his 19th NFL season. If there’s any player’s voice to listen to, it’s Campbell’s.
He had a strong message after the loss, too.
Calais Campbell: “Adversity is a truth-teller. How we respond is going to be crucial as a team.”
— Nikhil Mehta (@nikknowsball) September 20, 2026
The point is, these losses are bound to happen. The new coaching staff was going to show its youth at some point, and if anything, the Ravens should be happy the adversity came early. There’s no reason to hit the panic button—Week 2 is still way too early to judge this group.
I think there’s always something to these losses, as well. There’s a lesson to be learned. Sometimes the best teams need to be punched in the mouth and know the agonizing feeling of a disappointing loss. It's a massive wake-up call.
For the old Ravens, these games became a part of their DNA. For the new Ravens, it must only be a one-time thing. Adjustments will come, and the hope is that this team comes out better because of the adversity.
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