The Baltimore Ravens endured their fair share of struggles in their Week 11 win over the Cleveland Browns. While they captured a 23-16 victory to move to 5-5, it was far from perfect.
The defense was certainly up to the task. They played their best game of the 2025 campaign, adding another takeaway to their total by way of an interception by cornerback Nate Wiggins, and pressured rookie quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders a ton. Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr was in his bag.
The offense and special teams are where the struggles were found. The offensive line was once again horrendous, and while kicker Tyler Loop and punter Jordan Stout continued to impress, the rest of the unit was out of sync. That included rookie wide receiver and punt returner LaJohntay Wester.
Wester’s muffed punt early in the second quarter gave the Browns the ball at Baltimore’s six-yard line, and while the defense held strong, forcing a field goal try on the ensuing drive, it was the biggest mistake of the rookie’s career to this point.
Usually, it is a mistake that would put a player in the doghouse, especially under a head coach like John Harbaugh, who is a special-teams guy. Not Wester, though. Instead, the coaching staff showed unwavering support in him, letting him return punts for the rest of the game despite the early miscue.
Ravens’ faith in LaJohntay Wester shows how much they believe in the rookie
On Monday, after the win, Harbaugh was asked about Wester's big-time blunder, and he talked about what went wrong in that scenario.
“The one tailing away from him, you’re on the run there. He definitely knows he doesn’t want to catch that one. That’s hopefully a learning experience,” Harbaugh said. “It’s been probably his first game playing in those kinds of conditions with that kind of wind…To experience that with a cutter ball, that’s probably one of the most challenging balls.”
“He’s learning. He’s a rookie, and I think he’s really accountable. Nobody works harder. He works hard in practice every single day, and he’s very coachable. I think he’s going to continue to grow that way,” Harbaugh added.
Wester undoubtedly made some questionable decisions on Sunday. Along with the muffed punt, he fielded another punt deep inside his own end that could have resulted in a touchback. Obviously, some punts can check up quickly and roll down to the one-yard line, but given the tough conditions, Wester took some risks that clearly did not pay off.
It is great to see Harbaugh and special teams coordinator Chris Horton let Wester learn from that mistake, though. They could have very easily let veteran wide receiver Tylan Wallace take over punt return duties, but they let the 23-year-old learn from the error.
Wester has not made too many splash plays yet, but every time he touches the football, it seems he is on the verge of showcasing his electrifying playmaking ability. He scored a touchdown on the first punt return of his career in Baltimore’s Week 1 preseason win over the Indianapolis Colts, and has almost broken a couple into the open field throughout the regular season.
He is clearly still learning, but given the way Harbaugh talks about him, success should be on the horizon.