It's bad enough that the Baltimore Ravens fell to 1-4 in utterly embarrasing fashion. To make matters worse, their greatest player in franchise history was mocked as the Houston Texans put the finishing touches on a blowout.
You can't help but wonder what's going on in Baltimore. Yes, their laundry list of an injury report is no secret, headlined by the absence of of superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson. However, this is hardly the first time Ravens longtime head coach John Harbaugh has dealt with a banged-up roster, so what gives?
The Ravens have lost four of their first five games to open a season for the first time since 2015. They're in uncharted territory for the Harbaugh era; encapsulated by Texans rookie wide receiver Jaylin Noel recreating Baltimore legend Ray Lewis' iconic squirrel dance.
Ravens sink to new depths under HC John Harbaugh with Texans' Jaylin Noel mimicking Ray Lewis
Seeing Noel and Houston celebrate in the back of the end zone by paying homage to Lewis as they took a 41-10 lead was painful. Not only did it anger the Ravens Flock, but Baltimore's Jaire Alexander was demonstrably frustrated, attempting to snatch the ball from the wideout.
Alexander's reaction to Noel mimimicking Lewis is warranted and properly illustrates the current state of affairs and exasperation in Baltimore. Yet, more notably, the Texans riding high enough to have fun with the Ravens icon's patented pre-game routine reflects poorly on Harbaugh.
Life comes at you fast, and the NFL is no exception. Baltimore entered the 2025 campaign as legitimate Super Bowl contenders with arguably the best roster in football. Less than a month later, Noel and the Texans push them toward an existential crisis.
Harbaugh is the 15th-winningest coach in league history and two victories away from moving up to No. 13 on the list. The Ravens have only finished below .500 in two of his first 17 years at the helm. He's guided the franchise to one of its two titles.
Baltimore has found ways to overcome less-than-ideal situations in the past under Harbaugh. The club is consistently highly competitive, thanks in large part to their sideline general. Nevertheless, getting rolled over by an unintimidating but respectable Texans squad shows the Ravens are sinking to new depths in real time.