After winning five straight and forcing their way back into the AFC playoff picture, the Baltimore Ravens have fallen flat. They are now on a two-game losing streak. Despite holding all the momentum entering Week 13, they lost back-to-back matchups against AFC North rivals.
This week, though, they have a golden opportunity to re-shift that momentum. To control their own destiny, they must win four straight to close out the regular season. It all starts in Week 15 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
To construct another late-season turnaround, though, Baltimore will need the offense to break out. The defense has done the dirty work and has become a strong enough unit to contend each week. However, the offense has been tough to watch. With a tough stretch ahead, the offense needs to morph itself back into that fearsome group that wreaked havoc early in the year.
Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken knows the offense needs to regain its footing fast. One aspect that has been missing in 2025 is the usage of Lamar Jackson as a true dual-threat quarterback. Injuries have hampered him for much of the year, but with him looking healthier, it sounds like Monken is leaning towards unleashing Jackson more as a runner in the coming games.
“As [Jackson] continues being able to practice and to get out there, certainly we’d love for [QB runs] to be a part of what we do,” Monken said. “That has been a weapon for him and us. It’s a superpower that he has. It’s certainly been a part of our game plan, and it needs to going forward.”
Ravens set to unleash Lamar Jackson
Jackson is still making plays on the ground this year. He has logged six or more rush attempts in three of his six games since returning, and at least four in every game during that stretch. But most of those have come as a result of the offensive line collapsing, and Jackson having to scramble to evade pressure.
Baltimore has not had much of a reason to let Jackson loose on the ground either. He has been far from 100 percent in 2025, and when he does look to do damage as a runner, his elusiveness is not showing up. He finally looked healthy in the team’s Week 14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, though, which could spell good news moving forward.
Jackson had seven carries for 43 yards and a touchdown last Sunday. His six-yard touchdown run in the second quarter was his second rushing touchdown of the year, and his first since Baltimore’s Week 1 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
In practice leading up to the team’s matchup with the Bengals on Sunday, Jackson missed Wednesday’s activities, but that was labeled a rest day. He was a full participant on Thursday and Friday. If his health continues to trend in the right direction, as it seems, Monken must let Jackson take over the game with his legs. The entire offense needs life, and Jackson should be able to provide it.