Jesse Minter Admits That Ravens Have A Mental Problem

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Jesse Minter Admits That Ravens Have A Mental Problem

Wesley Dixon

Mon, October 26, 2026 at 4:25 PM UTC ·

4 min read

Consistently Inconsistent

Oct 25, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens head coach Jesse Minter reacts during the second quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

In all three of Baltimore's losses this season, you could say the same exact thing about why they lost in a general sense. They held a lead at halftime, then came out of the locker room flat and fell apart, allowing a team they could have beaten to come back and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Against the Saints, they led 14-6 at halftime, only to be outscored 18-3 in the second half, including 15 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. Against the Browns, they led 10-0 and never scored again, allowing Cleveland to mount a comeback after looking lethargic offensively throughout the first two quarters. Then, against the Bengals, they led 13-0 going into the locker room before getting completely outclassed in the second half, failing to score a single point while surrendering four passing touchdowns after dominating the first two quarters.

Minter's words were not a spur-of-the-moment reaction after a tough loss. Baltimore's inability to close out games has become a trend, but why does this consistently happen? For one, there is a clear decline in offensive execution once opponents begin fighting back. Against Cincinnati, Huntley was getting the ball to his playmakers, Flowers was consistently getting open, and the Ravens dominated time of possession while the Bengals' offense could only sit and watch.

Then the second half came along, and the Ravens looked like a completely different team. Huntley struggled to sustain drives, Henry continued getting stuffed, and the defense looked nearly nonexistent at times, missing tackles and giving up massive chunk plays to Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

But this cannot all be attributed to mentality and momentum. At the end of the day, Baltimore has repeatedly failed to execute, giving opposing teams opportunities to capitalize. After the Bengals scored their first touchdown, the Ravens failed to respond in any meaningful way, going three-and-out following a short completion to Justice Hill, a negative Derrick Henry run, and Huntley getting sacked on third down.

A 31-yard punt return gave Cincinnati excellent field position, and it only took six plays for the Bengals to score again, as Tee Higgins broke open on a crossing route for a 13-yard touchdown to give Cincinnati the lead.

When the Ravens fail, they tend to do so in spectacular fashion. When they succeed, though, they look unstoppable. This seems to be less of a problem with a lack of talent or technical ability and more about letting the happenings of a game determine their response. The game was still winnable after the Bengals scored their second touchdown, but Baltimore struggled to finish drives while Cincinnati went up and down the field seemingly at will. One team responded to adversity, while the other crumbled and let one mistake turn into several.

It is hard to play psychologist as a sportswriter, but the way Baltimore has repeatedly shut down in the second half cannot be attributed to bad execution alone. It is a huge reason, but another factor could be the team seemingly losing its composure when it no longer has a firm grasp on the game. If Baltimore has any intention of going far as a unit, it needs to be able to respond in these moments instead of letting the game get away.

This story was originally published by Athlon on Oct 26, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.