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The Ravens Could Be Reaching A Crossroads In The Lamar Jackson Era
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- The Ravens Could Be Reaching A Crossroads In The Lamar Jackson Era
After their heartbreaking loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last season, the Baltimore Ravens made massive changes. They fired their longtime coach, John Harbaugh, hired new offensive and defensive coordinators, and signed Trey Hendrickson to a long-term deal in hopes of becoming serious contenders.
Now that we're nearly halfway through the season, those visions of grandeur seem to be wishful thinking at best. Baltimore is 4-4, last in the AFC North, has lost three straight games, and its franchise quarterback is headed to injured reserve with a thumb injury shortly after returning from an ankle injury. The offense has sputtered while the defense has gotten picked apart in back-to-back weeks. It would take quite the turnaround for Baltimore to be in any meaningful position by the time Jackson returns. Enough has gone wrong to at least raise the question of whether the Lamar Jackson era in Baltimore is nearing its conclusion.
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A Worrying Skid
Nov 1, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) warms up before the game against the Buffalo Bills at New Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
The fact that the Ravens are losing without Jackson is not the main concern; it is the manner in which they are losing and how bad they have looked on both sides of the ball. Following their loss to Buffalo, Baltimore has now scored 13 or fewer points in three straight games. The defense has not backed them up either, surrendering 35 or more points in back-to-back weeks. The result has been a string of uncompetitive games rather than narrow losses that would leave fans thinking Jackson's absence was the only thing separating Baltimore from victory.
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The rushing attack has looked worse this season. Derrick Henry is still receiving a heavy workload, but his yards per carry have dropped to 4.0 this season after averaging 5.2 last year. The passing game without Jackson has also been uninspired. Declan Doyle has admittedly drawn up very good plays this season; however, with Tyler Huntley and a rookie Joe Fagnano taking snaps instead of Jackson, he is limited in terms of what he can call and expect his players to execute. The defense has been getting picked apart as of late, especially in the second half. Buffalo scored touchdowns on three of their first four possessions after coming out of the locker room and looked like the much better team on both sides of the ball. All of these problems have made one thing painfully clear: Baltimore is nowhere near good enough to compete with the NFL's better teams in its current state, especially without its franchise quarterback.
Jackson is still in his prime, and with his contract running through the 2027 season, the Ravens do not have the luxury of time. Expectations were set high for this group after overhauling their coaching staff, and so far, the results have been disappointing. This is not the first time this has happened either. Last season, Baltimore missed the playoffs entirely, and before that, endured several disappointing losses in the postseason. How many times is this team going to fail to meet expectations before something monumental changes? If this season comes and goes and nothing has come out of it other than this current core getting one year older, then it might be time to sound the alarm bells on the Lamar Jackson era in Baltimore.
It is fair to factor in Jackson dealing with injuries, but that does not change the fact that his contract is nearing its conclusion, and the team has looked dreadful without him. Jackson could factor these struggles into his decision to re-sign; he has expressed his love for the Ravens and the city of Baltimore multiple times, but he has also spoken about his desire to win. The Ravens still have the remainder of this season, the offseason, and next year to convince Jackson to sign an extension. However, with the team struggling and the number of franchises that would bend over backwards to have a quarterback of Jackson's caliber, Baltimore needs to turn things around, and they need to do it quickly.
This story was originally published by Athlon on Nov 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
