Ravens Report Card: Lamar Jackson’s injury doesn’t create a big enough grading curve to excuse Baltimore’s dreadful start to 2025

Let’s take a look at how the Ravens have graded out after the first six weeks of the season.

Kyle Crabbs — NFL National Writer

Oct 14, 2025 2:02 PM EDT

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) prior to the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium. — Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

We’ve made it one-third of the way to the end of the regular season.

It feels like just yesterday that the Baltimore Ravens were on the brink of a season-opening revenge win against the Buffalo Bills. My, my. How the tables have turned. What has ultimately become a disaster season for the Baltimore Ravens thus far has seen a little bit of everything. Late game collapses, woeful defensive performances, poor ball security from Derrick Henry, a Lamar Jackson injury — you name it.

How does it all grade out? Which players are (and aren’t) delivering? Here’s my one-third season report card for the 2025 Baltimore Ravens.

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson© Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

Offensive superlatives

MVP: QB Lamar Jackson

10 touchdown passes to one interception Poor interior offensive line play in front of him. A passer rating of 130.5. All these marks are great for Lamar. But there is no better argument for an MVP award than to see what the team looks like without him.

…you watch Baltimore’s offense the last two weeks?

Glue guy: RB Derrick Henry

Derrick Henry got rolling in Week 6 just in time to put off major concerns about his declining numbers from last year. The fumbles were a disappointing start to the season. But Henry’s still a mauling back and leads this team in yards from scrimmage while still averaging five yards per carry. And these are the “down” numbers.

Biggest surprise: TE Isaiah Likely

Likely missed the first three games while recovering from a training camp foot injury. But he’s got 18 receiving yards this season after being tabbed as a potential All-Pro by John Harbaugh this past offseason. Yes, he’s played with backup quarterback play for much of his 2025 playing time. But 18 yards and six yards a catch?

Isn’t the saying that the tight end is a quarterback’s best friend?

Biggest disappointment: The pass protection issues

Lamar is getting sacked on over 13.5% of his drop backs this season. The backups have taken five sacks (including four for Snoop Huntley). Veteran lineman Joe Noteboom has been leaky in limited playing time but he’s joined by Roger Rosengarten and Tyler Linderbaum as blockers who have given up at least a dozen pressures through six games.

Turning point of the last six weeks: Derrick Henry’s fumble against Detroit

Henry fumbled with 8:31 left in the fourth quarter and the 1-1 Ravens trailing Detroit by four points. The fumble, which came on the first play of the possession, set up the Lions to go up a full touchdown. Baltimore’s ensuing possession was three straight passes and a punt — before Detroit blew the game open. The Ravens would not call another designed run and the rest of the way and fell to 1-2 before the wheels fell off the bus with Lamar’s injury the following week.

Overall Grade: B (with Lamar Jackson). Points haven’t been the problem. The two-time NFL MVP is expected back after the bye, at which point the Ravens should be expected to continue to put points up on the board in bunches.

Nov 7, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton (14) reacts after tips a Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) pass during the first quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. © Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Defensive superlatives

MVP: SAF Kyle Hamilton

Mr. ‘Do Everything’ continues to need to do everything for Baltimore. Hamilton is playing all over the place and grading as an elite coverage player with reliable tackling — he’s credited with a 5% missed tackle rate thus far this season despite all the work played in space. Baltimore is hoping that new faces in the safety room will allow Hamilton to continue to wear his superhero cape and cover up issues elsewhere on defense.

Glue guy: CB Nate Wiggins

Wiggins has been Baltimore’s best coverage player. He’s allowing a passer rating below 70 in coverage this season and has logged the team’s only interception through six games. Wiggins is a young spark plug at cornerback and, in a unit with a bunch of guys who haven’t delivered, he’s been as advertised.

Biggest surprise: CB Marlon Humphrey’s regression

Humphrey was aging like fine wine in 2024. He posted 6 interceptions and 15 passes defensed last season. He’s aging like milk in 2025. The ball production is way down, whereas his current passer rating allowed would be a career-worst by over 10 points.

Biggest disappointment: The pass rush

The three players with the most pressures for Baltimore this season are currently out of the picture. Odafe Oweh (12 pressures) got traded to the Chargers. Nnamdi Madubuike (10 pressures) is out for the season after just over 100 snaps played. And Tavius Robinson (9 pressures) just broke his foot and will miss up to two months.

Yikes. It’s time for veteran Kyle Van Noy and rookie Mike Green to show up in a big way — this team was supposed to have reliable top-end talent and depth.

Turning point of the last six weeks: Josh Allen’s decimation of the secondary in the fourth quarter of Week 1

This is not a typo. Josh Allen threw for 251 yards against the Ravens in the fourth quarter of Week 1. It’s been all downhill from there with the exception of a strong showing against the Cleveland Browns in Week 2. Baltimore is dead last in points allowed defensively through six weeks.

Overall Grade: F. We’re talking about some all-time franchise bad numbers thus far in 2025. You don’t get a pass for that, even with the context of injuries to major players like Van Noy, Madubuike, Roquan Smith, and others.

Sep 22, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (0) rushes the ball past Baltimore Ravens linebacker Mike Green (45) during the first half at M&T Bank Stadium.

2025 draft class superlatives

Overachiever: LB Teddye Buchanan

Buchanan has assumed a starting spot in Baltimore’s front seven despite the presence of Trenton Simpson ahead of him entering into the season. Getting a rookie starter in the fourth round of any NFL Draft would be well-classified as an “overachiever”.

Rookie we need to see more from: EDGE Mike Green

The injuries to Adisa Isaac and Tavius Robinson, plus the trade of Odafe Oweh, make Green a pivotal piece of the puzzle this season. He’s got to find more consistency as a pass rusher and he’s got to help breathe life into a pass rush that’s been among the worst in football through six weeks.

Underachiever: SAF Malaki Starks

I want to be fair to Starks. He’ll be fine. But he was drafted as a darling value pick who just so happened to align with a need for Baltimore and the team happily gobbled him up. The impact play hasn’t been there, even if the volume has been. He has billed ahead of time as a needle mover in 2025 — which he has not been (yet).

Overall Grade: C+. Tyler Loop is a starter, joining Buchanan, Green, and Starks. These guys are collecting valuable experience and logging a ton of snaps but for this grade to get a bump, they’ll need to start their inevitable ascent by making more plays and helping to stabilize the defense.

Oct 12, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh looks on during the second quarter of the game against the Los Angeles Rams at M&T Bank Stadium. Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

Coaching report card

Grade: D. John Harbaugh has been steady amid the storm. But Baltimore needs more than steady. Some of their issues land on health but the performance of defensive coordinator Zach Orr must go under the microscope and is worthy of some criticism. Harbaugh has backed him every step of the way.