Sportsnaut
An already ugly situation got even uglier on Sunday as the Baltimore Ravens allowed 44 points to a Houston Texans team that ranked 29th in scoring. Baltimore had already come into the game allowing the NFL’s most points, but now they’re on track to surpass last year’s Carolina Panthers, who set a new record for allowing more points than any other team.
Needless to say, Baltimore’s defense, which is now allowing a college football-like 35.4 points per game, is not meeting the standard. Last season, we saw first-year defensive coordinator Zach Orr in his first year on the job. While he’s been doing the job for over a year now, he clearly still has a few things to work out.
After another ugly defensive effort that dropped the Ravens to 1-4, Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh had no choice but to address the status of their coaching staff. Some are calling for Orr to be fired or demoted. But Harbaugh isn’t having any thoughts of moving on from Orr.
Here’s what Harbaugh said after the Ravens’ loss to Houston on Sunday.
Orr, 33, is only in his second season as the Ravens’ defensive coordinator. While he’s short on playcalling experience, he’s been a coach since 2017, when the Ravens gave him an opportunity as a defensive analyst after his playing career ended early due to a spinal condition.
Plus, the bigger factor at play here is the long list of injuries the Ravens have dealt with. Sunday’s inactive list looked like a Pro Bowl roster, with Kyle Hamilton and Roquan Smith ruled out due to injury, in addition to Nnamdi Madubuike’s season-ending surgery. Until the Ravens’ defense can get healthy again, it’s probably too early to consider any coaching changes, especially considering Orr helped Baltimore rank ninth in points allowed in 2024.
Injuries or not, the Ravens’ defense is atrocious right now. Whether the Los Angeles Rams can take advantage like Houston and other teams have remains to be seen.
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