ClutchPoints
The Baltimore Ravens got off to a nightmarish 1-5 start to the season, and all hope was looking lost for one of the Super Bowl favorites coming into the season. Lamar Jackson and a number of key defensive players were injured, and the Ravens continued to free fall all the way to the bottom of the AFC North.
Fast-forward a few months, and things are looking much brighter in Baltimore. The Ravens have won five games in a row and are now tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the division lead. Jim Harbaugh’s group has gotten healthier and turned some things around on defense, spearheaded by the move to bring star safety Kyle Hamilton back in the box and into the nickel.
However, things haven’t always been as pretty on the offensive end. The lethal running game that the Ravens have become known for under Todd Monken has deteriorated, in part because Lamar Jackson has looked slowed by a number of injuries and Derrick Henry is a half-step slower than his prime self.
In Week 13, the Ravens will get a chance to right the ship on that side of the ball when they take on the Cincinnati Bengals, who currently have the worst defense in the NFL, on Thanksgiving night. Can they turn it around? If they can’t, what does it mean for their Super Bowl hopes?
Since Lamar Jackson became the full-time starter, the Ravens have consistently had one of the best offenses in the NFL. That has become especially true since Baltimore brought in Monken as its offensive coordinator, as he has been able to mesh the always-explosive running game with a well-designed passing game that maximizes Jackson’s strengths.
However, the Ravens’ offense has cratered in almost all areas in 2025. With the obvious caveat that Jackson has missed three games due to a hamstring injury, Baltimore currently ranks 19th in the NFL in EPA per play (minus-0.05) through 12 weeks. Here are the teams directly above the Ravens: the Houston Texans, Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants. That’s not exactly the company you expect the Ravens to be keeping on that side of the ball.
The Ravens have been the best rushing offense in the league during Jackson’s time as the starter, but they are just outside of the top 10 on a per-play basis this season. All of the explosive elements of this ground attack have disappeared; Henry isn’t as quick as he once was, the offensive line isn’t generating the lanes for him to get that elite straight-line speed going, and the quarterback run game has been nonexistent with Jackson’s injury issues.
Jackson missed three games with a hamstring injury, and it appears that has been affecting him in the four games since he returned as well. He isn’t as dynamic as a scrambler, is unable to extend plays like he usually is, and Monken is staying away from designed runs for him in key...
