September 28, 2025 • 28 mins
Team insiders Ryan Mink and Garrett Downing discuss the Ravens' lopsided 37-20 loss in Kansas City, run down the long injury list, why the offense sputtered, and what's next for the Ravens if they're going to dig out of a 1-3 hole.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome into the Lounge presented by DraftKings. I'm Ryan Mink
here with Garrett Downing following the Ravens lopsided loss to
the Kansas City Chiefs thirty seven to twenty. This was
a tough loss. The Ravens fall to one in three,
and this was one of the more lopsided Ravens losses
in recent history. It's their biggest blowout since a forty
(00:25):
one to seventeen loss to the Bengals in twenty twenty one,
the first time Lamar Jackson's lost by more than one
score since twenty twenty one. It's the first time they're
won in three since twenty fifteen. Not where you want
to be to begin this season, Garrett. We're gonna break
it all down for you and just kind of big picture.
Where do you feel like this team sits right now?
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Yeah, this team is at a bit of a crossroads.
I think they are really in a difficult situation sitting
at one to three, and the way that today's game went,
I think was surprising to a lot of people. Just
everyone knows the Ravens lost a tough game on Monday
Night Football to the Detroit Lions. Whether Lions really offensively,
were able to do what they wanted in that game,
(01:06):
and we're able to have a lot of success running
the ball and.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Just moved the football.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
And so you felt like coming into this game in
a really important game for both teams, both the Ravens
and the Chiefs came into this one at one and two.
The Ravens of the Chiefs have played plenty of big
games over the years, and they've all been tight. They've
all been games that often come down to the wire,
and it felt like this one would be in that arena.
To me, it felt like this was a game that like, hey,
(01:30):
the Ravens are their backs are against the wall, the
Chiefs backs are against the wall, and both these teams
are to come out and one of them is going
to be the victor, but it's going to be a
close game. And so to see it go in the
way that it did was surprising. Of course, injuries were
a massive piece of the equation. We're going to talk
through all of that, but just like big picture wise,
this was not the showing that I think a lot
(01:50):
of Ravens fans expected from this team, and they're now
at a really difficult spot where they're at one and three.
They're looking up at the Steelers in the af North standings,
but really beyond the standings, this is a team that
has a lot of things to fix, and they also
have a lot of injuries that have not piled up.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
I mean. John Harwall said he's concerned but not overwhelmed
by the one in three start, and was pretty frank
about the Ravens getting beat offensively, defensively, on special teams,
coaching players. They got beat across the board, and like
you said, these are two teams that have locked horns
and are two of the AFC's elite teams. Right now,
(02:29):
the Ravens aren't in that conversation. They're not playing good football.
John Harwall said, We're just not a good football team. Yet.
There's still a long way to go in this season,
and I do think that the Ravens are are going
to rebound and go on a little bit of a
run here at some point this season. We have to
get through these injuries. Lamar Jackson needs to be healthy
(02:51):
to be part of that, but I think that's around
the corner. But right now, right now, this team just
needs to get a whole lot better both sides of
the ball. Specifically obviously defense. This isn't a Ravens defense
right now. It's not. It doesn't resemble any Ravens defense
in recent memory. I guess last season started out pretty
(03:11):
rough too.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
It did it? Did you know? This one?
Speaker 2 (03:16):
This one to me and like you look at it
in thirty seven points and the defense, I mean, by
the end of this thing, I know we're going to
talk to the specifics on the injuries that by the
end of this thing, it was a much different unit
on the field than we expected it.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
It was a mass unit out there, it was.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
But like the offense today, like this was not a
situation I think when you compare it to like the
Lions game where you look at it and you're like,
hey man, the offense is moving the ball, put up
a bunch of points.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
Like the Ravens got beat on both sides of the football.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
They put up twenty points, but the last Justice Hill
touchdown was in garbage time. Like, the Chiefs controlled this
game on both sides of the ball, and so the
Ravens have plenty of things to figure out as they
look at this game, like, I don't think this is
a situation where it's just like all right, The defense
just needs to get better, you know. And I think
that there's everyone as they're looking through this game, is
(04:08):
I think taking a hard look at the mirror individually
where they can improve to try to get this thing
back on track.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Well, honestly, you're in a big hole and it could
get worse before it gets better. Considering Lamar Jackson left
with a hamstring injury, and you look on the schedule
and oh, you've been through a really brutal four game gauntlet.
We still have the Texans and then the Rams, both
games in Baltimore, but those are two talented teams too,
(04:35):
And so you know, it's beyond Lamar, just the sheer
number of injuries. I feel like you want to run
through the list here. Sure, let's go through the list.
Ten Ravens starters currently dealing with injuries. Lamar Jackson with
(04:55):
his hamstring, Ronnie Stanley with an ankle. Ronnie did start
the game after one limited practice this week, but seemed
like he was in too much pain to continue left
early on. Was replaced by Joe Noteboom. Fullback Patrick Ricard
hasn't played all season. Defensive tackle Nondi Mattabike and Broderick
Washington both put on Ir Madabek with a neck injury,
(05:18):
Broderick with an ankle. Travis Jones, the third starting defensive lineman,
did not play because of a knee injury. He practiced
twice this week limited but was not able to play.
So the entire Ravens starting defensive line was out for
this game. Kyle van Noy missed his second straight game,
and then during the game defensively, Rokwan Smith left the
(05:42):
game with a hamstring injury, Marlon Humphrey left the game
with a calf calf, thank you, And Nate Wiggins left
with an elbow. So that's a lot of very good
players that were not on the field for the Ravens today.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
Look, Marlon Humphrey, Roquan Smith, Nomine Matabik, I mean you
got like three hundred million dollars in player contracts and
those three guys right there, like those are those are
three stalwarts on this defense and so not having them
on the field like for the majority of this game
at a BIK not at all, Like that's significant. That
that's a that's a major blow. And I don't think
(06:20):
that that can like be overlooked as you're talking about
like what went wrong in this game, Like.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
That is a real factor. But I also don't think that.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
I this is a situation where you just are like, hey,
it's injuries, nothing you can do. I think that, like,
even before Roquan and Marlon went down, the Chiefs were
moving the football and putting up points. I mean, on
the play where Marlon got hurt, it was a touchdown
right between him and Roquan Smith. They too, they kind
of collided on that play. Then Marlin didn't come in
the rest of the game. So like, even when they
(06:50):
were on the field, the Chiefs were able to have success.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Yeah, I mean, I don't you oftentimes here with injuries,
Well that's just an excuse. No, it actually matters, you know,
when you don't have very good players. But the fact
of the matter is this Ravens defense hasn't been good
enough all season. This makes it even harder. It made
it harder against the Chiefs, but the Ravens defense hasn't
(07:15):
been playing well all year long so far, and depending
on how long these guys are out, it makes the
job of digging out of this hole and fixing these
mistakes that much harder. We all say, coming into the year,
look This is maybe the most talented roster in the NFL,
maybe the deepest roster. When you get tested to this amount,
(07:40):
no team can withstand this, No team. I mean, the
Ravens just signed Josh Tupa to their practice squad and
he was playing. I mean, cj Okoye played his first
NFL game ever after spending two years on the Chargers
practice squad. He's an international player from Nigeria, forcing the action.
And so no team can withstand this amount of injuries.
(08:04):
But nobody's crying for the Chiefs. Aren't crying for the Ravens.
They don't. They don't feel bad about it. Nobody's gonna
feel bad about it. You gotta play well despite it.
And the Ravens didn't. They did not play well despite
those injuries.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Yeah, yeah, I mean I think that. Yeah, I mean
I agree with that. And and again, like some of
these injuries occurred during the game, uh specifically rokwond Marlin
and then Nate Wiggins late, but even before those guys
went down, the Chiefs were still able to move the
ball and like like moving forward as you as you
(08:42):
kind of roll this thing forward, Like we don't know,
just from an update standpoint, there were no updates after
the game from John Horrible about the severity of the injuries.
So we don't know when these guys are going to
be back on the field.
Speaker 1 (08:55):
As you said, none of them were season ending, none
of them today.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
Yeah, but does that mean that Lamar Jackson's gonna play
next week? Does that mean Rookwan Sveeth's gonna play next week? Like,
it's hard, it's hard to know, And hamstring injuries can
be tricky, Calf injuries can be tricky, which is Marlin
what Marlin's dealing with. So like, we just don't know
when these guys are gonna be back on the field.
Not gonna speculate on that. But my point is if
(09:21):
for however long they're out, if they miss any time,
Like the game is gonna kick off at one o'clock
next week against the Texans, and the Texans aren't gonna
feel badly about the Ravens situation, and so they are
aware of that, Like they're just gonna they have to
figure out what they can do with the players who
they have in place to to to win games and
to piece it together even if the stars aren't on
(09:43):
the field. And that's like the tough reality that this
team is in right now.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Yeah, I think the tough reality is I said this
to a number of people coming into the year, I said,
as long as the Ravens stay healthy, they're gonna make
a serious run towards the super Bowl. Like that's how
good this I felt about this roster. And obviously they're
not healthy, so it's gonna be really really challenging from
this point on, depending on how long these guys are out.
(10:10):
But I'm also from what I've seen on the field
before these guys went down, like and in this game,
before they went down, they had a long way to
go just to improve as a team, to be honest,
And so I think that there's a lot of things
to clean up, and it's you know, whether it's small
things or big things or whatnot. You know, I know
(10:31):
that Kyle Hamilton said, you got to focus on the
little things, like he doesn't feel like they're playing that bad,
but the little things they're not doing right. Really, what
I see when I watch this game is I see
them this defense doesn't cause turnovers, they're not getting takeaways,
they're not putting pressure on quarterbacks, and they're not really
fooling people I mean, Patrick Mahomes threw four touchdown passes
(10:51):
for the first time since twenty twenty three, and he
did a lot of his damage on quick passes. That's
part of the reason why they're not affecting the quarterback
is because they're getting the ball out of their hands quickly.
I don't know if that's because they're able to read
what the defense is bringing they're not, they're not disguising well,
or they're not challenging receivers enough to make it contested
(11:13):
quick throws. I'm not sure, but there's there's they need
answers for sure. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
And look the Chiefs, they're They've gone to two straight
Super Bowls and Patrick Mahomes and they still got Patrick Mahomes,
Andy Reid, Travis Kelce.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
They looked like the Chiefs that went to the Super Bowl.
They did not look like the Chiefs that had struggled
for their first three games.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
Yeah, A big, a big piece for them was getting
Xavier Worthy back into the equation. He made an impact today,
had five catches for eighty three yards, also had two
carries with thirty eight yards. He just kind of stretched
out the defense with his speed and and and his
impact was felt in this game, but like they just
they looked like the team that's been one of the
best offenses throughout Mahomes career. Like that's they were able
(11:56):
to move the ball that effectively, and they didn't punt
until late in the late in the game, really late
in the game. And so, you know, I don't think
it's all just a savior worthy thing getting him back
in the lineup. But I think that like they had,
they had a good strategy and approach coming into this game,
and they executed it really well. After the game, Hamilton,
you know, he did talk on podium, you know, and Hamilton,
(12:19):
I give him a lot of credit.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
Like he's he's a leader of this team.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
Signed the big contract before the season, and he's somebody
that a lot of guys look to on this team,
and he plays hard and he takes accountability, and so
I give him a lot of credit. And he did
talk with the media after the game, and here's what
he had to.
Speaker 4 (12:36):
Say, apologize to the fans. Just the product that we're
putting on the field right now is not up to
par with what the Ravens have been in the past
and have been the recent past. And I think we
know that we're trying our best to correct it, but
obviously something's wrong, so it'spt all of us to try
to fix that. Also, I feel like earlier in the
(13:00):
week I used poor choice of words just saying that
Ravens fans were spoiled the track that I meant in
a sense that Raves fans have been accustomed to great defense,
great teams. Haven't been a lot of teams in Ravens
history since ninety six to have underachieved to the point
(13:20):
where fans felt disappointed in the season as a whole.
And I feel like as of right now in Week four,
obviously long way to go in this season, but you know,
we're disappointed. I'm sure the fans are disappointed too, So
we gotta get it fixed. We gotta put a product
and a team on the field that fans are proud
(13:40):
to say they root for, proud to say they spend
money on tickets to come to the games and all
that stuff and support us. On a brighter note, I
want to shout out to everybody who contributed today, specifically
on the defensive side.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
C J.
Speaker 4 (13:54):
Coya, I think it was his first game ever in NFL,
did a great job. Josh two po just signed here
this week, was playing for US. Brent Urban got elevateds
playing for US. Mike Green's rookie out there playing who
knows how many snaps. Tavius Robinson's third year guy, but
it seems like he's been here for ten years. Jake Commel,
Teddy Buchannan, TJ Tampa Malakai key On Martin, undrafted guy
(14:18):
makes the team. He's out there playing three quarters the
game against the three time Super Bowl champions in the
past hover of the year. So shout out to those
guys for what they did today. The whole game obviously
didn't go how we wanted it to, but I think
that's kind of a silver line to take from it.
You know, it's a top down in the organization. Guys
just working hard. So we gotta get a fix. We
know that we'll do it.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
So look, you can hear in Kyle, like you know,
he understands the situation like not running from it, not
hiding from it, and knows that.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
Like this group has to get better.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
And as he as he talked about like there is
a standard that's in place, you know, and has been
for a long time, and he he knows that this
team needs to play better to get to that standard,
to get to the level that I think we all
felt like coming into the season that they were capable
of playing at. And now it's a matter of, you know,
(15:12):
dealing with the injuries, but even injuries aside just playing
at a higher level.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
I mean, I think you can certainly look at it.
And when the Ravens schedule came out, you were like,
this is going to be a tough start, this is
this is challenging, right, I mean, like you said, let's
not forget that the Chiefs have been to how many
Super Bowls in recent years? They were in last year's
Super Bowl, right, and you're in their place, a place
that the Ravens really have not They haven't won in
(15:40):
the Lamar Jackson era.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
Yeah, it's been since twenty twelve since the Ravens won
and aarrawhead exactly.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
And so you know, the Buffalo Bills on the road
week one, Right, you have a really really good Detroit
Lions team come to your place. Like it's been it's
been tough, But we all thought coming into the year
that the Ravens were one of those teams, like they're
in that elite company and and specifically the past two weeks.
(16:08):
You know, the Buffalo game, Ravens should have won that game,
but the past two losses to Detroit in this Kansas
City Chiefs team, really say and today injuries obviously a
major factor, Like they're they're not in that elite company
yet not this season. You know that you come into
it and you're like, you got to win some of
(16:28):
those games you lost all three?
Speaker 2 (16:31):
Yeah, yeah, that that like, yes, you're you're you're one
hundred percent right, Like tough schedule to open the season.
I'm not gonna overlook that, Like this is a tough sled.
And if if we if you go through and you
do the game at the beginning of the year, you
might be looking at that and saying, like, all right,
you might be you might be two and two. Like
if you're just looking at it objectively and like, hey,
if you split there, well, the Ravens are not one
to three. So even if you're looking at it and
(16:51):
you're saying, you know you might split, you might split
that first four. Now you still got to climb out
of that hole. But even that aside, like you just
need to to They're they're play the last two games
to me, really stand out because Detroit and Kansas City
just beat the Ravens, and that's not something we've seen exactly.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
It's the way in which you lost those games. It's
not just that you lost, right, I mean, this is
one of the most lopsided losses in Ravens' recent history.
Speaker 3 (17:19):
Right, we're just not used to seeing that.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
Like since Lamar Jackson has been here, since this team
has been in place, and like John Harborough's been here,
like these teams don't the Ravens have not been a
team that that gets blown out often and has you know,
the backups in the game of the fourth quarter. Usually
the Ravens are on the other side of that far
more often than they are this situation that they were today.
So in that regard, like it's kind of uncharted territory.
(17:42):
We're just not used to seeing that with this team.
And that's why I think it's you know, at a
point where this team, you know obviously that they're they're
looking hard at what they can do to improve it.
But it's definitely a tough situation for this group early
in the season.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
All Right, Well, let's take a break when we come back,
going to talk about the offense and it was not
a good offensive day either. We have a lot to
break down on that side of the ball.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
You're listening to the Latch podcast. We're coming to you
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crown is yours. So the offense opens this game and
you feel like, all right, here we go. They march
down the field, score a touchdown on the opening drive
and it was like this this group is ready to
put up a big day. And honestly, that's where the
(18:27):
fun ended. After that opening drive. It was a much
different situation the rest of the game. And you know
it just you look at the final numbers for this
team again. Lamar Jackson ends up leaving early with a
hamstring injury. He's fourteen to twenty one hundred and forty
seven yards touchdown in an interception. Derrick Henry eight carries
(18:47):
for forty two yards. Justice Hill had the best stats
two touchdowns, also have three carries seventy six yards touchdown
through the air and on the ground. Got the late
touchdown a seventy one yard run late, but you know,
there wasn't much to really celebrate with the offense to
go along with everything we already said about the defense.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
I mean, it was shocking to me how quickly it
came unraveled. You're the first drive was awesome, and then
you're driving on the on the second one, you're at
the KC thirty two yard line. You're you're in position,
it looks like you're gonna score again. And the interception
just totally threw this offense off track. And Lamar Jackson
(19:32):
fading away from pressure on first down and he basically
threw a jump a fifty to fifty ball to Mark
Andrews that was picked off, and you know, not a
good throw by Lamar, just kind of ill advised. The blocking.
You know, Lamar was scrambling from pressure seemingly the whole game.
(19:53):
And and but the the you know that's coming. You know,
Steve Spagnola is gonna gonna bring a lot of pressure.
That's what they always do, right And now maybe they
weren't expecting exactly on first down on that play and
didn't have the answer. But like you know, going in
against the Chiefs, you have to have answers for pressure
and if you don't, you're gonna get run off the field. Yeah,
(20:16):
and the Ravens too often didn't. But I mean after
the interception, just then next drive, two delay of game
penalties totally uncharacteristic, uh, and then an intentional grounding when
again Lamar's running, running, running, running backwards, backwards, backwards, and
just you know, dumps up, gets rid of the ball.
Essional grounding right doom that drive turnover on downs. On
(20:38):
the third drive after the touchdown, which again there the
Ravens go for it at their own forty one on
fourth down, which really speaks to at the time it
was a one score game, it was thirteen to seven,
and and going for it, which really speaks to they
John Harbll was pretty confident this. They weren't to get
(21:00):
many stops, not with this decimated defense, and they had
to go for it. Don't get it again, not a
play that really didn't even come close. And then on
the next drive Lamar fumbles and it was pretty much.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
Fun right, Yeah, it got it got out of hand quickly,
like now you went into half and it was a
ten point game. Honestly, the Chiefs missed a long field
goal and the Ravens like they get the ball and
they're able to turn that into points, which was which
was a nice kind of a nice yeah series there
for them to be able to get points out of that.
So you go in a half and it's twenty to ten.
(21:36):
You're like, okay, maybe if they can figure things out.
But then the Chiefs get the ball coming out of
half and it's it's the quick touchdown, and it's now
a seventeen point game. And at that point it kind
of just based on how that game the game had
gone at that point, like it wasn't insurmountable, but it
felt steep.
Speaker 3 (21:53):
It just felt that way, and and so like then
at that point, the run game.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
And this is something Tony Romo was harping on throughout
the game, like getting the ball to Derrick Henry at
that point after that touchdown, Like it's really hard to
try to just commit to the run. Like the Ravens
are down seventeen at that point. They did come out
running initially, but it's hard when you're in a three
(22:23):
score hole in the second half to really commit to
the ground game. And I do think there will probably
be some conversation around that this week, and just in
terms of Henry's usage, he finishes the game again eight
carries for forty two yards. He averaged five point three
yards of carry. Also was involved in the passing game
two catches for sixteen yards.
Speaker 3 (22:41):
There he could have.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
Been more involved earlier in this game. I think there's
no doubt about it. Take some of the pressure off
Lamar in this in the pass protection. I thought he
came out of the gates running the ball. Well, yeah,
I think he could have been more involved early in
this game. I think there's some short yard of situations
that you know, where Derrick Henry's not on the field
and you're wondering what why, you know, why isn't Derrick Henry.
And we've seen this before, Yeah, you know.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
I mean the two the two that that really stand out,
and I'm sure Tom Monkin's gonna be asked about it
this week. Was the fourth down play is fourth and
one and a half it kind of looked like and
he wasn't on the field. And then later in the
game it was third and one and he wasn't on
He was not on the field. Ravens ended up getting sacked,
settled for a field goal that was in the second
half on their opening drive of the second.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
Half, third and three to be accurate, but yes, and
then Lamars sacked for negative two yards and that was
that was Lamar's last play in the game.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
Yeah, so I think that like that will definitely be
something that I'm sure will be a talking point again
this week. And and the truth is, like when when
it was this the second half, Like, I don't that
the thing the thing that often happens whenever you have
a game like this where things get so out of
balance and it becomes like a pass heavy game where
you're trying to climb your way out of it and
it's like a runaway in the second half. The numbers
(23:53):
only get worse from like a usage standpoint and from
a from an involvement. But I do think early on
in the game he could be more involved, and I
think the Raves will look at that. I mean silver
lining note here is is obviously the fumbling was a
big talking point coming into this game. Derek talked all
week about how he was doing everything he could to
(24:14):
ensure that it didn't happen again. Notice he didn't have
the sleeves on that He's been wearing to typically wears.
That was you know, one difference, but he held onto
the ball, held it tight, and so I thought that
was a good sign. And certainly hope that that's you know,
that the fumbling issue is behind him moving forward.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
Yeah, definitely, Yeah, definitely hope for that. And I think
that certainly as we move forward, if Lamar Jackson is
going to miss any time, Derek Henry's going to see
the ball a lot. Cooper Rush came in and in relief,
it was not a particularly sharp outing from the backup quarterback.
I mean his first drive, Ravens went Ford on fourth
(24:51):
down and he threw the ball away seemingly, which you
know can't have can't happen. He went nine to thirteen
for fifty two yards, and so you know this, this
is part of the reason why the Ravens invested more
money than they typically do at backup quarterback is to
have a guy like Cooper Rush. And and you know,
(25:13):
obviously things change dramatically if Lamar Jackson is not on
the field. I mean, he's arguably the best player in
the NFL, So there's no real replacing in air quotes
Lamar Jackson. But you spend money on Cooper Rush because
you believe that you have a good enough team around
him to win even if Lamar is not on there,
and and that you just need adequate, you know, solid
(25:35):
play for your backup quarterback. So the Ravens will be
looking for that. But I mean, honestly, defensively, you got
a lot to clean up there. Like, if the Ravens
defense doesn't give up fewer points there, you're probably not
winning a lot of shootouts at this point. If Lamar
Jackson is not on the field.
Speaker 3 (25:53):
Right and and look, who knows.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
Hopefully he's back, I mean, like, uh, hopefully it's it's
not a situation that this hamstring injury is long term
by any stretch.
Speaker 3 (26:04):
You want it to be like no term.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
You hope that he's back on the field Sunday when
they're taking on the Texans, who got their first win
of the season, and the Texans have a really good defense.
You know, Texans have struggled a little bit this season,
but like their defense is legit. They can get after
the quarterback, they can cover, and so it's gonna be
tough sledding for the offense even if Lamar on the field.
Speaker 3 (26:23):
And so you want your team to be as close
to full strength in that game.
Speaker 2 (26:26):
And this is really like as as you look forward,
this is a game that the Ravens need to have
coming back home against an AFC opponent that's one and
three as well, you know, and the Texans are looking
at it like they got to climb out of their
own hole. So this is this is a really important
game and a bounce back opportunity for this team.
Speaker 3 (26:46):
But they've got to do it.
Speaker 2 (26:48):
And you know, it's still it's still very early in
the season. The Ravens can absolutely right the ship and
get things headed in the right direction here, but they
have to do it and and time will tell if
they're able to do that.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
They have to improve and they have to get healthier.
I think that you know, your two games behind in
the AFC North, and the AFC North is not decided
after four weeks, I can tell you that much, especially
this division this year, you know. I mean, the Cincinnati
Bengals are without Joe Burrow potentially for the rest of
the year. It's they got blown out in their first
game without them. We'll see what happens this week. The
Cleveland Browns are also one to three. The Ravens already
(27:24):
beat them the Steelers watching Steelers Football Day. You know,
I don't think they're an unbeatable team by any stretch.
And uh, and so I expect the Ravens are gonna
play tough games against them, but you got to get
better and you got to get healthier. That that's If
those two things don't happen, then no, it's gonna be
it's gonna be tough. But I think if those two
(27:45):
things can happen, the Ravens are gonna contend for the
AFC North titles still, which feels crazy to say it
one to three after a lopsided lost in Kansas City,
but I believe that.
Speaker 3 (27:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
So again, this team is gonna take a look at
where they can what they can do to improve and
really just uh, we'll do everything they can to get
things right. And you know, I think that they've got
the pieces to do it. And now it's just a
matter of making that happen. So tough loss for this team,
and again they'll be back. They'll be back in action
(28:16):
next Sunday one o'clock at home against the Houston Texans.
We'll continue breaking things down over the course of the
week head coach Sean Harbaugh has his regular press conference
on Monday, and then the team will be back on
the practice field Wednesday, so we'll have a chance to
hear from the guys and the big storyline. As we've
mentioned many times over the course of this week, it's
going to be quarterback Lamar Jackson and his health status,
(28:36):
along with several other key players on this team. Several
enough number yeah so whatever above, several yeah, A ton
a ton of guys. So as always, you can email
us at the lounge at Ravens dot nfl net. Thank
you so much for listening, and we will be back
with you again later this week.
Welcome into the Lounge presented by DraftKings. I'm Ryan Mink
here with Garrett Downing following the Ravens lopsided loss to
the Kansas City Chiefs thirty seven to twenty. This was
a tough loss. The Ravens fall to one in three,
and this was one of the more lopsided Ravens losses
in recent history. It's their biggest blowout since a forty
(00:25):
one to seventeen loss to the Bengals in twenty twenty one,
the first time Lamar Jackson's lost by more than one
score since twenty twenty one. It's the first time they're
won in three since twenty fifteen. Not where you want
to be to begin this season, Garrett. We're gonna break
it all down for you and just kind of big picture.
Where do you feel like this team sits right now?
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Yeah, this team is at a bit of a crossroads.
I think they are really in a difficult situation sitting
at one to three, and the way that today's game went,
I think was surprising to a lot of people. Just
everyone knows the Ravens lost a tough game on Monday
Night Football to the Detroit Lions. Whether Lions really offensively,
were able to do what they wanted in that game,
(01:06):
and we're able to have a lot of success running
the ball and.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Just moved the football.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
And so you felt like coming into this game in
a really important game for both teams, both the Ravens
and the Chiefs came into this one at one and two.
The Ravens of the Chiefs have played plenty of big
games over the years, and they've all been tight. They've
all been games that often come down to the wire,
and it felt like this one would be in that arena.
To me, it felt like this was a game that like, hey,
(01:30):
the Ravens are their backs are against the wall, the
Chiefs backs are against the wall, and both these teams
are to come out and one of them is going
to be the victor, but it's going to be a
close game. And so to see it go in the
way that it did was surprising. Of course, injuries were
a massive piece of the equation. We're going to talk
through all of that, but just like big picture wise,
this was not the showing that I think a lot
(01:50):
of Ravens fans expected from this team, and they're now
at a really difficult spot where they're at one and three.
They're looking up at the Steelers in the af North standings,
but really beyond the standings, this is a team that
has a lot of things to fix, and they also
have a lot of injuries that have not piled up.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
I mean. John Harwall said he's concerned but not overwhelmed
by the one in three start, and was pretty frank
about the Ravens getting beat offensively, defensively, on special teams,
coaching players. They got beat across the board, and like
you said, these are two teams that have locked horns
and are two of the AFC's elite teams. Right now,
(02:29):
the Ravens aren't in that conversation. They're not playing good football.
John Harwall said, We're just not a good football team. Yet.
There's still a long way to go in this season,
and I do think that the Ravens are are going
to rebound and go on a little bit of a
run here at some point this season. We have to
get through these injuries. Lamar Jackson needs to be healthy
(02:51):
to be part of that, but I think that's around
the corner. But right now, right now, this team just
needs to get a whole lot better both sides of
the ball. Specifically obviously defense. This isn't a Ravens defense
right now. It's not. It doesn't resemble any Ravens defense
in recent memory. I guess last season started out pretty
(03:11):
rough too.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
It did it? Did you know? This one?
Speaker 2 (03:16):
This one to me and like you look at it
in thirty seven points and the defense, I mean, by
the end of this thing, I know we're going to
talk to the specifics on the injuries that by the
end of this thing, it was a much different unit
on the field than we expected it.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
It was a mass unit out there, it was.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
But like the offense today, like this was not a
situation I think when you compare it to like the
Lions game where you look at it and you're like,
hey man, the offense is moving the ball, put up
a bunch of points.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
Like the Ravens got beat on both sides of the football.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
They put up twenty points, but the last Justice Hill
touchdown was in garbage time. Like, the Chiefs controlled this
game on both sides of the ball, and so the
Ravens have plenty of things to figure out as they
look at this game, like, I don't think this is
a situation where it's just like all right, The defense
just needs to get better, you know. And I think
that there's everyone as they're looking through this game, is
(04:08):
I think taking a hard look at the mirror individually
where they can improve to try to get this thing
back on track.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Well, honestly, you're in a big hole and it could
get worse before it gets better. Considering Lamar Jackson left
with a hamstring injury, and you look on the schedule
and oh, you've been through a really brutal four game gauntlet.
We still have the Texans and then the Rams, both
games in Baltimore, but those are two talented teams too,
(04:35):
And so you know, it's beyond Lamar, just the sheer
number of injuries. I feel like you want to run
through the list here. Sure, let's go through the list.
Ten Ravens starters currently dealing with injuries. Lamar Jackson with
(04:55):
his hamstring, Ronnie Stanley with an ankle. Ronnie did start
the game after one limited practice this week, but seemed
like he was in too much pain to continue left
early on. Was replaced by Joe Noteboom. Fullback Patrick Ricard
hasn't played all season. Defensive tackle Nondi Mattabike and Broderick
Washington both put on Ir Madabek with a neck injury,
(05:18):
Broderick with an ankle. Travis Jones, the third starting defensive lineman,
did not play because of a knee injury. He practiced
twice this week limited but was not able to play.
So the entire Ravens starting defensive line was out for
this game. Kyle van Noy missed his second straight game,
and then during the game defensively, Rokwan Smith left the
(05:42):
game with a hamstring injury, Marlon Humphrey left the game
with a calf calf, thank you, And Nate Wiggins left
with an elbow. So that's a lot of very good
players that were not on the field for the Ravens today.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
Look, Marlon Humphrey, Roquan Smith, Nomine Matabik, I mean you
got like three hundred million dollars in player contracts and
those three guys right there, like those are those are
three stalwarts on this defense and so not having them
on the field like for the majority of this game
at a BIK not at all, Like that's significant. That
that's a that's a major blow. And I don't think
(06:20):
that that can like be overlooked as you're talking about
like what went wrong in this game, Like.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
That is a real factor. But I also don't think that.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
I this is a situation where you just are like, hey,
it's injuries, nothing you can do. I think that, like,
even before Roquan and Marlon went down, the Chiefs were
moving the football and putting up points. I mean, on
the play where Marlon got hurt, it was a touchdown
right between him and Roquan Smith. They too, they kind
of collided on that play. Then Marlin didn't come in
the rest of the game. So like, even when they
(06:50):
were on the field, the Chiefs were able to have success.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Yeah, I mean, I don't you oftentimes here with injuries,
Well that's just an excuse. No, it actually matters, you know,
when you don't have very good players. But the fact
of the matter is this Ravens defense hasn't been good
enough all season. This makes it even harder. It made
it harder against the Chiefs, but the Ravens defense hasn't
(07:15):
been playing well all year long so far, and depending
on how long these guys are out, it makes the
job of digging out of this hole and fixing these
mistakes that much harder. We all say, coming into the year,
look This is maybe the most talented roster in the NFL,
maybe the deepest roster. When you get tested to this amount,
(07:40):
no team can withstand this, No team. I mean, the
Ravens just signed Josh Tupa to their practice squad and
he was playing. I mean, cj Okoye played his first
NFL game ever after spending two years on the Chargers
practice squad. He's an international player from Nigeria, forcing the action.
And so no team can withstand this amount of injuries.
(08:04):
But nobody's crying for the Chiefs. Aren't crying for the Ravens.
They don't. They don't feel bad about it. Nobody's gonna
feel bad about it. You gotta play well despite it.
And the Ravens didn't. They did not play well despite
those injuries.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Yeah, yeah, I mean I think that. Yeah, I mean
I agree with that. And and again, like some of
these injuries occurred during the game, uh specifically rokwond Marlin
and then Nate Wiggins late, but even before those guys
went down, the Chiefs were still able to move the
ball and like like moving forward as you as you
(08:42):
kind of roll this thing forward, Like we don't know,
just from an update standpoint, there were no updates after
the game from John Horrible about the severity of the injuries.
So we don't know when these guys are going to
be back on the field.
Speaker 1 (08:55):
As you said, none of them were season ending, none
of them today.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
Yeah, but does that mean that Lamar Jackson's gonna play
next week? Does that mean Rookwan Sveeth's gonna play next week? Like,
it's hard, it's hard to know, And hamstring injuries can
be tricky, Calf injuries can be tricky, which is Marlin
what Marlin's dealing with. So like, we just don't know
when these guys are gonna be back on the field.
Not gonna speculate on that. But my point is if
(09:21):
for however long they're out, if they miss any time,
Like the game is gonna kick off at one o'clock
next week against the Texans, and the Texans aren't gonna
feel badly about the Ravens situation, and so they are
aware of that, Like they're just gonna they have to
figure out what they can do with the players who
they have in place to to to win games and
to piece it together even if the stars aren't on
(09:43):
the field. And that's like the tough reality that this
team is in right now.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Yeah, I think the tough reality is I said this
to a number of people coming into the year, I said,
as long as the Ravens stay healthy, they're gonna make
a serious run towards the super Bowl. Like that's how
good this I felt about this roster. And obviously they're
not healthy, so it's gonna be really really challenging from
this point on, depending on how long these guys are out.
(10:10):
But I'm also from what I've seen on the field
before these guys went down, like and in this game,
before they went down, they had a long way to
go just to improve as a team, to be honest,
And so I think that there's a lot of things
to clean up, and it's you know, whether it's small
things or big things or whatnot. You know, I know
(10:31):
that Kyle Hamilton said, you got to focus on the
little things, like he doesn't feel like they're playing that bad,
but the little things they're not doing right. Really, what
I see when I watch this game is I see
them this defense doesn't cause turnovers, they're not getting takeaways,
they're not putting pressure on quarterbacks, and they're not really
fooling people I mean, Patrick Mahomes threw four touchdown passes
(10:51):
for the first time since twenty twenty three, and he
did a lot of his damage on quick passes. That's
part of the reason why they're not affecting the quarterback
is because they're getting the ball out of their hands quickly.
I don't know if that's because they're able to read
what the defense is bringing they're not, they're not disguising well,
or they're not challenging receivers enough to make it contested
(11:13):
quick throws. I'm not sure, but there's there's they need
answers for sure. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
And look the Chiefs, they're They've gone to two straight
Super Bowls and Patrick Mahomes and they still got Patrick Mahomes,
Andy Reid, Travis Kelce.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
They looked like the Chiefs that went to the Super Bowl.
They did not look like the Chiefs that had struggled
for their first three games.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
Yeah, A big, a big piece for them was getting
Xavier Worthy back into the equation. He made an impact today,
had five catches for eighty three yards, also had two
carries with thirty eight yards. He just kind of stretched
out the defense with his speed and and and his
impact was felt in this game, but like they just
they looked like the team that's been one of the
best offenses throughout Mahomes career. Like that's they were able
(11:56):
to move the ball that effectively, and they didn't punt
until late in the late in the game, really late
in the game. And so, you know, I don't think
it's all just a savior worthy thing getting him back
in the lineup. But I think that like they had,
they had a good strategy and approach coming into this game,
and they executed it really well. After the game, Hamilton,
you know, he did talk on podium, you know, and Hamilton,
(12:19):
I give him a lot of credit.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
Like he's he's a leader of this team.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
Signed the big contract before the season, and he's somebody
that a lot of guys look to on this team,
and he plays hard and he takes accountability, and so
I give him a lot of credit. And he did
talk with the media after the game, and here's what
he had to.
Speaker 4 (12:36):
Say, apologize to the fans. Just the product that we're
putting on the field right now is not up to
par with what the Ravens have been in the past
and have been the recent past. And I think we
know that we're trying our best to correct it, but
obviously something's wrong, so it'spt all of us to try
to fix that. Also, I feel like earlier in the
(13:00):
week I used poor choice of words just saying that
Ravens fans were spoiled the track that I meant in
a sense that Raves fans have been accustomed to great defense,
great teams. Haven't been a lot of teams in Ravens
history since ninety six to have underachieved to the point
(13:20):
where fans felt disappointed in the season as a whole.
And I feel like as of right now in Week four,
obviously long way to go in this season, but you know,
we're disappointed. I'm sure the fans are disappointed too, So
we gotta get it fixed. We gotta put a product
and a team on the field that fans are proud
(13:40):
to say they root for, proud to say they spend
money on tickets to come to the games and all
that stuff and support us. On a brighter note, I
want to shout out to everybody who contributed today, specifically
on the defensive side.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
C J.
Speaker 4 (13:54):
Coya, I think it was his first game ever in NFL,
did a great job. Josh two po just signed here
this week, was playing for US. Brent Urban got elevateds
playing for US. Mike Green's rookie out there playing who
knows how many snaps. Tavius Robinson's third year guy, but
it seems like he's been here for ten years. Jake Commel,
Teddy Buchannan, TJ Tampa Malakai key On Martin, undrafted guy
(14:18):
makes the team. He's out there playing three quarters the
game against the three time Super Bowl champions in the
past hover of the year. So shout out to those
guys for what they did today. The whole game obviously
didn't go how we wanted it to, but I think
that's kind of a silver line to take from it.
You know, it's a top down in the organization. Guys
just working hard. So we gotta get a fix. We
know that we'll do it.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
So look, you can hear in Kyle, like you know,
he understands the situation like not running from it, not
hiding from it, and knows that.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
Like this group has to get better.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
And as he as he talked about like there is
a standard that's in place, you know, and has been
for a long time, and he he knows that this
team needs to play better to get to that standard,
to get to the level that I think we all
felt like coming into the season that they were capable
of playing at. And now it's a matter of, you know,
(15:12):
dealing with the injuries, but even injuries aside just playing
at a higher level.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
I mean, I think you can certainly look at it.
And when the Ravens schedule came out, you were like,
this is going to be a tough start, this is
this is challenging, right, I mean, like you said, let's
not forget that the Chiefs have been to how many
Super Bowls in recent years? They were in last year's
Super Bowl, right, and you're in their place, a place
that the Ravens really have not They haven't won in
(15:40):
the Lamar Jackson era.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
Yeah, it's been since twenty twelve since the Ravens won
and aarrawhead exactly.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
And so you know, the Buffalo Bills on the road
week one, Right, you have a really really good Detroit
Lions team come to your place. Like it's been it's
been tough, But we all thought coming into the year
that the Ravens were one of those teams, like they're
in that elite company and and specifically the past two weeks.
(16:08):
You know, the Buffalo game, Ravens should have won that game,
but the past two losses to Detroit in this Kansas
City Chiefs team, really say and today injuries obviously a
major factor, Like they're they're not in that elite company
yet not this season. You know that you come into
it and you're like, you got to win some of
(16:28):
those games you lost all three?
Speaker 2 (16:31):
Yeah, yeah, that that like, yes, you're you're you're one
hundred percent right, Like tough schedule to open the season.
I'm not gonna overlook that, Like this is a tough sled.
And if if we if you go through and you
do the game at the beginning of the year, you
might be looking at that and saying, like, all right,
you might be you might be two and two. Like
if you're just looking at it objectively and like, hey,
if you split there, well, the Ravens are not one
to three. So even if you're looking at it and
(16:51):
you're saying, you know you might split, you might split
that first four. Now you still got to climb out
of that hole. But even that aside, like you just
need to to They're they're play the last two games
to me, really stand out because Detroit and Kansas City
just beat the Ravens, and that's not something we've seen exactly.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
It's the way in which you lost those games. It's
not just that you lost, right, I mean, this is
one of the most lopsided losses in Ravens' recent history.
Speaker 3 (17:19):
Right, we're just not used to seeing that.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
Like since Lamar Jackson has been here, since this team
has been in place, and like John Harborough's been here,
like these teams don't the Ravens have not been a
team that that gets blown out often and has you know,
the backups in the game of the fourth quarter. Usually
the Ravens are on the other side of that far
more often than they are this situation that they were today.
So in that regard, like it's kind of uncharted territory.
(17:42):
We're just not used to seeing that with this team.
And that's why I think it's you know, at a
point where this team, you know obviously that they're they're
looking hard at what they can do to improve it.
But it's definitely a tough situation for this group early
in the season.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
All Right, Well, let's take a break when we come back,
going to talk about the offense and it was not
a good offensive day either. We have a lot to
break down on that side of the ball.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
You're listening to the Latch podcast. We're coming to you
from the Seat Geek Studio. We want to mention our
partners at DraftKings Sportsbook. They are an official sports betting
partner of the Baltimore Ravens Draftking Sports Book with the
crown is yours. So the offense opens this game and
you feel like, all right, here we go. They march
down the field, score a touchdown on the opening drive
and it was like this this group is ready to
put up a big day. And honestly, that's where the
(18:27):
fun ended. After that opening drive. It was a much
different situation the rest of the game. And you know
it just you look at the final numbers for this
team again. Lamar Jackson ends up leaving early with a
hamstring injury. He's fourteen to twenty one hundred and forty
seven yards touchdown in an interception. Derrick Henry eight carries
(18:47):
for forty two yards. Justice Hill had the best stats
two touchdowns, also have three carries seventy six yards touchdown
through the air and on the ground. Got the late
touchdown a seventy one yard run late, but you know,
there wasn't much to really celebrate with the offense to
go along with everything we already said about the defense.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
I mean, it was shocking to me how quickly it
came unraveled. You're the first drive was awesome, and then
you're driving on the on the second one, you're at
the KC thirty two yard line. You're you're in position,
it looks like you're gonna score again. And the interception
just totally threw this offense off track. And Lamar Jackson
(19:32):
fading away from pressure on first down and he basically
threw a jump a fifty to fifty ball to Mark
Andrews that was picked off, and you know, not a
good throw by Lamar, just kind of ill advised. The blocking.
You know, Lamar was scrambling from pressure seemingly the whole game.
(19:53):
And and but the the you know that's coming. You know,
Steve Spagnola is gonna gonna bring a lot of pressure.
That's what they always do, right And now maybe they
weren't expecting exactly on first down on that play and
didn't have the answer. But like you know, going in
against the Chiefs, you have to have answers for pressure
and if you don't, you're gonna get run off the field. Yeah,
(20:16):
and the Ravens too often didn't. But I mean after
the interception, just then next drive, two delay of game
penalties totally uncharacteristic, uh, and then an intentional grounding when
again Lamar's running, running, running, running backwards, backwards, backwards, and
just you know, dumps up, gets rid of the ball.
Essional grounding right doom that drive turnover on downs. On
(20:38):
the third drive after the touchdown, which again there the
Ravens go for it at their own forty one on
fourth down, which really speaks to at the time it
was a one score game, it was thirteen to seven,
and and going for it, which really speaks to they
John Harbll was pretty confident this. They weren't to get
(21:00):
many stops, not with this decimated defense, and they had
to go for it. Don't get it again, not a
play that really didn't even come close. And then on
the next drive Lamar fumbles and it was pretty much.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
Fun right, Yeah, it got it got out of hand quickly,
like now you went into half and it was a
ten point game. Honestly, the Chiefs missed a long field
goal and the Ravens like they get the ball and
they're able to turn that into points, which was which
was a nice kind of a nice yeah series there
for them to be able to get points out of that.
So you go in a half and it's twenty to ten.
(21:36):
You're like, okay, maybe if they can figure things out.
But then the Chiefs get the ball coming out of
half and it's it's the quick touchdown, and it's now
a seventeen point game. And at that point it kind
of just based on how that game the game had
gone at that point, like it wasn't insurmountable, but it
felt steep.
Speaker 3 (21:53):
It just felt that way, and and so like then
at that point, the run game.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
And this is something Tony Romo was harping on throughout
the game, like getting the ball to Derrick Henry at
that point after that touchdown, Like it's really hard to
try to just commit to the run. Like the Ravens
are down seventeen at that point. They did come out
running initially, but it's hard when you're in a three
(22:23):
score hole in the second half to really commit to
the ground game. And I do think there will probably
be some conversation around that this week, and just in
terms of Henry's usage, he finishes the game again eight
carries for forty two yards. He averaged five point three
yards of carry. Also was involved in the passing game
two catches for sixteen yards.
Speaker 3 (22:41):
There he could have.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
Been more involved earlier in this game. I think there's
no doubt about it. Take some of the pressure off
Lamar in this in the pass protection. I thought he
came out of the gates running the ball. Well, yeah,
I think he could have been more involved early in
this game. I think there's some short yard of situations
that you know, where Derrick Henry's not on the field
and you're wondering what why, you know, why isn't Derrick Henry.
And we've seen this before, Yeah, you know.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
I mean the two the two that that really stand out,
and I'm sure Tom Monkin's gonna be asked about it
this week. Was the fourth down play is fourth and
one and a half it kind of looked like and
he wasn't on the field. And then later in the
game it was third and one and he wasn't on
He was not on the field. Ravens ended up getting sacked,
settled for a field goal that was in the second
half on their opening drive of the second.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
Half, third and three to be accurate, but yes, and
then Lamars sacked for negative two yards and that was
that was Lamar's last play in the game.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
Yeah, so I think that like that will definitely be
something that I'm sure will be a talking point again
this week. And and the truth is, like when when
it was this the second half, Like, I don't that
the thing the thing that often happens whenever you have
a game like this where things get so out of
balance and it becomes like a pass heavy game where
you're trying to climb your way out of it and
it's like a runaway in the second half. The numbers
(23:53):
only get worse from like a usage standpoint and from
a from an involvement. But I do think early on
in the game he could be more involved, and I
think the Raves will look at that. I mean silver
lining note here is is obviously the fumbling was a
big talking point coming into this game. Derek talked all
week about how he was doing everything he could to
(24:14):
ensure that it didn't happen again. Notice he didn't have
the sleeves on that He's been wearing to typically wears.
That was you know, one difference, but he held onto
the ball, held it tight, and so I thought that
was a good sign. And certainly hope that that's you know,
that the fumbling issue is behind him moving forward.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
Yeah, definitely, Yeah, definitely hope for that. And I think
that certainly as we move forward, if Lamar Jackson is
going to miss any time, Derek Henry's going to see
the ball a lot. Cooper Rush came in and in relief,
it was not a particularly sharp outing from the backup quarterback.
I mean his first drive, Ravens went Ford on fourth
(24:51):
down and he threw the ball away seemingly, which you
know can't have can't happen. He went nine to thirteen
for fifty two yards, and so you know this, this
is part of the reason why the Ravens invested more
money than they typically do at backup quarterback is to
have a guy like Cooper Rush. And and you know,
(25:13):
obviously things change dramatically if Lamar Jackson is not on
the field. I mean, he's arguably the best player in
the NFL, So there's no real replacing in air quotes
Lamar Jackson. But you spend money on Cooper Rush because
you believe that you have a good enough team around
him to win even if Lamar is not on there,
and and that you just need adequate, you know, solid
(25:35):
play for your backup quarterback. So the Ravens will be
looking for that. But I mean, honestly, defensively, you got
a lot to clean up there. Like, if the Ravens
defense doesn't give up fewer points there, you're probably not
winning a lot of shootouts at this point. If Lamar
Jackson is not on the field.
Speaker 3 (25:53):
Right and and look, who knows.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
Hopefully he's back, I mean, like, uh, hopefully it's it's
not a situation that this hamstring injury is long term
by any stretch.
Speaker 3 (26:04):
You want it to be like no term.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
You hope that he's back on the field Sunday when
they're taking on the Texans, who got their first win
of the season, and the Texans have a really good defense.
You know, Texans have struggled a little bit this season,
but like their defense is legit. They can get after
the quarterback, they can cover, and so it's gonna be
tough sledding for the offense even if Lamar on the field.
Speaker 3 (26:23):
And so you want your team to be as close
to full strength in that game.
Speaker 2 (26:26):
And this is really like as as you look forward,
this is a game that the Ravens need to have
coming back home against an AFC opponent that's one and
three as well, you know, and the Texans are looking
at it like they got to climb out of their
own hole. So this is this is a really important
game and a bounce back opportunity for this team.
Speaker 3 (26:46):
But they've got to do it.
Speaker 2 (26:48):
And you know, it's still it's still very early in
the season. The Ravens can absolutely right the ship and
get things headed in the right direction here, but they
have to do it and and time will tell if
they're able to do that.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
They have to improve and they have to get healthier.
I think that you know, your two games behind in
the AFC North, and the AFC North is not decided
after four weeks, I can tell you that much, especially
this division this year, you know. I mean, the Cincinnati
Bengals are without Joe Burrow potentially for the rest of
the year. It's they got blown out in their first
game without them. We'll see what happens this week. The
Cleveland Browns are also one to three. The Ravens already
(27:24):
beat them the Steelers watching Steelers Football Day. You know,
I don't think they're an unbeatable team by any stretch.
And uh, and so I expect the Ravens are gonna
play tough games against them, but you got to get
better and you got to get healthier. That that's If
those two things don't happen, then no, it's gonna be
it's gonna be tough. But I think if those two
(27:45):
things can happen, the Ravens are gonna contend for the
AFC North titles still, which feels crazy to say it
one to three after a lopsided lost in Kansas City,
but I believe that.
Speaker 3 (27:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
So again, this team is gonna take a look at
where they can what they can do to improve and
really just uh, we'll do everything they can to get
things right. And you know, I think that they've got
the pieces to do it. And now it's just a
matter of making that happen. So tough loss for this team,
and again they'll be back. They'll be back in action
(28:16):
next Sunday one o'clock at home against the Houston Texans.
We'll continue breaking things down over the course of the
week head coach Sean Harbaugh has his regular press conference
on Monday, and then the team will be back on
the practice field Wednesday, so we'll have a chance to
hear from the guys and the big storyline. As we've
mentioned many times over the course of this week, it's
going to be quarterback Lamar Jackson and his health status,
(28:36):
along with several other key players on this team. Several
enough number yeah so whatever above, several yeah, A ton
a ton of guys. So as always, you can email
us at the lounge at Ravens dot nfl net. Thank
you so much for listening, and we will be back
with you again later this week.
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