The Baltimore Ravens, highly praised before the season, have unfortunately missed the playoffs. What is wrong with the team led by quarterback Lamar Jackson?

When Baltimore Ravens kicker Tyler Loop missed his field goal against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the decisive final game for the last remaining playoff ticket in the AFC with the clock running down, players, fans, and franchise officials sank into disbelief and shock.

No postseason participation after all. And that despite the fact that the team was considered a Super Bowl favorite at the start of the season. Fourteen other franchises achieved what Baltimore had originally taken for granted.

After the failed kick and the resulting 24-26 defeat to Pittsburgh, a curious theory quickly emerged as an explanation. A clip circulated on social media showing a priest blessing the end zone with holy water.

One user commented: ” The fact that the Steelers sprinkled holy water on the end zone where Tyler Loop missed his game-deciding field goal before the game confirms only one thing: God hates the Baltimore Ravens.”

Sure, a 44-yard field goal should not be impossible for an NFL kicker. However, the fact that it was not enough for the Ravens is due to many other factors.

Ravens repeatedly Super Bowl favorites

Baltimore only really looked like a Super Bowl favorite in the first three quarters of their season opener against the Buffalo Bills. The Ravens led 40-25 with less than four minutes left on the clock.

But then it all fell apart. The defense allowed a touchdown, star running back Derrick Henry fumbled the ball, the defense allowed another touchdown, the offense had to leave the field after a three-and-out, and finally, the defense allowed a field goal.

What had seemed like a sure victory turned into an epic 40-41 defeat that exposed countless problems that would continue to surface throughout the rest of the season.

Ravens: Defense struggles to make sacks and big plays

The same picture repeated itself, especially in the first few weeks. One game after another was lost, and after six games, the team’s record stood at 1-5. The defense in particular repeatedly performed poorly, barely able to disrupt the opposing players with any significant actions.

After just five games, the defense, which not so long ago was considered one of the best in the league, had conceded a whopping 177 points – the eleventh most in NFL history.

The team’s inability to prevent big plays was particularly problematic. Only the Bengals allowed more plays of at least 20 yards in the 2025 season.

On top of that, they didn’t do too well in terms of sacks either. Only two teams brought down the opposing quarterback even less often throughout the season.

Lamar Jackson repeatedly injured

But offensively, too, things didn’t always go smoothly. Starting with playmaker Lamar Jackson, who suffered a thigh injury in week four against the Chiefs and subsequently missed three games. But even after his return, the former MVP was no longer completely himself.

He was repeatedly hampered by health issues. Ankles, toes, knees, back – the signal caller was virtually constantly on the injury report due to various injuries. It was never entirely clear how much these injuries actually hindered him on the field in the end.

Running back Derrick Henry actually had a stellar season with 1,598 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns, but other statistics became a problem for him.

Derrick Henry’s fumbles as a problem

At the top of the list are three fumbles – two of them in critical games that were ultimately lost. In the third-to-last game of the season, a bitter 24-28 defeat to the Patriots, Henry lost the ball in an extremely costly manner.

“It’s just really embarrassing,” Henry said afterward. “It’s a bit like the whole year: You work hard to be the best player you can be, to be consistent and have the most success, and sometimes it just doesn’t go the way you want it to, which is frustrating.”

Another difficult aspect for the veteran: while he had one of the best tackle avoidance rates in the league the year before at 23.9 percent, this dropped dramatically to 14 percent in 2025 – the worst figure of his career.

Ravens repeatedly squander leads

Overall, the offense was unable to produce the same number of strong plays as in previous seasons. Even after the 23-10 win over the weak Jets, quarterback Lamar Jackson noted: “We have to play better.”

Like no other NFL team, the Ravens struggled this season – and in previous years – with one problem in particular: efficiency and strength in the final 15 minutes. In the past five years alone, the team has squandered a lead in the final quarter 16 times. In the 2025 season, the team lost five of seven games that were decided by a single score.

And then there’s the coaching staff. Head Coach John Harbaugh has been on the sidelines in Baltimore for 18 seasons. His record during that time is quite impressive. Under his leadership, the team has made the playoffs 12 times and won the Super Bowl in 2011.

With 180 wins and 113 losses in the regular season, he led the team to victory in an impressive 61.4 percent of games.

Ravens: Poor record in the playoffs

But all this does not change the fact that in recent years, the team has increasingly faltered, especially at crucial moments. Just remember the 2019 season, when the Ravens dominated, Lamar Jackson was named MVP and Harbaugh was named Coach of the Year, but the team was still surprisingly eliminated in its first playoff game against the Tennessee Titans.

Or to put it in plain numbers: since the 2018 season, they have three wins and six losses in the postseason. That’s not enough for a team that is considered a hot contender for the title year after year.

It comes as no surprise that the Harbaugh era has come to an end with his departure. The team needs a fresh start – and that has nothing to do with a certain Tyler Loop’s missed field goal.