Reasons for Hope: What We SHOULD Be Talking About…If, You Know

OK, I admit.  It sucks being a Ravens fan this week.  There’s no doubt that fans are rightly frustrated with the epic collapse on Sunday night!  BUT—please remember, this was Week 1 and there are several reasons for optimism (hard to believe if you look at the message boards.  You would think the Ravens were on the path to the first NFL pick—OK, that’s a bit of a stretch, but you get the point.)

Here are some reasons for optimism.

1. Do we really think the defense will be this bad all year?

Same song, different verse.

Obviously, giving up 41 points to Buffalo, especially when the Ravens had a productive running game, is completely horrendous and unacceptable…..just like last year’s defense to start the season was horrendous and unacceptable.

Obviously, their performance was inexcusable Sunday night, but I have confidence in Zach Orr and Chuck Pagano to figure it out.

Also, remember, most of the starters did not play in the preseason, so rust is a factor.

2. Henry has only fumbled 21 times in his career

Obviously, Derrick Henry’s fumble was an absolute killer, and he took responsibility for the loss, like a veteran should.  But, history will tell us he takes care of the football, so hopefully that turnover was a fluke.  Henry has fumbled the ball 21 times in 2,373 NFL rushing attempts in his NFL career (stat courtesy of statmuse.com).  That’s 0.88% of runs.  That’s less than one fumble per 100 attempts.

This won’t become a recurring theme.

3. The Offense was great most of the game

Sure, you can criticize the play-calling and execution late.  But, Lamar Jackson was 14-for-19 (74%), and currently leads the league in passer rating.

pic.twitter.com/2hdOrqak5W

— khi (@SolidKhi1) September 8, 2025

In the past, Lamar has been criticized by some for overly relying on Mark Andrews and the tight end position.  Andrews had 1 catch for five yards.  No other TE had a catch (obviously Isaiah Likely was out, but many expected a heavy does of Charlie Kolar).  Henry carried 18 times for 169 yards (9.4 yards/rush average), and Lamar added six rushes for 70 yards (11.7 yards/rush average) {Stats courtesy of ESPN}. DeAndre Hopkins made an incredible one-handed TD catch, showing that he still has the juice.

Baltimore’s offense looked very sharp and showed it could hurt you in a number of ways, which is pretty impressive given that two impact players, Patrick Ricard and Likely, did not play, and most starters did not play in the preseason.

4. Stout had a solid game

Obviously, there were a lot of special teams blunders by the Ravens on Sunday night.  However, it should be noted that Jordan Stout had a solid game.  He had three punts for 152 yards, with one downed inside the 20. {Stats courtesy of ESPN}.  That should have been 2 punts inside the twenty, including one inside the five if it wasn’t for Trenton Simpson’s boneheaded slide into the end zone.

On a night full of ST blunders, none was worse than Trenton Simpson ruining one of the best punts of Jordan Stout’s (so far underwhelming) career.

This ball is likely coming to rest. At worst, there was time to get in position. pic.twitter.com/cnUEIsfzqe

— Russell St. Report (@RussellStReport) September 8, 2025

It’s a long season folks.  No doubt that was a rough start.  But, let’s not act like the cupboard is bare.  This is still one heck of a team that can compete with anybody.

Let’s hope the Ravens start the season turn-around by bashing their division rivals (and old friend Joe Flacco) this Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.

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