OTL: Are the Ravens a House Divided?

The Ravens have four weeks remaining on their schedule, and even though the fat lady isn’t singing, she’s tuning up in the wings. Even knowing that this was probably coming at some point, it sucks to feel like this.

With four games remaining, here are the Ravens’ projections …

To reach the playoffs: 28.9%
To win the AFC North: 28.7%

Baltimore’s remaining strength of schedule ranks 9th.

Source: ESPN Analytics

— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) December 8, 2025

The odds projections you see above are down from about 70% by most models if the Ravens had won on Sunday. It was a pivotal contest at home against their most hated rival, likely for the fate of the division, and after the beatdown that Pittsburgh had taken in Buffalo, it looked winnable if the Ravens O-line was able create some of the same kinds of lanes that the Bills did. Of course, we all said the same thing the week prior against a Bengals defense that’s one of the worst in the history of the NFL by the numbers.

Surprise, surprise: the same issues we’ve seen all season, even going back to last year, reared their ugly heads again.

Run Block Grades
Roger R 72.8
Tyler L 67.2
Ronnie S. 63.1
Andrew V 62.3
Daniel F 54.2

— Ivan Evans (@CoachEvans9) December 8, 2025

4 man rush vs 6 blockers pic.twitter.com/M4a9JmFrJe

— Brian (@bmore_sports8) December 8, 2025

I’m not going to beat a dead horse about the O-line’s performance, because we’ve all seen those issues and talked about them ad nauseam around these parts. That’s ironic, though, given the level of confidence that the coaching staff showed in that group going into this season as the rest of us raised continued concerns about the red flags in their failure to develop. It’s taken on the feel of the Orwellian 1984 mandate, “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”

Ravens HC John Harbaugh on Daniel Faalele and the OL in Week 14 vs. the Steelers

“I though the OL played well all-in-all…I thought the guards played exceptionally well in the run game…I thought they were mostly good in the pass game but too inconsistent probably” pic.twitter.com/3Ww6yRg2S4

— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) December 8, 2025

Harbaugh said that they didn’t feel that Emery Jones outplayed the other guys in order to get snaps.
“Emery is in a great spot, but based on the performance, you couldn’t say it’s better or even the same.”

— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) December 8, 2025

Mind you, Emery Jones didn’t get a single snap on Sunday but somehow didn’t play to a high enough level to earn more snaps. I understand his assertion about the prior games, but it’s hard for the rookie to earn his shot if you don’t let it happen, and that’s half the problem.

I’ve had the great privilege over the last few years to take part in youth development camps for young linemen on either side of the ball. One of the tenets of the coaching philosophy that you’ll hear repeatedly with these oft-underappreciated players is “No line, no shine,” meaning, of course, that if you can’t win in the trenches, it doesn’t really matter how good you are elsewhere. I believe that this coaching staff somehow believed that their brand of football was too big to fail in that regard. They were so enamored by the play of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry that they believe they’d shine no matter what, and it’s blown up in their faces.

I’ll go one step further, though: I think that the front office saw the same things that the rest of us did, and even while the coaches were trying to make this thing work with George Warhop taking over as a coach and guard play continuing to flounder, they were looking around for alternative options. Bringing back Pat Mekari was too expensive, and the free agent market for other viable O-linemen that would have worked in the system dried up by the time Ronnie Stanley’s extension got done. With their options limited, they used three of their eleven selections on linemen hoping that one of them would shine enough in Camp to get snaps.

That hasn’t panned out, clearly, and in large part, it’s due to a stubborn insistence by the coaches on “their guys” and forcing young players to earn their keep as we’ve seen so often with other positions. Now, with the shortcomings plain for everyone to see, the front office is shifting their sights forward, likely to beyond this current coaching staff. Multiple reports from draft scouts (I’ll credit John Vogel here since he was the first I saw reporting on this) note that, as of late November, the Ravens have sent scouts to Penn State more than any other university this season. Who is the number one prospect for the Nittany Lions this year?

Olaivavega Ioane, the top interior offensive lineman in the country on most boards.

I’m loving this guard class. Vega Ioane is a brick wall pic.twitter.com/tmdIgmELix

— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) November 6, 2025

Yes, part of this is me speculating into the realm of near-conspiracy, but I truly believe that the front office had an idea of how this was going to go, tried to prevent it, and is now reckoning with the consequences. The coaches, meanwhile, are always going to support their guys, but this feels like hubris at best and, at worst, blatant lies to all observers, including the front office. Now that we’re seeing the fallout, it’s costing the Ravens their season, and it’s going to cost multiple people their jobs, as it should.

This feels like a house divided against itself, which Abe Lincoln would tell you cannot stand.

The post OTL: Are the Ravens a House Divided? appeared first on Russell Street Report.