Through four weeks, the Ravens defense has caught plenty of blame. Jesse Minter was supposed to arrive as the fix, the coach who would finally end two years of frustration under Zach Orr. The early results haven’t looked like a sudden transformation, but the picture is a lot less bleak than the noise around it.
The cleanest way to judge it is by stripping out the flags. With penalties removed, Baltimore sits ninth in defensive EPA through four weeks.
That’s a sharp step up from where the Ravens were at this point in 2024 and 2025, when they ranked 18th and 30th. Those teams finished eighth and 22nd, which fits the broader pattern here: this defense has usually gotten better as the season wears on, and this year it’s starting from a much stronger place.
Penalties are doing a ton of the damage, and the way they’ve broken is almost entirely one-sided. If you include the flags, the Ravens are 15th in defensive EPA per play.
Sunday’s loss to the Titans was a mess in that department, with Baltimore hit for 13 penalties and 131 yards while Tennessee drew just five for 32. And that wasn’t an isolated afternoon.
Opposing offenses have been flagged against the Ravens only nine times, tied for the fewest in the league, and Baltimore ranks last in EPA gained from those penalties. The defense has gotten almost no benefit from the officials.
The Ravens have drawn just one offensive holding call in four games, against Dallas, also tied for last. That doesn’t mean the defense has been spotless.
It just means it’s getting nothing back when opponents make mistakes.
The offense has been living in the same world. It has drawn only four defensive penalties, 31st in the league, while repeatedly hurting itself with procedural flags.
Baltimore as a team has lost 329 yards and 40 expected points to penalties, both second-worst in the NFL. Take the flags away, and the Ravens become a very different-looking team: the offense jumps to second in offensive EPA per play, and the defense lands in the top 10.
That’s why the complaints about the officiating have been so loud. The Ravens have been on the wrong side of the whistle for weeks, and the broader league conversation is starting to sound the same way.
Teams are being flagged at the highest rate in a decade, refs are getting suspended, and fans are fed up with how much officials are shaping games. A swing back toward normalcy would help Baltimore fast.
There are still reasons to think this defense will keep climbing. The season is still young, the roster is adjusting to a new head coach, and some injured players are still finding their way back into rhythm and chemistry.
The front has been up and down, but Nnamdi Madubuike and Mike Green have both looked very good, with Green especially looking ready for a sophomore breakout. Trey Hendrickson missed last week after a procedure on his finger and should be back this week or next.
The biggest issue right now is the run defense. Even after removing penalties, Baltimore ranks 21st in EPA per rush allowed, and that’s the part of the unit that needs to sharpen up immediately.
With Lamar Jackson now injured, the defense doesn’t have time to ease into form. It needs to show up now, starting with Bijan Robinson and a red-hot Falcons team.
In Other News...
Ravens Face A Week 5 Matchup That Could Expose Their Biggest Problem
The Ravens head into Week 5 with a familiar kind of test waiting in Atlanta, one that could say plenty about where this defense really stands. The Falcons have leaned heavily on Drake London in the passing game, and he has become the kind of receiver who can tilt a game simply by demanding attention on every snap. Baltimores secondary has had trouble holding up against top pass catchers this season, so this matchup arrives with a little more tension than a typical early-October road game.
Jesse Minter has already acknowledged how hard it is to consistently shadow London because of the way Atlanta structures its offense, which is part of what makes this such an awkward assignment for the Ravens. If Baltimore cannot sort out the coverage issues that have popped up against premier receivers, London could turn a weakness into a defining storyline for the afternoon. The challenge is clear, even if the solution is not. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Suddenly Have A Zay Flowers Concern They Can't Ignore
Zay Flowers has been one of the Ravens most important pieces on offense, so any setback around him immediately changes the feel of Baltimores week. The second-year wideout was limited in practice ahead of the matchup with the Falcons because of a foot injury, and that comes on top of the hamstring issue he has been carrying through recent games.
Lamar Jackson is also unlikely to play because of an ankle sprain, which puts Tyler Huntley in line to start and makes Flowers availability even more important. Baltimore is still sorting out how much the injury will affect him, but with the offense already facing a quarterback change, the Ravens cannot afford another complication at receiver. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens May Have Found A Long Term Answer Up Front
Mike Greens expanded role in the Week 4 win over the Titans was one of the more encouraging developments for Baltimore up front. Working as the primary edge rusher on passing downs, Green finished with five pressures, giving the Ravens another young piece who could grow into a meaningful part of the pass rush rotation as the season moves along.
Up the middle, Nnamdi Madubuike looked much closer to his usual disruptive self with six pressures and sturdy work against the run, while rookie center Vega Ioane settled into his first start at the position and handled all the offensive snaps without allowing a pressure. For a line that has been searching for stability and upside in equal measure, those are the kinds of performances that can make a long look feel a lot more serious. [Read more 🡒]