The Ravens’ 2026 slide has made one thing impossible to ignore: Lamar Jackson is propping up far more than just the quarterback position.
Baltimore looked passable last year with Tyler Huntley at the controls. This season without Jackson, it has been a mess. After another ugly showing in Week 9, the gap between what the Ravens are with him and what they are without him has become painfully clear.
The passing game loses its spark. The run game loses the threat that forces defenses to stay honest. And when the offense can’t stay on schedule, an already shaky defense gets stuck taking blow after blow.
That’s why the conversation around Jackson’s future feels so straightforward now. The Ravens don’t have the luxury of playing hardball. They need to pay him.
Over the last four games, Baltimore has scored just 43 points and hasn’t topped 13 in any of those outings. The production has been brutal.
From Week 6 through Week 9, the offense averaged 241.25 yards per game. Take away the hot start to their Week 7 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, and that number sinks to 181.75 yards per game.
Compare that to what the Ravens looked like with Jackson healthy, and the difference is staggering. In their first three games with him on the field, they averaged 398.7 yards and 30.6 points per game.
That’s the real story here. With Jackson, Baltimore had the look of a dangerous team. There were still flaws, but the offense was explosive enough to cover some of them, control possessions and keep the defense from being exposed as often.
Without him, the whole operation falls apart.
Jackson appears to be the only quarterback who can survive behind Baltimore’s rough offensive line. Derrick Henry has done very little of note in Jackson’s absence, and the defense keeps putting the offense in bad spots. The result is a team that can’t sustain drives and can’t absorb mistakes.
Jackson’s value to this roster is obvious. He’s a two-time MVP for a reason, and the case for him is bigger than just star power.
He’s the equalizer. He covers up holes that would sink most teams.
There’s also a financial angle that only strengthens the argument. Extending Jackson this offseason would allow Baltimore to avoid an $84.34 million cap hit, giving the team more flexibility to improve the roster around him.
The path forward is clear enough. The Ravens need Jackson in place, then they need to attack the offensive line and find a more capable defense. Right now, he’s covering up too much for this team to even think about letting him go.
In Other News...
Ravens Secondary Nightmare Just Got Worse With Kyle Hamilton
Baltimores secondary took another hit on Thursday night when Kyle Hamilton went down with a hip injury against the Jaguars and was ruled out for the rest of the game. The Ravens were already trying to navigate a battered defensive backfield, and now they have one of their most important pieces leaving in the middle of a game they were already chasing.
Hamilton entered the night carrying a knee issue that had limited him in the lead-up, so his availability for next weeks matchup with the Chargers is suddenly in question. For a defense already stretched thin in the back end, the timing could hardly be worse, especially with the Ravens trailing and the injury list continuing to grow at a spot where they can least afford another setback. [Read more 🡒]
Derrick Henry Carries Extra Weight In A Huge Week For Baltimore
Derrick Henry is carrying plenty of the load for Baltimore already, and this week adds another layer to his role. He has eight rushing touchdowns this season and is tied with Marshall Faulk at 136 career rushing scores, a mark that already puts him in rare company among running backs.
The Ravens also enter the Jacksonville game in a far different spot at quarterback, with the offense turning to a rookie under center after the latest injury moves. In a week when Baltimore needs stability wherever it can find it, Henry has a chance to keep doing what he has done all season and add another milestone to a resume that keeps climbing. [Read more 🡒]
Jesse Minter Sounds Off As Ravens Collapse Keeps Getting Worse
The Ravens slide deepened in Jacksonville, where a 33-10 loss pushed the teams losing streak to four games and left the offense searching for any kind of stability. Undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano got the start at quarterback because of injuries, and the afternoon quickly turned into a difficult one as Baltimore struggled to sustain drives and keep the game from slipping away.
Head coach Jesse Minter did not hide his frustration afterward, pointing specifically to the second half as the part of the performance that fell short. He acknowledged the challenge of the current situation, but the bigger concern now is how quickly the Ravens can steady themselves before the seasons problems keep compounding. [Read more 🡒]