Alarm bells are beginning to ring for the Baltimore Ravens after their ugly 35-13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 7. While Lamar Jackson‘s return from an ankle injury could quickly solve things for this team, the Ravens have to find a way to win without him, as they have now suffered ugly losses to division rivals in back-to-back weeks.
After jumping out to an early lead against Cincy on Sunday, Baltimore fell apart in the second half, and once the dam broke, there was no turning back. After the game, head coach Jesse Minter sent a strong message to his roster now that the team finds itself at the bottom of a wildly competitive AFC North division.
Jesse Minter Sends Strong Message to the Ravens
The Ravens have followed an eerily similar script in their past two games without Jackson. While Tyler Huntley managed to lead Baltimore to victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 5, the offense has followed that up by scoring a touchdown on its first drive against both the Cleveland Browns and Bengals. After that, they failed to find the end zone again in both games.
Again, Jackson’s return should help open things up for the offense, but nobody really knows when he is going to get back on the field. The hope is that he can play in Week 8 for a huge clash against the Buffalo Bills, but the overarching expectation was that he would play against Cincinnati, and he didn’t.
In the meantime, it’s up to Minter and the coaching staff to patch some holes on this roster. While he is still working on finding the best leadership approach in his first year as a head coach, he challenged his players to do a better job of stepping up and leading for each other, as he doesn’t think anyone has assumed that sort of role so far this season.
“We have guys that care and want to do it right, but there’s also moments in the game where it’s like, ‘Who’s the guy that’s going to grab everybody and get them together on the sideline?'” Minter said when speaking to reporters. “I think, as a team, we’re working through who that is. Who is that person? Who are those players? … I think there are moments where we need a little bit more.”
Are the Ravens in Trouble Heading Into Week 8?
Minter does a good job here of sending a pretty pointed message to his team without deflecting blame or coming off as too harsh. Simply put, the Ravens need guys who can take charge of things when games hang in the balance, whether it be with their words on the sidelines or their play on the field. In the past two losses, nobody has really managed to fill that void.
As noted above, a very challenging matchup against the Bills awaits in Week 8, and it is worth noting that they are coming off their bye week, so they will be well rested. Chances are, Baltimore’s hopes of winning this one hinge on whether or not Jackson can play, but even if he can’t, it’s clear Minter wants to see more from his roster when this team returns to action.
Jesse Minter Puts Ravens on Notice After Ugly Loss to Bengals