The Baltimore Ravens are traveling to Brazil to win against the Dallas Cowboys and figure out who they are as a defense in 2026.
After coasting to a 41-23 Week One win against the Colts, the Ravens were slapped in the face in the fourth quarter by a Saints team on the rise in a 24-17 defeat.
In the fourth quarter, the Ravens allowed 15 unanswered points, capped off by Saints quarterback Tyler Shough scoring on a QB sneak on 4th and goal to give the Saints the lead with 1:32 left in the game. After a series of fourth-quarter collapses last season, Ravens head coach Jesse Minter and the Ravens defense are hoping to avoid a repeat performance this season.
Searching for Their Identity
With the Ravens at 1-1, the sky isn’t falling, but they want to plug any leaks in their defense early in the season before it floods.
Head coach Jesse Minter is focused on the defense finding their identity. Clifton Brown of Ravens.com wrote in his September 22 article that Minter felt the team was pressing in the fourth quarter.
“I felt like guys start pressing a little bit, and you start trying to make plays, and you are searching for that big play in those key moments,” Minter said.
Minter believes the defense will turn things around, and it’s on him to fix it.
“I think, honestly, we are all chasing things a little bit and really need to figure out what our identity is on defense, just from what we are trying to do. That is my job — to put the guys in the best position to be successful. I have a lot of confidence in the guys that we have.”
Fourth Quarter Woes
The Ravens’ fourth-quarter collapse was a familiar sight for fans, as Jamison Hensley of ESPN said it was the team’s 15th loss while holding a double-digit deficit since 2019, when Lamar Jackson became the full-time starting quarterback. That is the most losses of that nature in the NFL in that time span.
For veteran players like cornerback Marlon Humphrey, the trend is one that they are eager to reverse. Ryan Mink of Ravens.com, in his September 20 article, wrote about Humphrey’s post-game comments on the team losing their home opener after being 3-6 at M&T Bank Stadium last season, and continuing to blow fourth-quarter leads.
“The consensus amongst the team is like, everyone is kind of tired of doing what we just did,” Humphrey said. “I think it is a lot of older guys — a lot of guys that it just feels like it is time. Hopefully we will make this a hiccup and not [let] this be a bridge that is final and cannot be repaired.”
Last Sunday’s loss brought up all the worst memories of the John Harbaugh era for Ravens fans and showed that, even in a new era with Jesse Minter, maintaining a fourth-quarter lead is still a demon this team has to conquer.
Ravens HC Jesse Minter Says Team is Still Searching for Defensive Identity