Why the Ravens Are Still Alive in the AFC North After a 1-5 Start

All is not lost for the 2025 Baltimore Ravens.

For most teams, two wins in the first seven games would be a death knell.

As the Ravens close out October at Miami, they are conceivably the favorite to win the AFC North.

They can thank the rest of a tumultuous division for that.

Resuscitated by a 30-16 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday, the Ravens stand just two games behind the first-place Steelers in the win column.

The 4-3 Steelers were embarrassed at home when their defense failed again in the fourth quarter, allowing Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers to score 21 points and rally for a 35-25 win. The 3-5 Bengals lost 39-38, blowing leads of 31-16 and 38-24 in the fourth quarter at home to the previously winless Jets.

The rebuilding Cleveland Browns were whipped on the road at New England, 32-13, to fall to 2-6.

All of a sudden, the left-for-dead Ravens have plenty of life.

Starting with a Thursday night road game in Miami, the Ravens' schedule gets markedly easier based on current records of their opponents. They play the Dolphins, Vikings and Browns on the road, followed by the Jets and Bengals at home. All five have losing records. The Vikings, Browns and Jets are last-place teams in their divisions.

Perhaps most significant, the Ravens have all four games remaining with the Steelers and Bengals.

Call it a comeback.

The Ravens would be fifth team since the 1970 merger to start 1-5 and not only make the NFL playoffs but win the division.

Baltimore is a proud franchise that has won two Super Bowls, has a two-time NFL MVP as their starting quarterback and a defense that is built on a DNA of grit and determination.

But all of those qualities were tested early this season when, during a 37-20 loss at Kansas City, Lamar Jackson injured his hamstring, and several other starters were injured, including safety Kyle Hamilton, linebacker Roquan Smith, offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley and corner Marlon Humphrey. In all, the Ravens have dealt with injuries to nine Pro Bowl players from their 12-5 roster of 2024.

During the subsequent four-game skid, some players came out criticizing offensive coordinator Todd Monken during the team’s struggles without Jackson and defensive coordinator Zach Orr after the defense surrendered an NFL-high 35 points per game through the first five weeks.

The Ravens were able to finally win a game without Jackson at quarterback when Tyler Huntley completed 17-of-22 passes for 186 yards and a touchdown in the win over the Bears, stopping a four-game losing streak that featured humbling losses to Houston and the Los Angeles Rams at home.

Head coach John Harbaugh, the second-longest tenured head coach in the NFL behind Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin, has built a culture where he trusts the leaders in the locker to police themselves and hold each other accountable.

“It was challenging because you haven’t won games, and you want to win games,” Harbaugh said. “And we understand – we were fighting. I was proud of the guys when we didn't win the games. Our guys fought like crazy against the Texans – the guys that were out there – and they fought like crazy against the Rams. And we turned the ball over. We didn't make the plays we needed to make (or) get the stops we needed to make, but they're fighting, and they're competing.”

Owner Stephen Bisciotti and the front office – led by general manager Eric DeCosta - have a track record of making the changes necessary to compete. And heading into Tuesday's trade deadline, there’s no reason to think they won’t do whatever they can to strengthen a defensive line that has lost Nnamdi Madubuike and Broderick Washington Jr. to season-ending injuries.

Many teams that start out 1-5 would be thinking rebuilding. Not the Ravens. With Jackson healthy and the schedule bringing gifts before the holidays, Baltimore is alive and well as a playoff contender.