Lamar Jackson’s Super Bowl dreams are hanging by a thread, and the Ravens’ recent struggles are a stark reminder of just how fragile those aspirations can be. But here’s where it gets controversial: Is it the injuries, the coaching, or something deeper that’s derailing Baltimore’s championship hopes? Let’s dive in.
In 1843, Edgar Allan Poe penned The Tell-Tale Heart, a haunting tale of a heart that refuses to stop beating, no matter the efforts to silence it. The Ravens need that kind of relentless heart if they’re to claw their way back into playoff contention. Yet, their 44–10 drubbing by the Texans—a team ranked near the bottom in both yards and points per game—suggests that heart may be missing. With Lamar Jackson and key players like Ronnie Stanley and Marlon Humphrey sidelined, Baltimore’s roster looks more like a MASH unit than a Super Bowl contender.
And this is the part most people miss: While injuries are a glaring issue, the Ravens’ problems run deeper. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken has struggled to integrate Derrick Henry effectively, despite Henry’s proven dominance. Defensively, the team’s effort against the Texans was nothing short of embarrassing, allowing 5.1 yards per carry and four touchdowns to rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud. Is this a talent issue, or is it a matter of motivation and coaching?
For Jackson, the clock is ticking. Historically, quarterbacks who win their first Super Bowl at age 29 or later are rare. Since 1966, only 11 have done it, and just three—Roger Staubach, Phil Simms, and Peyton Manning—did so with their original teams. Adding to the pressure, no quarterback-coach duo has ever won a Super Bowl after five or more years together without prior success. Jackson and John Harbaugh are in their eighth season together, and the window may be closing faster than anyone expected.
Jackson’s unique playstyle—a blend of precision passing and elite rushing—raises another concern: How long can his body sustain this? The record for rushing yards by a quarterback aged 30 or older is just 676, set by Michael Vick in 2010. For Jackson, who’s averaged over 1,000 rushing yards per season, that’s a sobering benchmark.
The Ravens have had their chances. Twice they’ve secured the AFC’s top seed, only to falter in the postseason. In other years, they’ve made the playoffs but fallen short of the Super Bowl. Here’s the bold question: Is it time for a shakeup? Should the Ravens part ways with Harbaugh, the NFL’s second-longest tenured coach, or fire their coordinators? Or should they double down on the current roster, hoping health will turn things around?
History isn’t on their side. Since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, only 16 teams have made the playoffs after starting 1–4. But if the Ravens are to defy the odds, they’ll need more than just health—they’ll need that relentless, unyielding heart Poe wrote about. The question is, do they still have it?
What do you think? Are the Ravens’ struggles a temporary setback, or is this the beginning of the end for Jackson’s Super Bowl hopes? Let’s hear your take in the comments.
