“The Blitz” is a weekly series in which former NFL player and scout Bucky Brooks dissects a hot topic around the NFL. This week he dives into the resurgence of the Baltimore Ravens.
After stumbling out of the gate to a 1-5 start, the Baltimore Ravens have reeled off three straight wins to re-emerge as a legit playoff contender in the AFC. The preseason Super Bowl favorites have seemingly found their stride with the offense, defense and special teams coming together as part of the Ravens’ recommitment to complementary football.
With the football world casting its eyes toward the Ravens as a dark horse contender on the verge of making noise as a surging squad, this is the perfect time to identify the three reasons behind Baltimore’s recent surge:
John Harbaugh and Co. didn’t flinch
NFL teams often take on the personality of their coach, reflecting the intimate relationship between the leader and his players. The Ravens have indeed adopted the unshakable confidence of their leader. Despite a dismal start that raised questions about possible coaching changes and schematic shifts, Harbaugh doubled down on his trusted assistant and promised that the staff and players would bounce back from their early-season struggles.
Although the naysayers would point to a favorable schedule as a contributing factor to the course correction, the Ravens’ improved on-field performance is a byproduct of a more focused effort from a team with a championship-caliber roster. The Ravens have cut down on the silly mistakes and the alignment and assignment errors that led to a barrage of big plays from opponents.
John Harbaugh and the Ravens have turned the corner following a slow start in 2025.
Additionally, the team’s ball security woes, particularly the fumbles from star running back Derrick Henry (one in each of the Ravens’ first three games), have disappeared with better concentration and ball-handling technique from the veteran. After timidly running between the tackles with two hands covering the ball, “King Henry” is back to throwing the jaw-busting stiff arm when defenders approach him on the perimeter. The return of the violent, knockout punch suggests the veteran has regained the confidence and swagger that have helped him churn out 12,000-plus rushing yards as one of the league’s premier RB1s.
The renewed swagger has also returned to a defense that looked nothing like the stingy units of the past. The shoddy tackling, disorganization and poor execution from the 2025 version of the Ravens led to concerns about defensive coordinator Zachary Orr’s readiness for his role. The former NFL linebacker-turned-defensive play-caller struggled early in his debut season, but eventually discovered a blueprint that helped the Ravens reach the AFC Divisional Round last year.
This season, the defense has experienced a bit of déjà vu, with a slow start transitioning into dominant play. Part of the unit’s success can be attributed to playing a different caliber of quarterback after facing the likes of Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes and Jared Goff early in the season. Though the dip in competition has enabled the defense to play more aggressively with their pass rush and coverage, the Ravens needed to organize their personnel and tweak their scheme to maximize their defensive potential.
While the performance has been far from perfect, the significant improvement from a preseason Super Bowl contender has the rest of the league paying close attention to the Ravens’ rise to prominence.
Kyle Hamilton is the defensive X-factor
When the Ravens acquired Alohi Gilman from the Los Angeles Chargers in a trade that involved Odafe Oweh and a late-round pick swap, the team enabled embattled defensive coordinator Zachary Orr to utilize Hamilton as a hybrid linebacker near the line of scrimmage.
As a box area defender, the two-time Pro Bowler makes a significant impact as a “see ball, get ball” defender on run downs, while also enhancing the pass rush as a second-level rusher on blitzes and simulated pressures (four-man rush with the fourth rusher being a linebacker or defensive back). By tapping into Hamilton’s versatility as a quasi-linebacker, the Ravens were able to surround Roquan Smith with another blue-chip defender on the frontline. As a result, the Ravens have produced more splash plays at the point of attack, with a pair of Pro Bowlers sharing the playmaking responsibilities within the box.
Kyle Hamilton is the star that keep the Ravens’ defense performing at a high level.
Additionally, Hamilton’s transition to a hybrid-linebacker position allowed the Ravens to showcase Malaki Starks as a centerfielder in the back end. As the 27th overall pick in the 2025 draft, the 6-foot-1, 203-pounder was lauded for his instincts, awareness, and range. He excelled as an “over-the-top” defender at Georgia, and his playmaking skills have improved since he took on more responsibility as a deep middle defender. Starks has a pair of interceptions in the Ravens’ last two games, exhibiting outstanding anticipation and ball skills.
With Gilman starring in his role as a veteran sidekick, the Ravens have eliminated the explosive plays that frequently put them behind the eight-ball in their early-season battles against some of the top passers in the league (Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, and Jared Goff). Given the correlation between explosive plays and points, Hamilton’s move to a hybrid role has helped the Ravens rediscover the defensive magic that has keyed their extended run as a title contender.
Lamar Jackson is back
It is hard to believe Jackson is playing the best ball of his career as a two-time MVP winner, but the numbers are spectacular with a 70.1% completion rate, 127.1 passer rating and a 15-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Additionally, Jackson has rushed for 216 yards on 35 attempts with a score, showcasing the explosive traits on designed runs and scrambles that keep defensive coordinators up at night.
While a series of minor injuries forced the four-time Pro Bowler to miss three games, the return of the league’s most explosive offensive weapon gives the Ravens a chance to knock off any opponent in the postseason tournament. Moreover, Jackson’s dual-threat potential creates running room for Derrick Henry between the tackles.
Lamar Jackson is healthy again and looks as good as ever.
With edge defenders forced to stay at home out of respect for the quarterback’s running skills, the former NFL rushing champ can cruise through huge gaps between the tackles. Since Jackson rejoined the lineup, Henry has averaged nearly 100 rush yards per game (97.0), with a 4.9 yards per rush attempt average. Those numbers would put him on par with the Colts’ Jonathan Taylor (113.9 rush yards per game) and Bills’ James Cook (102.2 rush yards per game) as the workhorse runners between the tackles.
Given the challenge of defending a tag team of a former MVP and two-time NFL rushing champ, the return of Jackson makes the Ravens’ running game downright scary. From a passing perspective, the veteran’s return will lead to more explosive plays from playmakers Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, DeAndre Hopkins and Mark Andrews against “plus-one” defenses loaded up to stop the run. As Jackson’s deep ball barrage creates a dilemma for defensive coordinators, the Ravens have been able to control the game with an explosive but patient offensive approach.
Considering their offensive efficiency and effectiveness with the former MVP in the lineup, the Ravens are the lower seed that no one wants to face in the postseason tournament.
Bucky Brooks is an NFL analyst for FOX Sports. He also breaks down the game for NFL Network and as a cohost of the “Moving the Sticks” podcast. Follow him on Twitter @BuckyBrooks.
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