The Baltimore Ravens stacked insults upon injuries in Sunday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills. Here are Baltimore Beatdown’s top takeaways from the worst game of the 2026 season:
So many questions, so little time.
Lamar Jackson’s right thumb injury will no doubt spark a new round of questions about his long-term future in Baltimore. But the Ravens do not have any time to think about offseason contract situations right now. They need to take stock – particularly at the quarterback position – and figure out who is starting on Thursday night
against the Jaguars. Reports of a turf toe injury to Tyler Huntley indicate that will likely be undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano. His potential backup is not currently on the Ravens’ roster. And then there’s the trade deadline in just nine days. Baltimore is 4-4 at the bottom of the AFC North; Jackson’s injury could effectively knock them out of playoff competition. Can Eric DeCosta make – or rather, take – the tough calls to part ways with valued veterans in exchange for future draft capital? These are the first of a series of tricky decisions the Ravens will have to navigate in the coming days, weeks, and months.
Tyler Loop’s time is up.
The Ravens have got to start holding players accountable for poor performances, and it should start with Loop after he missed a chip-shot field goal and landed the opening kickoff out of the bounds against the Bills. Kickers in the modern NFL should be able to be trusted on kicks under 50 yards. There may not be many better options on the street right now to replace Loop, but Baltimore has to start sending messages about what happens if you fail to do your job. – Dustin Cox
The Ravens need a complete offensive line overhaul.
Much has been made this season about the Ravens’ offensive line inconsistencies and struggles. While they’ve had poor injury luck and their ideal starting five has almost not played together at all, the offensive line’s performance in Buffalo was abysmal – and indicative that the Ravens need a full makeover up front. Roger Rosengarten, who is supposed to be a building block at right tackle, was dominated all afternoon by Gregory Rosseau. Ronnie Stanley continues to be penalized often and Cam Jurgens missed blitz pickups in the middle. Lamar Jackson couldn’t even go one play without being hit immediately on a play action. Poor pass protection has been a factor in Jackson’s injury struggles and now both backup quarterbacks picked up injuries in this game as well. Vega Ioane is clearly a long-term fixture, Jurgens was just traded for so the Ravens can’t give up on him too early, and maybe Rosengarten can turn things around. Nevertheless, the Ravens need heavy investment this offseason to infuse more talent on the offensive line to protect their franchise quarterback. – Frank Platko
It’s going to be a long few months in Baltimore.
Even if Jackson can return this year – and if the Ravens can keep their playoff hopes alive in the meantime – there will be virtually no margin of error to close out the season. Given the circumstances, a postseason appearance would qualify as some sort of a success, but it is clear that the Ravens, as currently built, are not a Super Bowl team. That was the expectation coming into the season, and anything short of that will be seen as a distinct failure in Jesse Minter’s first year as a head coach. Then comes the offseason, and along with it a host of tough roster decisions on overpriced, underperforming veterans. Sunday’s loss in Buffalo might have been a new low for the Ravens, but just because things can only go up from here doesn’t mean that they will anytime soon.
