OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Ravens coach John Harbaugh is not about to panic.
Even though his team fell to 0-2 with a 26-23 loss to the visiting Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, Harbaugh knows there’s plenty of time for Baltimore to fulfill its expectations of becoming a Super Bowl contender.
Baltimore plays at Dallas in Week 3 before hosting Buffalo and then traveling to face AFC North rival Cincinnati. It’s a daunting schedule for a winless team.
“I’ve heard it said that the NFL season is a race to improve, to become the best team that you can over the course of the long haul,” Harbaugh said Monday. “The race is a marathon and we have to continue to try to improve as much as we can every single day. Sometimes your improvement shows up, and sometimes it doesn’t.”
Baltimore opened the season with a 27-20 loss to the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. On Sunday, the Ravens squandered a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter against the Raiders, who haven’t had a winning season since 2021.
Lamar Jackson, last season’s MVP, has thrown for 520 yards with two touchdowns and an interception over two games. However, Jackson has been under almost constant pressure behind an offensive line with three new starters from last season.
“I believe we’ve got young guys on the team (and) on our offense this year,” Jackson said. “We’ve just got to do what we do still because Derrick (Henry) was running the ball tremendously (Sunday). He had a few bursts out there (and) a few plays that he burst out on, and (the offensive) line was doing their job. We’ve just got to find a way to just get the ball rolling and stay consistent.”
The Ravens had the NFL’s top rushing attack last season and were supposed to be even better with the addition of Henry, a four-time Pro Bowler. It’s been an adjustment for Henry to fit into the Ravens’ offense, and he’s managed 130 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries over two games.
An 0-2 start was not what Henry expected when he signed with Baltimore in March.
“We wanted to get off to a good start, but we’ve just got to keep working (and) keep having faith in one another,” Henry said. “There are a lot of teams that start 0-2 and then finish the season strong, and we’ve just got to look at it that way. We’re out to a slow start right now, but we’ll just keep believing in each other and keep working and keep getting better, and the wins will come soon.”
Defensively, the Ravens have six sacks so far under new coordinator Zach Orr, but their secondary has been susceptible to big plays.
A breakdown in coverage left Chiefs receiver Xavier Worthy wide open for a 34-yard touchdown reception from Patrick Mahomes that provided a 27-17 Kansas City lead in the fourth quarter. On Sunday, Las Vegas’ Davante Adams caught nine passes for 110 yards and a touchdown.
The Ravens had questions about their pass rush after losing Jadeveon Clowney (9 1/2 sacks) to free agency. However, Baltimore managed five sacks against the Raiders. Odafe Oweh led the way with 2 1/2.
The offensive line has just two starters from last season — Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum and left tackle Ronnie Stanley. The rest of the linemen are still adjusting to the speed of the game. The young group has allowed three sacks in two matchups. Right guard Daniel Faalele, who made the switch from tackle, has struggled in run blocking.
Defensive tackle Travis Jones has been a key run-stopper. Jones had three tackles, including one for a loss, against Las Vegas. The Raiders managed just 27 yards rushing on 17 carries.
Justin Tucker has been a Hall of Fame-caliber kicker over his 13-year career, but he’s had recent struggles. Tucker missed a 56-yard field goal attempt against the Raiders. He has converted just one kick on his last seven attempts from 50 or more yards dating to last season.
The Ravens will look to earn their first win of the season when they travel to Dallas (1-1) on Sunday. Baltimore is 5-1 all-time against the Cowboys.
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