A lower back injury sidelined Lamar Jackson late in the first half against the Patriots on Sunday, forcing the Ravens quarterback to the sideline despite a Toradol shot and his determination to finish a game Baltimore desperately needed to win. The injury epitomizes a season that has spiraled from championship contention into playoff long-shot territory.

Baltimore lost 28-24 to New England, dropping to 7-8 and outside the playoff picture with two games remaining. Jackson, grimacing in the locker room afterward, didn't mince words about the frustration.

"Yes, it's B.S., bro. I can't control that. I'm on the ground. I'm down. I gave myself up. I got kneed in the back, but yes, for the most part, you can say that, because I'm getting injured, and then we're fighting for a chance to make the playoffs. I can't finish the game with my guys. It's B.S."

From Super Bowl Favorites to Playoff Desperation

Before the season kicked off, oddsmakers projected the Ravens to win as many games as any team in the league. Kansas City's decline opened a perceived window for Baltimore to seize control of the AFC.

Instead, the Ravens limped out to a 1-5 start, hemorrhaging 40 points per game in their first four losses as defensive injuries ravaged the roster. They clawed back, winning five straight mostly against weak competition, and sat at 6-5 with control of a middling AFC North. Back-to-back losses to Cincinnati and Pittsburgh derailed that momentum.

Even entering Sunday's game, the math was simple: win out, and the Ravens take the division. They couldn't get past the Patriots.

Jackson's Injury Plague

A year ago, Jackson was a first-team All-Pro with an MVP case, throwing for 41 touchdowns with just 4 interceptions while adding 910 rushing yards and four more scores. This season has been a carousel of injuries: hamstring (missed three games), knee, ankle, toe, and now back.

The cumulative damage is stark. Jackson has 18 touchdowns and 340 rushing yards—less than half his 2024 production.

Coach John Harbaugh acknowledged the grind.

"We've been in tough circumstances all year. It's been a grind, for sure. And we've come out and fought every single game. We haven't played well every single game. ... You have to do the things that are required to win, to win a lot of games. And we haven't done that enough."

A Defense in Collapse

The Ravens' defensive infrastructure has crumbled. Two years ago, Baltimore fielded the league's No. 1 scoring defense. Now the unit has descended into mediocrity:

• Run defense: From best in league to 13th
• Total defense: From 10th to 27th
• Sack percentage: From 6th to 31st

The exodus of talent tells the story. Defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald left to become Seattle's head coach. Assistants Anthony Weaver and Dennard Wilson departed to become defensive coordinators for Miami and Tennessee, respectively. A front-office source called it a "brain drain" from the 2023 coaching staff.

New coordinator Zach Orr, just 33, improved the unit in the second half of the season, but the numbers don't lie. No current Raven has more than 3.5 sacks. In a particularly damaging midseason trade, Baltimore dealt edge rusher Odafe Oweh to the Chargers in exchange for safety Alohi Gilman. Oweh, who recorded zero sacks in Baltimore, has seven sacks in 10 games with Los Angeles.

The defense is also remarkably young: six of the top nine tacklers are 24 or younger, including three rookies in linebacker Teddye Buchanan, first-round safety Malaki Starks, and second-round edge rusher Mike Green.

Sunday's Coaching Debacle

The Ravens led 28-13 with 10 minutes left—then the defense imploded, surrendering two Patriots touchdowns for a 28-24 loss. But the offensive collapse in the final minutes revealed questionable coaching decisions.

After Derrick Henry scored on his second touchdown run to give Baltimore a 24-13 lead with 12:50 remaining, the 1,000-yard rusher never touched the ball again. Instead, backup Keaton Mitchell took over with two carries for 4 yards. Mitchell then fumbled, ending the drive after two plays.

Henry finished with 128 yards on 18 carries. Why abandon a star performer who had delivered the go-ahead touchdown? Harbaugh didn't have an answer.

"Looking back, would I rather have had Derrick starting the drive? Yes."

It wasn't Henry's only mistake. He lost a fumble early in the game—his first since Week 3—that set up New England's first touchdown. He took responsibility.

"It's just really embarrassing. I feel like some of that momentum that we had in that drive – I feel like we would have scored, and that would have given us seven – so I took seven points away. Kind of like this whole year, you kind of work hard to be the best player you can be, be consistent and have the most success, and sometimes it doesn't go that way, which is upsetting."

The Home Collapse

Baltimore's home record has become a crater: 3-6 this season compared to 6-3 a year ago, including a playoff win. The Ravens led the Patriots late at M&T Bank Stadium and couldn't finish.

Safety Kyle Hamilton, hampered by an ankle injury, acknowledged the inexcusable pattern.

"It's frustrating at this point to keep having the same conversations with you guys, and I'm sure it's frustrating on your end to keep asking these questions. It's redundant, and there are no excuses at this point. You said we had six losses at home. Is that right? Yes, that's terrible."

Harbaugh in the Spotlight

John Harbaugh has coached the Ravens since 2008 with a single Super Bowl championship early in his tenure. He's compiled consistent regular-season success—9.9 wins per season—and made the playoffs 12 times. Yet recent postseason success has dried up: Baltimore has four playoff wins in the last 12 years and one conference championship appearance in that span.

Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin, coaching the Steelers since 2007, sits in a similar position: 10.1 wins per season, 13 playoff appearances, but the Steelers haven't won a playoff game since 2016.

The difference now: Tomlin has already secured another winning season. Harbaugh, at 63, would need to win both remaining games to avoid his first losing record. If he fails, the national microscope will shift sharply to Baltimore and the future of its longtime coach.

The AFC Vacuum Never Filled

The preseason question was clear: if Kansas City declined, which team would seize the AFC? The Ravens and Bills had recent MVPs and star quarterbacks. Instead, the conference's best teams are the Broncos and Patriots—both with second-year QBs. The Jaguars and Chargers are also both 11-5 with younger quarterbacks than Jackson.

Playoff Math Turned Against Them

The Ravens are not mathematically eliminated, but their path is brutally narrow. Baltimore must beat Green Bay on Saturday, then the Steelers must lose to Cleveland on Sunday. Only then can Baltimore face Pittsburgh on the road in the season finale with the division title at stake.

Jackson is hopeful of returning, though the Ravens may need backup Tyler "Snoop" Huntley to start if the quarterback's back doesn't heal quickly.

Henry summed up the year's disappointment with brutal honesty.

"This year, we just had some unfortunate circumstances, and things that haven't swung our way. We have had some adversity, and it just hasn't been good enough, honestly, as a whole. I think everybody on the team would say that we just haven't been good enough, and like I said, we have two games left, and we can end it the way we want to end it. But yes, it just hasn't been good enough. It's as simple as that."