OTL: We are on to Kansas City!

What a week it has been for the Ravens…in the worst way possible. The big headline out of the Monday night defeat was obviously the lackluster performance from the defense. Let’s give credit where its due; Detroit boasts one of the league’s premier offenses, but we have never seen an opposing team walk into M&T Bank Stadium and outright bully the Ravens like the Lions did. Embarrassing is the only real word to describe it.

While fully acknowledging there is plenty of work to be done and changes to be made, I’m going to make an honest attempt here to put a positive spin on things as we head into a brand-new week, and opportunity for the 2025 Ravens.

Some Positive Madubuike News?

The Lions ran all over the Ravens on Monday night, and the absence of All Pro Defensive Tackle Nnamdi Madubuike certainly played a role in that. However, the potential rumors regarding the severity of Madubuike’s neck injury made a Week 3 regular season loss feel miniscule. The vague comments made by John Harbaugh at his presser earlier in the week only added to the uncertainty, but Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr offered some potentially promising news around the situation on Thursday.

“He’s in good spirts. We hope to see him back soon.”  

It’s obvious the coaches have been instructed to express precaution around their comments about the situation, but Orr hasn’t been around long enough for us to be able to ‘read between the lines’ of the messages he delivers in his media availability. All we can do as desperate fans anxiously waiting for a legitimate update is take Orr’s comments literally and look at them as a positive sign. If the worst-case scenario (which I won’t even speak into existence) seemed likely, it would be hard to imagine Madubuike being in good spirits around the building as he is in the prime of his career and was one of the best Defensive Tackles in football through the first two weeks.

Ravens DC Zach Orr said DT Nnamdi Madubuike was in “good spirits” when he spoke to him.

Madubuike has been ruled out for a 2nd game with a neck injury.

“Hopefully we see him back soon,” Orr said. pic.twitter.com/bSwVzHvXcu

— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) September 25, 2025

Don’t believe any rumors you see until an official update is announced, people will do anything for clicks nowadays. Let’s just use Orr’s message as a positive sign for Madubuike moving forward.

Why to Not Jump Into Panic Mode

It’s been more of the same through three weeks. An ultra slow start out of a supremely talented defense, seemingly impossible blown fourth quarter leads, and uncharacteristic turnovers at the most inopportune times. This time last season the Ravens were in the exact same position, sitting at 1-2 heading into a matchup against a bonafide contender. Fast forward to the end of last season and the Ravens were Mark Andrews masterclass of blunders away from likely being the favorite to win the AFC Championship for the second year in a row. They have proven year in and year out that they can make the correct midseason adjustments, and recent history suggests they are more than likely will right the ship and put themselves in a position to make another playoff run.

Now let’s move to the offensive side of the ball. Through 3 weeks, the Ravens once again field the best offense in the NFL, solely because of All world quarterback Lamar Jackson. The classic ‘Only the Ravens’ Stats have been on full display.

The Ravens have 111 points this season, the most through 3 games by a team with a losing record in NFL history. pic.twitter.com/Hly5khpMkV

— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) September 23, 2025

–Incoming Zach Orr Tangent after reading through those stats again–

Yes, the criticism should be loud, and something does have to change. My theory is that the Ravens got way too cute with the Zach Orr hiring as they were too eager to find the next ‘Bright young mind’ after letting the ideal guy walk. Hindsight is 20-20, and the Ravens thought they were right on the cusp after 2023 under Harbaugh and they didn’t feel they could risk losing that continuity at that time, but fast forward to now and the idea of having Mike Macdonald calling the shots doesn’t seem half bad.

–End of Tangent—

The overall point here is that yes, the defense does have problems, but last year proved they are fixable. And as long as the Ravens have Lamar Jackson on the other side of the field, they are always going to feel like they have a great chance on any given Sunday. The schedule softens up a bit after this week, and if the Ravens can walk out of Kansas City, who has a world of problems of their own, with a victory, everything will feel much better.

It’s time to turn the page and put Monday Night in the past. It was only a Week 3 regular season game. Ravens’ fans should know more than anyone at this point that that game does not matter in the grand scheme of things. The Ravens will be a completely different team come December.

“We are on to Kansas City.”

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