No one would’ve thought the Ravens would be 1-2 three games into the season, but here we are. It was a bad night across the board for John Harbaugh and the Ravens, who fell short to Dan Campbell‘s rush-heavy Lions with the final score being 38-30. A lot went wrong, and John Harbaugh was quick to point it out in the post-game presser.

John Harbaugh thinks that the biggest problem was the Ravens’ run defense. “The biggest problem was that we didn’t play good run defense… There’s nobody in the locker room who thinks it’s good enough… It cannot be who we are,” he said.

Yes, amidst all the problems, this might’ve been the biggest. The Ravens’ defense was all over the place. They gave up 98- and 96-yard touchdowns and looked vulnerable the entire night. Whether it was the sloppy tackling or the penalties, they just couldn’t hold it.

Sure, they were missing a few pieces.

Nnamdi Madubuike was also ruled out before kickoff, but that defense wasn’t up to the Ravens’ usual standards. Once Detroit started ripping off runs and the pass rush turned up the heat, Baltimore’s trademark red-zone grit and third-down wizardry just blew away.

He also didn’t shy away from talking about Derrick Henry’s fumble. Again. “I don’t think it will be [the norm] going forward, but we gotta get it fixed. That was a blind spot… Still, we just want to protect the football.”

This was Henry’s third fumble since the start of the season. Second in key situations. Down 28–24 with just over eight minutes left, the Ravens still had a shot — until Derrick Henry put the ball on the turf. Detroit scooped it up and set up shop at Baltimore’s 16, cashing in with a field goal that stretched the lead and sucked the air out of the Ravens’ comeback hopes. Harbaugh and Henry need to get this fixed.

Lamar Jackson was one of the few bright spots, but the Ravens failed to protect him. “We threw the ball pretty good, and Lamar [Jackson] made some extended plays. He made some on-time throws, tried to move around in the pocket, and make some plays. They got us on some sacks when you’re trying to throw the ball like that at the end of the game, too… We didn’t run the ball as well as we wanted to, either,” Harbaugh said.

You expect to come out with a convincing win when your QB racks up three touchdowns. But that wasn’t the case for John Harbaugh. The reason? The offensive line failed to protect him. Jackson was sacked seven times.

He couldn’t help but point out the flow in the pass rush as well. “We sent some number five-man rushes. We had a couple of six-man rushes. We have to get a better pass rush. There’s no doubt about it… So, we have to figure it out,” John Harbaugh said.

While Lamar was sacked seven times, Jared Goff wasn’t sacked even once. Baltimore’s front seven just couldn’t get home, which meant Detroit kept stringing together back-breaking, clock-eating drives. It was a frustrating night, and you could see it on Harbaugh’s face. And Lamar Jackson echoed that sentiment.

Lamar Jackson’s postgame reaction

Lamar Jackson deserved more. 21 of 27, 288 yards, three touchdowns. On paper, that’s MVP-level stuff. But the paper doesn’t show the bruises. Detroit got to him seven times, wrecking the rhythm of drives and turning what could’ve been a statement night into a survival act.

The receiving corps, Mark Andrews in particular, did their best to help him. Andrews came out with 6 grabs, 91 yards, and two touchdowns. Rashod Bateman chipped in too, hauling in five for 63 and a score. The pass catchers held up their end. The problem? Nobody else did. Baltimore’s run game sputtered to just 85 yards, and Derrick Henry’s costly fumble gift-wrapped points for Detroit.

Lamar Jackson’s words reflected his frustration. “I feel like the way we performed was a hole; a huge hole, but it’s still the beginning of the season. We have a lot of work to do, and we just have to execute,” he said. Yes, it’s still the beginning of the season. But they can go 1-3 if they lose to the Chiefs.

The quarterback also opened up on that failed first-quarter drive. “I can’t tell you what went wrong. We just didn’t score. … We’ve gotta find a way to punch it in,” he said. That second-quarter goal-line sequence felt like a gut punch, and later drives stalled the same way. Lamar didn’t sugarcoat it afterwards either — they were right there, knocking on the door, and just flat-out failed to cash in. In a game this tight, those empty red-zone trips might as well be turnovers.

Now, the Ravens will face off against the Chiefs in week 4. This means that at least one out of these two teams will go home with a 1-3 record.