The Ravens spent the summer talking Super Bowl. But three weeks in, they’re a 1–2 mess, and Lamar Jackson is basically the only thing keeping the lights on. The defense? Arguably the worst in the league. But here’s where it gets interesting: The Athletic‘s Zak Keefer says that Lamar, in a way, is at fault for the Ravens conceding 30 points every game.

“This isn’t the Ravens defense we’ve come to know,” Keefer said. “This is a leaky unit that’s faded late in losses to the Buffalo Bills and Lions. As spectacular as Lamar Jackson can be, the quick, efficient drives he leads mean his defense has to be on the field more, which is part of the reason Baltimore is somewhere no one thought it would be: sub-.500 three games into the season,” The Athletic pointed out.

Is that fair to Lamar? Sure, the defense has to be more on the pitch because of his drives, but does that justify being the worst defense in the league? Being on the field more shouldn’t always equate to conceding more than thirty points each game. It might be less about Lamar and more about the defensive structure. And Nnamdi Madubuike‘s absence isn’t really helping the defense in peril.

It’s a situation the Ravens aren’t used to, considering the fact that he hasn’t missed a game (through injury) since his rookie season five years ago. When someone who’s played 55 consecutive games is sidelined, it takes time getting used to it. And the Ravens players know what this absence means.

“It would hurt any team. He’s one of the best defensive tackles in this whole entire league. He’s somebody that I love watching his game, love studying his game, so it hurts. It hurts not having an All-Pro defender out there,” lineman Aeneas Peebles said.

Basically, you could pin the blame on anyone but Lamar Jackson. And Lamar might be the only reason why the Ravens haven’t been absolutely battered in every game they’ve played so far.

The Ravens couldn’t live up to the offseason hype, but Lamar is backing up those MVP predictions. He’s racked up 722 passing yards, nine touchdowns, and zero picks so far this season. In the loss to the Lions, he accounted for three TDs and a 77.8 completion rate.

And what did he get in return? A pass rush that allowed him to be sacked seven times in just one game. That makes it 12 sacks in three games so far this season. And he’s thrown zero interceptions, which means fewer or no turnovers for the defense to deal with.

And for a quarterback that’s putting up MVP numbers, he deserves a defense that can at least not get outscored every single game.

Ravens’ defense by numbers

Sure, you could make the case that a high-powered offense like Lamar’s keeps the defense on the field more, which naturally leads to giving up a few extra points. But when you’re scraping the bottom of almost every defensive stat imaginable, it’s clear there’s something deeper going on. If John Harbaugh hasn’t sounded the alarm yet, you can bet he’ll be hitting red panic buttons the second he dives into these numbers.

The Ravens’ offense is averaging a ridiculous 37 points per game, the best in the NFL, but they’re also 31st in the league in points allowed. Pick a defensive stat, any stat: 415 total yards allowed per game, 266 through the air, 149 on the ground. Bottom three across the board.

Since Lamar became the Ravens’ full-time QB in 2019, Monday’s loss to the Lions ranks as one of the absolute worst defensive performances in a single game. Sixth worst, to be exact. And that wasn’t even the season low. Week 2 against the Browns? Third-worst success rate allowed since 2019. Week 1 vs. the Bills? Yeah, not much better. Basically, the defense is in full-blown chaos mode, and Ravens fans are just holding on for dear life.

John Harbaugh needs to find a fix before the Chiefs game.