Head Coach John Harbaugh’s Ravens aren’t ready to let another defensive letdown define their season. This isn’t going to be another year where hype meets heartbreak. Instead, there’s a clear shift happening right now. No longer will they wait until Week 10 for a wake-up call and some dramatic turnaround.

Veteran linebacker Odafe Oweh summed up the sentiment clearly: “Everyone can’t be trying to make a play at the same time,” Odafe Oweh said. “… You got to think about the whole team, the back end to the secondary. They’re depending on us being in our run lanes.” Oweh is clear in his messaging. Everyone has to do their job well. As planned, as talked about in the locker room. Not everyone needs to be a hero.

After the loss, the Ravens held a team dinner, planned well before the Week 1 loss, along with several meetings aimed at fixing their defensive woes. Where he further said, “Just because something happened last year doesn’t mean we got to repeat it. We have wisdom. We can use that and understand how we felt last year, and we don’t need that to happen again.” Clearly affected, and wanting a change in the way how leads are being blown by the team.

Cornerback Marlon Humphrey addressed the situation after the game from the locker room by saying, “We’re not going to be repeat offenders,” Humphrey said. “It’s not going to be a situation where somebody’s been doing something wrong and nothing gets said. … If you’re doing things right, you’re going to play. And if you’re not doing things right, you’re not going to play.” The message is clear: this won’t be another season where the defense arrives with significant hype only to disappoint in crucial moments. The unit is determined to prove itself early, refusing to wait until Week 10 to demonstrate its capabilities.

Harbaugh also called out the defense in no uncertain terms. As Humphrey revealed, Harbaugh told the team they weren’t mature enough. Surprisingly, the starting defense carries a strange mix of experience: only three players — safety Malaki Starks, cornerback Nate Wiggins, and linebacker Trenton Simpson — have fewer than four years in the league. On the flip side, seven defenders have been around the block longer than that. So the issue isn’t youth but mindset.

Interestingly, the defensive game plan preached takeaways all offseason, but Week 1 told a different story. Zero takeaways. Despite several dropped interceptions, the problems ran deeper. Losing defensive tackle Michael Pierce to retirement hurt more than expected. The Ravens allowed the Bills to rush for 108 yards and three touchdowns, even though Buffalo averaged just 3.5 yards per carry. To put that in perspective, Baltimore gave up more than 100 rushing yards and multiple rushing touchdowns only once last season, in Week 13 against the Eagles.

Still, the biggest red flag from Sunday Night Football comes from the secondary. This was supposed to be the Ravens’ biggest strength. Instead, three Bills receivers racked up 237 receiving yards on 29 targets. So, this game raised real concerns. And also keep highlighting a troubling John Harbaugh trend.

Familiar frustration for John Harbaugh

Even after blowing a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 41-40 loss, the Ravens still looked like a top-five team because of their offense. Yet the numbers tell a different story under John Harbaugh. Since 2008, his Ravens have blown 17 double-digit leads in the second half, the most by any head coach since at least 1991. That’s a staggering mark for a team built on toughness and pride.

From those 17 double-digit leads, more than half have come since 2020. Quarterback Lamar Jackson has been an under-center for eight of those heartbreakers, which only raises more questions about execution in critical moments. While talent is never the issue, Baltimore keeps finding ways to let big wins slip away late.

Even Tom Brady expressed reservations about Baltimore’s championship credentials during his power rankings discussion. “It was a tough one to rank,” Brady said of the Ravens. “At times on Sunday night, they looked like they were in mid-season form. But that fourth quarter was something I’ve seen a few too many times from Baltimore.” Brady’s comments suggest concern about the Ravens’ late-game execution, highlighting a recurring pattern that gives him pause about their contender status.

At the same time, the irony is hard to miss. You must be a good football team to even build leads large enough to blow. The Ravens have stacked wins over the past few seasons, posting a 35-20 record since 2022, including the playoffs. Still, success in the standings doesn’t erase the recurring theme. These blown leads continue to leave a mark on Harbaugh’s reputation. One of the longest-running head coaches, 17 years, Harbaugh has to put an end to this trend and make sure they don’t blow huge leads and end up on the losing side.

Finally, Sunday’s game showed that the offense is loaded once again. Jackson delivered 209 passing yards with two touchdowns on just 19 throws, plus 70 rushing yards and another score. Running back Derrick Henry looked unstoppable with 169 yards at 9.4 yards per carry and two touchdowns, though his fourth-quarter fumble proved costly. With the pressure mounting, Harbaugh can’t afford to let this trend keep defining his Ravens.