Short-handed, skidding Ravens reach pivotal point of season after 44-10 loss to Houston

Audio By Carbonatix

BALTIMORE (AP) — Decimated by injuries and burdened by a porous defense, the Baltimore Ravens are playing poorly while stumbling to their worst start in a decade.

Even more worrisome: By the time the Ravens get some of their impact players back, it may be too late for them to salvage a season that began with expectations of a deep playoff run.

Playing Sunday without quarterback Lamar Jackson and several other key starters, Baltimore fell to 1-4 after being dominated by the Houston Texans in an ugly 44-10 defeat.

Cooper Rush was inadequate as Jackson's replacement, and the short-handed defense yielded 417 yards — including 167 on the ground. Houston was also 1-3 coming in, which made the ease in which the Texans manhandled Baltimore even more distasteful to the home fans.

“We got to get our (stuff) together,” linebacker Kyle Van Noy said. “Coaches can give us the plays, but we’ve got to execute.”

Sure, the Ravens played Sunday without many of their best players. Jackson, fullback Patrick Ricard, offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley, linebacker Roquan Smith, and defensive backs Kyle Hamilton and Marlon Humphrey were all inactive because of injuries.

“We had good enough players out there to play a lot better than we did,” coach John Harbaugh insisted.

The offense didn't score a touchdown until the outcome was basically decided, and the league's 31st-ranked defense was throttled by a team that Baltimore beat 31-2 last Christmas. In their losses this season, the Ravens have given up 40, 38, 37 and 44 points.

Houston averaged 5 yards a carry against a unit ranked 27th against the run.

“This run defense, it’s not OK,” Harbaugh said. “We haven’t fixed that all year yet. That’s the No. 1 thing.”

Houston scored on its first eight possessions. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud went 23 for 27 for 244 yards and four touchdowns, matching the total of TD throws he had in his four previous games. After Stroud's last scoring pass made it 41-10, many of the few thousand fans still in their seats booed lustily.

Not that the offense provided much to cheer about. Baltimore got a field goal on its first possession but didn't score again until it was 34-3. Rush went 14 for 20 for 179 yards and three interceptions.

He got little support from Derrick Henry, who was limited to 33 yards on 15 carries.

The only other time the Ravens started 1-4 was in 2015, when they finished 5-11. This group has no intention of going down a similar rocky path.

“No one wants to be here, but it’s where we’re at and we’ve got to dig ourselves out of it,” Rush said. “We have the guys that can do it, we have the staff that can do it. You just have to do it now. You kind of get tired of saying it every week. Time to get on it.”

The 34-point drubbing matched the worst home loss in Ravens history, a 41-7 lashing by New England in 2013.

“Obviously, we got beat in every way you can get beat,” Harbaugh said. “Just a complete disappointment.”

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL