The Baltimore Ravens had a pathetic performance in Week 5 against the Houston Texans, losing their fourth game of the season by a score of 44-10. It was the fourth time the defense has given up 37-plus points, and the second straight week where the offense has shown incompetence over the course of the game.
Despite the recent disappointing showings from the offense, the defense remains the most glaring issue. No one stepped up to the occasion with all the injuries, as C.J. Stroud and Houston’s offense, which was one of the more stagnant units through the first month, were nearly flawless through the air and on the ground.
Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr has been on the hot seat in Ravens’ fans’ eyes since the start of the season, when Baltimore blew a 15-point lead late in the fourth quarter to the Buffalo Bills in Week 1. However, Orr was given the benefit of the doubt, as the defense struggled in the first half last season, too, before he constructed one of the best late-season turnarounds. This year, though, the defense looks like a lost cause no matter who takes the field.
Following Sunday’s loss, Head Coach John Harbaugh backed his defensive coordinator, highlighting that while they search for answers on the defensive side, changing the coaching staff does not appear to be a move that would make progress.
“You try to do the most productive things, and I do not think that is the answer,” Harbaugh said. “We got to go to work, is what we need to do. We need to stick together…We need to find ourselves. It has to do with the coaches and players together.”
John Harbaugh believes Zach Orr is still the right man for the job
The injuries have undoubtedly hurt the defense in the past two weeks. The Ravens have faced two struggling offenses in the Kansas City Chiefs and Texans in that stretch, and each has looked like a well-oiled machine. Sure, the losses of Marlon Humphrey, Roquan Smith, and others have an effect, but they are still a professional football team and have not looked close to that.
Even when the unit was healthy, they were having trouble getting off the field. Baltimore has forced an average of three punts per game, which ranks sixth-worst in the NFL.
In many cases, those numbers could be attributed to the defense forcing turnovers or the game being a blowout, but that has not happened this year. Excluding a Week 2 blowout win over the Cleveland Browns, where they forced two, the Ravens have forced zero turnovers.
These issues have been a constant for Orr through 24 games as a defensive coordinator (including postseason play). His seat is certainly hot, but with Harbaugh’s reassurance, it does not sound like he will be out of a job any time soon. In the offseason, though, there is no telling what the future of Baltimore’s coaching staff could look like.
