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Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens talks to Lamar Jackson.

Nothing has gone right for the Baltimore Ravens during the 2025 NFL season, with the team getting off to a slow start and then losing superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson to a hamstring injury, leading to a drastic decline for the AFC heavyweights.

With the Ravens having lost four straight games heading into Week 8’s matchup against the Chicago Bears, head coach John Harbaugh and his coaching staff desperately wanted to get their superstar quarterback back on the field to help salvage this season.

Ahead of the matchup with the Bears, it seemed Jackson was trending toward playing after he was reported as a full participant in Friday’s practice, which almost always indicates a player is ready to return to the field. Harbaugh then changed Jackson to a limited participant on Saturday, and that has created some controversy since Tyler Huntley got the nod to start against Chicago.

John Harbaugh Addresses Controversy About Lamar Jackson

GettyQuarterback Lamar Jackson #8 and head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens.

With Harbaugh creating some controversy with Jackson’s status change, the Ravens’ head coach addressed the topic after getting the win over the Bears on Sunday.

“I’m not involved in those rules,” Harbaugh said during the postgame press conference. “I don’t know those particular rules. That was probably, I think in their defense, you know, he practiced a full practice. I think they felt like, because he did the same number of reps, it was a full practice. But when you dig in and you read the rule, at the end of the day, it wasn’t right. So that’s what it was. That’s why as soon as we found out, we changed it.”

Harbaugh believes it was nothing more than an “honest mistake,” which he and the team tried to fix.

“It really is an honest mistake. I can tell you this: Nobody’s trying to hide anything. There’s no advantage to be gained with that.”

It’ll be interesting to see if the NFL elects to punish the Ravens for the mistake, which will likely be determined early next week.

In the meantime, the Ravens appear to be back on track offensively, after scoring only three points in the loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Huntley got the job done, passing for 186 yards and one touchdown while rushing for 53 yards on eight carries.

Can the Ravens Salvage Their Season?

GettyLamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens.

With the win over the Bears in the books, the Ravens are sitting at 2-5 heading into Week 9’s matchup on the road against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on Thurs. Oct. 30.

If Jackson is ready to go, the team is in an ideal position to bounce back with a vengeance and put together a string of wins. The Dolphins are coming off an impressive win against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 8, but there’s no question that Baltimore is the better all-around team.

That said, the Jackson-led Ravens have a chance to secure the win on the road in a short week while taking advantage of a struggling Miami squad. It will be the first of three straight road games, which will all be against teams currently sitting below .500, starting with the Dolphins (2-5), Minnesota Vikings (3-4) and Cleveland Browns (2-6)

Baltimore will have a chance to turn things around before it’s too late, as they’ll be expected to win all three of these road games, especially if a healthy Jackson is back under center.

Ryan Ward is a longtime credentialed writer covering the NBA and NFL. He has over 15 years of experience in the sports industry from writing, editing, social media management and podcasting. He has covered the Lakers and Raiders for Medium Large Sports, with a previous stint at ClutchPoints. Ward is a Los Angeles native from the United Kingdom, who now resides in Colorado. More about Ryan Ward

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