BALTIMORE — After most games at M&T Bank Stadium, fans gather above the stairs that lead to the Baltimore Ravens‘ home locker room. This is the place where coach John Harbaugh has celebrated many of his greatest victories by slapping hands with supporters and waving to them in jubilation.
Earlier this month, Harbaugh walked off the field following a 44-10 loss to the Houston Texans and heard a chorus of boos, which served as a reminder of how a season loaded with expectations had unraveled so unexpectedly.
WATCH: Ravens end painful 44-10 loss to Texans as John Harbaugh hears boos off the field. pic.twitter.com/5y2LJxabKg
— Morgan Adsit (@MorganAdsit) October 5, 2025
“When people look back and say, ‘Hey, when things were the toughest, when things looked the worst, how did you handle it?'” Harbaugh recently said. “I’m looking for people to come out fighting and give their best in those kinds of situations. That’s what you have to do. When you do that, you come out the other end.”
Only 1% of teams in NFL history have started 1-5 or worse and rebounded to make the playoffs — although ESPN Analytics gives the Ravens a 43.2% chance of winning the wide-open AFC North. With QB Tyler Huntley filling in for injured Lamar Jackson, Baltimore took a step toward a turnaround with a 30-16 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Those inside the organization believe this Ravens team can defy these challenging odds because of Jackson’s impending return, improving health, a favorable schedule and Harbaugh’s leadership.
When Baltimore plays at the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video), the Ravens can prove to the football world that they’re capable of a historic run.
The Ravens (2-5) are convinced they can rebound from one of the most tumultuous starts in franchise history, which has been defined by a fourth-quarter collapse in Buffalo, some humbling blowout losses and a violation of the NFL’s injury report policy involving Jackson.
During training camp, Harbaugh was asked if this season was Super Bowl or bust. Now, despite the season not being halfway over, the question is whether Baltimore can reach the postseason at all.
“I feel like getting into this position — and we haven’t really been in this position [before] — it’s easy to kind of put your head down and mail it in,” Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton said. “But we still feel like we’re talented enough to make the playoffs [and] make some magic when we do.”
Ron Rivera, the coach of the last team to start 1-5 and make the postseason, can see the Ravens following the footsteps of his 2020 Washington Football Team.
“There’s enough guys on that team with veteran experience and veteran pride that, if they get a little momentum, they can be dangerous,” Rivera said. “They really can because of who they are. They’re a physical football team. And playing that style, you can wear people down, especially as you start getting later into the season.”
LAST WEEK, RAVENS outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy was asked how much of a spark the return of Jackson would bring.
Van Noy paused, tilted his head and raised his right eyebrow.
“Do I even answer that question?,” Van Noy replied. “I think the answer to that, it’s almost disrespectful to him.”
The Ravens expect Jackson, who has missed the last three games with a right hamstring injury, to start Thursday at Miami.
The two-time Most Valuable Player is among the league’s biggest X factors. Since Jackson became Baltimore’s starting quarterback midway through the 2018 season, the Ravens are 74-32 (.698) with Jackson and 5-12 (.294) without him.
Jackson emphatically nodded his head when he was asked whether it’s going to feel like playoff time for the rest of the season.
“Coach [John Harbaugh] touched on that with us in a team meeting: Each and every game going to be like a win-or-go-home game,” Jackson said. “It’s the first season ever starting off this slow. It’s do-or-die right now, each and every week.”
Before injuring his hamstring Sept. 28, Jackson again was playing at an MVP level. He led the NFL with a 130.5 passer rating, throwing 10 touchdowns and one interception.
This is the time of the season when Jackson has spearheaded many hot streaks. Jackson has a 39-10 career record (.795) after Week 9, with 110 total touchdowns and 24 interceptions.
In his first season with the Ravens, Jackson took over a 4-5 team and won six of seven games to lead Baltimore to the AFC North title. Last season, the Ravens trailed the division-leading Steelers by two games in Week 14 before Jackson guided Baltimore to four straight victories to capture the AFC North again.
“I feel like we always have a chance to make something happen,” Jackson said. “And we still do.”
“He is the most electric player in the sport,” tight end Charlie Kolar said. “So obviously we’re excited to get him back.”
Since the Ravens drafted Jackson with the last pick in the first round of the 2018 draft, the only season they haven’t reached the playoffs was 2021, when he was sidelined for the last four games with an ankle injury. Jackson has won four AFC North titles in the five regular seasons he has finished.
IN 2018, THE Indianapolis Colts were so banged up in Week 5 that they couldn’t fill up the game-day roster. Indianapolis had eight injured players and only seven spots on the inactive list.
After a 1-5 start, the Colts began to get healthier and won nine of their last 10 games to clinch a wild-card berth.
Since the first NFL postseason in 1933, only four of 358 teams — which amounts to 1.1% — made the playoffs after starting 1-5 or worse, according to ESPN Research. Those teams were the 2018 Colts, along with the 1970 Cincinnati Bengals, the 2015 Kansas City Chiefs and the 2020 Washington Football Team.
“Once everybody bought in, that’s when everything started rolling,” Colts defensive tackle Grover Stewart said this month of those 2018 Colts. “It just felt different. You could tell the whole energy in the locker room was just crazy. We felt like we were the baddest when we went out there “
In 2020, the turning point for the Washington Football Team was the return of quarterback Alex Smith. After overcoming a compound leg fracture that almost cost him his right leg, Smith helped the team capture the NFC East by winning five of six starts.
“I think the guys fed off of his energy, his toughness, his want to be out there and play,” Rivera said. “I thought that was a really big deal for us.”
The Ravens can relate to the Colts and the Washington Football Team. In that 34-point loss to the Texans on Oct. 5, Baltimore was without its six highest-paid players because of injuries: Jackson, Hamilton, defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike, offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley, cornerback Marlon Humphrey and middle linebacker Roquan Smith.
Now, the Ravens should have everyone back from injury against Miami except for Madubuike, who is out for the season with a serious neck injury. Baltimore hasn’t been this healthy since the start of the season.
“I feel like we’re all rejuvenated, so it was very beneficial for everyone [to get] more healthy,” Roquan Smith said. “We all know who we are and who we need to be, play in and play out and game in and game out.”
HARBAUGH SMILED WHEN he was asked whether he took time out of his bye week to calculate how many wins the Ravens need to make the playoffs.
“It’s not that hard to figure out,” Harbaugh said. “It’s pretty simple math. I don’t have to think that long about it, to be honest with you.”
Harbaugh didn’t specify an exact win total, but the target is likely 10 victories. Since the current playoff format started in 2020, 10-win teams made the postseason 88% of the time while only 40% of nine-win teams earned berths. For Baltimore to get to 10 victories, the Ravens will need to win eight of their next 10 games.
The Ravens benefit from a much easier schedule going forward. Baltimore’s first seven games were ranked the second toughest in the league, according to ESPN Analytics.
Over the final 10 games, the Ravens’ strength of schedule is 24th in the NFL. ESPN Analytics has Baltimore favored in its next eight games: at Miami, at Minnesota, at Cleveland, vs. New York Jets, vs. Cincinnati, vs. Pittsburgh, at Cincinnati and vs. New England. ESPN BET lists their over/under as 8.5 wins.
“Everybody can say what they want about our schedule being tough or this and that or whatever, but at a certain point, we’re going to have to beat these teams anyway in the playoffs,” Hamilton said. “So, I don’t really like that excuse. I think we should go out and win every game that we play. For it to be a scheduling thing or the schedule quote-unquote ‘lightens up’ later … I don’t really like that perspective at all because everybody in this league is good.”
Baltimore currently trails Pittsburgh (4-3) by two games, but the AFC North title is essentially a coin flip at this point. According to ESPN Analytics, the Steelers’ chances of winning the division are 46.9% and the Ravens’ chances are 43.2%.
Excluding the two head-to-head matchups between Baltimore and Pittsburgh, the Ravens’ remaining opponents have a combined record of 25-36-1 (.414) and the Steelers’ remaining opponents have a combined mark of 33-28 (.540).
The players say the mantra coming off last week’s bye is: “New season, new us.” But Hamilton doesn’t entirely buy into that.
“It’s kind of a double-edged sword, because you want to [be] forward-thinking and go 1-0, but in the grand scheme of things, we’re 2-5,” Hamilton said. “If you would’ve told me in Week 8 we’d be rejoicing about a win to get to 2-5, I’d be like, ‘That’s B.S. You’re lying. It couldn’t be possible,’ but here we are. So, we have to acknowledge where we’re at, but I love the outlook. It puts pressure on us, which I think we will be able to deliver on.”
THE RAVENS HAD just started training camp in late July when Harbaugh received an unexpected text. He looked at his phone to see a message from Huntley, a free agent at the time, who wanted to see whether he could return to Baltimore. Huntley was with the Ravens from 2020 to 2023.
Harbaugh called Huntley immediately.
“You’re in these battles and fights together, and the relationships are built and they do last forever,” Harbaugh later said. “You always have those moments that live on. And so, when someone calls you or texts, you talk about — you’re right back in that moment.”
Huntley eventually signed with the Cleveland Browns for a 19-day stint before joining Baltimore on Aug. 27. Then, two months later, Huntley stepped in for Jackson on Sunday to help the Ravens win their first game in 42 days.
When players are asked about Harbaugh’s strengths, they typically bring up his communication.
Last week, Harbaugh moved from his usual spot where he watches special teams practice and spoke at length to cornerback Jaire Alexander. During the final minutes of Sunday’s game, Harbaugh walked up to Smith and gave him a hug as the Ravens beat the Bears, Smith’s former team.
“He is one of the best coaches in the league for a reason,” center Tyler Linderbaum said.
In the midst of his 18th season, Harbaugh is currently the NFL’s second-longest-tenured coach behind Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin, who was hired one year earlier. Under Harbaugh, the Ravens have enjoyed their greatest success, with a Super Bowl triumph in 2012 and a dozen playoff berths.
But, as players and coaches have acknowledged, this rocky start has tested everyone. In the second half of a 17-3 loss to the Rams on Oct. 12, a chant of “Fire Harbaugh” could be faintly heard.
Instead of being upset, Harbaugh is focused on the fight it will take for his team to pull off one of the most challenging comebacks in NFL history.
“I know how much [fans] care and how much they want us to be great — and even when they’re frustrated, and even if they say things that are hurtful — it’s OK, because that’s our job,” Harbaugh said. “It’s also going to be great — it’s going to be wonderful — when things are rolling again, and they can enjoy it like they’re supposed to, and that’s why we’re working so hard to get it where it needs to be.”
