The Baltimore Ravens have survived an 0-2 start and now sit at .500 four games into the season.
It’s been a roller-coaster ride already — the Ravens could easily be 4-0 with better fourth-quarter execution. Of course, they could just as easily be 1-3 as they nearly choked away a Week 3 win over the Cowboys.
Despite the inconsistency, the Ravens probably can’t ask for too much better, considering the difficulty of their early schedule: three games against teams that went a combined 34-17 last season.
With a Week 5 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals approaching, and a chance to get above .500, we took a look at the Ravens’ biggest winners and losers after four games.
Winners:
Derrick Henry RB
Perhaps the biggest winner of the first four weeks, Henry already looks like the NFL’s best offseason signing. The Ravens have leaned on the 30-year-old running back in the last three weeks and he has produced 434 yards and 4 rushing touchdowns. If Henry keeps up this pace all season, he’ll finish with over 2,000 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns. He’s the MVP through the first quarter of the season.
Roger Rosengarten, RT
With so many questions along the offensive line, Rosengarten, the second-round pick out of Washington, has been a bright spot. Rosengarten has had his rookie mistakes, but he has generally blocked well while playing in a rotation with Patrick Mekari. In Week 2, he successfully stopped Maxx Crosby on several occasions. In Week 4, making his first start, Rosengarten laid a big block on the first play of the game to make way for an 87-yard touchdown run by Henry.
Nate Wiggins, CB
The Ravens’ first-round draft pick looks the part of a future star at cornerback. Wiggins has already played himself into a starting role, even in Baltimore’s deep secondary. He’s gotten excellent coverage grades from Pro Football Focus. While Wiggins has already dropped multiple interceptions, it’s a good sign that he’s getting his hands on balls — the picks are going to come.
Kyle Van Noy, LB
The 33-year-old linebacker may be one of the NFL’s best values. After a career-high nine sacks last year, Van Noy re-signed with the Ravens on a two-year, $ 9 million deal this offseason. This year, he already has six sacks this season in 3.5 games. He was named AFC Defensive Player of the Month for September.
Travis Jones, DE
As The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec highlighted, Jones has been highly disruptive to opposing quarterbacks, even if he doesn’t have the counting stats to show it. Jones is frequently beating opposing offensive linemen and hurrying up quarterbacks. Like Wiggins, the counting stats are going to come.
Odafe Oweh, LB
Oweh was predicted to be a breakout player this year, and he’s followed through. Oweh is second on the team with 3.5 sacks. He also has a forced fumble. Oweh has been disruptive as a defender and is helping fill the void left by Jadeveon Clowney.
Losers:
Mark Andrews, TE
It’s been an alarminly quiet start for Andrews, who has gone without a catch in back-to-back games. The 29-year-old tight end, long Lamar Jackson’s favorite target, has just six catches for 65 yards this season and no touchdowns. Andrews has done an excellent job blocking, and remains confident that his catches will come. But it certainly hasn’t been the start anyone would have expected.
Ben Cleveland, RG
Cleveland found himself in the crosshairs of an offensive line battle, as fans called for him to start while right guard Daniel Faalele struggled. Instead, John Harbaugh said Cleveland hasn’t earned the starting job and continued to keep Cleveland in a bench role. He’s played just two offensive snaps this season.
Justin Tucker, K
One of the greatest kickers of all-time is struggling from deep. Tucker is just 5-of-8 on field goals this year, and dating back to last season, just one of seven on field goals from 50-plus yards. Harbaugh has said Tucker has a slight mechanical issue that the team is figuring out and has projected confidence that Tucker will return to form. Ravens fans, however, are feeling decreasing confidence when Tucker goes to line up for a field goal.
John Harbaugh, HC
It’s been a choppy start for Harbaugh. He used two challenges poorly in a Week 2 collapse to the Raiders, which added to his poor record of blown fourth quarter leads. His blunt assessment of Cleveland’s play was a rare misstep with the media for the veteran coach. In Week 4, Harbaugh made the mistake of calling back-to-back timeouts, which is a penalty, and gave the Bills the ball. Luckily, for him, it had little impact on the game, but it was still a head-scratching, careless blunder (one which he took blame for later on).
Harbaugh isn’t on the hot seat, and his team has turned things around, but the 2024 season hasn’t been his strongest coaching performance.
Marcus Williams, S
Williams has had a slow start by his standards. As Baltimore Banner’s Jonash Shaffer highlighted, Williams is being moved around the field in different ways, and it hasn’t seemed to suit him. Through four games, the veteran safety has just a 43.6 grade from PFF, way below average, while the Ravens pass defense has struggled.
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