Two Fatal Flaws the Ravens Must Fix Heading Into the Offseason
The Ravens' 2024-25 season came to a crushing end once again in the playoffs, this time with a 27-25 Divisional Round defeat to the Buffalo Bills. The franchise and its fans have grown accustomed to playoff disappointment in recent seasons, marked by crucial self-inflicted wounds that have ended their campaigns, most notably against the Chiefs and Bills in back-to-back years. Despite their dominant regular-season success, led by a top-tier offense and a defense that made major strides in the latter half of the season, two key issues have consistently plagued Baltimore in recent playoff performances, resulting in early exits that fell short of expectations. If the Ravens hope to finally clear the hurdle and reach the Super Bowl for the first time with Lamar Jackson at the helm, they must address two fatal flaws: playoff turnovers and season-long penalty woes.
The Ravens' offense, one of the NFL’s best units this season, ranked first in both total yards per game and rushing yards, while also averaging the third-most points per game at 30.5. However, despite their regular-season success, the offense faltered when it mattered most in their playoff loss to the Bills due to turnovers. In that game, the Ravens' ball security completely collapsed at critical moments, starting with Jackson’s first-half interception and fumble. Tight end Mark Andrews, who has been Jackson’s most reliable target since they entered the league, contributed two game-deciding mistakes: a fumble and a dropped potential game-tying two-point conversion late in the contest.
From an efficiency standpoint, the Ravens' offense was far better than the Bills, who became the first team to lose a game despite several impressive offensive marks, including rushing for over 175 yards, completing over 70% of their passes, averaging 10 yards per pass, converting 70% of third downs, and having no punts or missed field goals. However, once again, costly turnovers proved to be the Ravens' fatal flaw, leading to their elimination. These haunting postseason turnovers have been a consistent issue for Baltimore, as they’ve struggled with both ball security and forcing takeaways on defense, holding a -13 turnover differential in their six playoff losses since 2018. Heading into the offseason, head coach John Harbaugh, his staff, and the players must find a solution to this turnover problem, focusing on making better decisions under pressure and maintaining composure in high-stakes playoff situations.
Along with turnovers, the Ravens' penalty woes were a season-long problem that prevented Baltimore’s offense from firing on all cylinders week in and week out, and also contributed to some of the defense’s early-season struggles. This season, the Ravens ranked near the top of a category no team wants to lead: penalties and penalty yards per game. In 2024-25, the Ravens committed 132 penalties, tied for the second-most in the league, with only the New York Jets ahead of them at 137. On top of that, the Ravens allowed the second-most penalty yards per game, averaging 61.9. Throughout the season, they consistently shot themselves in the foot with ill-timed and avoidable infractions, particularly in critical games. For instance, in their Week 11 divisional matchup against the Steelers, the Ravens were flagged 12 times, resulting in an 18-16 loss.
This defeat played a role in the Ravens having to travel to Buffalo as the third seed instead of hosting the Bills, had they finished the regular season with the same record or better. If the Ravens hope to eliminate these drive-killing penalties and game-deciding infractions, they will need to address their undisciplined play in the offseason and training camp. Head coach John Harbaugh has cited this undisciplined nature as a major reason they were one of the most penalized teams. By addressing these two issues, playoff turnovers and excessive penalties, the Ravens will be better positioned to take advantage of their talent-rich roster, unlock their full potential, and finally break through the playoff failures that have haunted them in recent years.
