Ravens Hit Hard: Costly Loss to Buffalo Makes a Tough Season Even Harder

The Baltimore Ravens had a terrible Sunday, losing 36-10 to the Buffalo Bills to drop their third game in a row. It was already a tough loss, but things got much worse when star quarterback Lamar Jackson hurt his thumb on the very first play of the game and never came back. The Ravens struggled all afternoon, finishing with just 144 total yards while Buffalo racked up 426. Baltimore now sits at 4-4 on the season, right in the middle of the pack — and not in a good spot.

Jackson had just come back from missing three games with an ankle injury, so losing him again right away was a big blow. To make things even harder, backup quarterback Tyler Huntley hurt his toe in the second quarter and had to leave too. That forced the Ravens to use undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano, who had almost no NFL experience. Baltimore also turned the ball over three times, which helped Buffalo pull far ahead.

After the game, head coach Jesse Minter confirmed the bad news about Jackson. The star quarterback will need surgery on his thumb and will be placed on injured reserve. That means he will miss at least four more games, and there is a chance he might not play again this season at all. Losing your best player for that long is a huge problem for any team trying to make the playoffs.

Huntley's injury added another layer of worry for Baltimore. He was considered one of the best backup quarterbacks in the entire league and was seen as a solid fill-in for Jackson because they play in a similar style. Without both Jackson and Huntley healthy, Fagnano is now the only quarterback available on the Ravens' roster. That is a very thin situation for a team that still has a lot of important games left to play.

CBS Sports analyst Bryant McFadden, a former NFL cornerback, did not hold back when asked about Baltimore's chances going forward. "Their season is disco dead. It's a wrap for me," McFadden said on air. He pointed out that even if the Ravens found another quarterback, that player would not be as good as Jackson or Huntley. He also noted that the defense has allowed at least 35 points in two games in a row, which is a serious problem no matter who is playing quarterback.

The Ravens now sit at the bottom of the AFC North division. The Pittsburgh Steelers lead the division at 6-2, followed by the Cincinnati Bengals at 5-2 and the Cleveland Browns at 5-3. Baltimore is at .500, meaning they have won just as many games as they have lost. That is not where a team with Super Bowl hopes expected to be halfway through the season.

Their upcoming schedule does not make things any easier. The Jacksonville Jaguars come to town on Thursday — just four days away — and then the Los Angeles Chargers visit Baltimore the following week. After that, the Ravens face road trips to play the Carolina Panthers and Houston Texans, then host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The final stretch of the season is four straight games inside the division, which are always tough matchups. Mathematically, Baltimore is not out of the playoff race yet, but the road back is going to be very steep without their starting quarterback leading the way.