Ravens Don’t Think Firing DC Zach Orr Is ‘The Answer’

Things have gone from bad to worse in Baltimore. An extremely tough opening slate that included trips to Buffalo and Kansas City in Weeks 1 & 4, not to mention a matchup with the Lions in Week 3, resulted in a less than ideal 1-3 start. Today’s blowout loss to the Texans has put Baltimore in rare territory as they’ve given up 40 points per game against teams not from Cleveland. Still, defensive coordinator Zach Orr‘s job appears safe for now.

In Week 1, the Ravens looked to be on their way towards a big win over the Bills, going up 40-25 with just under 12 minutes remaining. The Bills rattled off three straight scoring drives to win the game 41-40 and leave the Ravens sitting with a very familiar feeling. Over the last few years, Baltimore has seen several double-digit late-game leads disappear, but these games have usually been outliers.

Despite Mike Macdonald‘s defenses also been susceptible to the occasional late-game collapse, his two years coordinating for the Ravens saw the team give up the third-fewest points in 2022 and the fewest points in 2023. When Orr took over, there appeared to be a bit of a learning curve. Through the first 10 weeks of the season, Baltimore’s defense was 25th in scoring defense, 27th in total defense, and 32nd in pass defense. Orr made adjustments, players stepped up, and over the last six weeks of the season, the Ravens ranked 1st in all three categories to end up with the ninth-best scoring defense and 10th-best total defense in the NFL.

That made the late-game collapse in Buffalo all the more shocking. It seemed Orr had figured things out, but even though there were few personnel changes, it appeared the defense was back to its woeful ways of starting the season slow. A strong Week 2 performance from the defense gave a bit of hope for a quicker rebound than the prior year, but a 38-point outing for Detroit in the Ravens’ house brought some concern back into the picture.

A second factor began to emerge, though. Injuries began to stack up. Highly paid defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike and pass rusher Kyle Van Noy were the first absences that hurt the team’s ability to get to the quarterback. While Van Noy made his return today, Madubuike will miss the rest of the season, and he was joined on injured reserve by his fellow defensive tackle Broderick Washington. Madubuike’s fellow starter on the line, Travis Jones, would avoid IR but was also ruled out in Week 4, leaving a thin defensive front against Patrick Mahomes, a quarterback who thrives on extending the play.

The game against the Chiefs saw several additional injuries take out one starter after another. Already down three starters to open the game, at some point linebacker Roquan Smith and cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins all left the game. Injuries to left tackle Ronnie Stanley and star quarterback Lamar Jackson also affected the offense’s ability to give the defense a rest with long drives, leaving a depleted, exhausted unit on the field.

In today’s matchup against the Texans, five starters (Madubuike, Smith, Humphrey, cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, and star safety Kyle Hamilton) were not available to play. Jackson was held out, as well, resulting in the team’s worst loss since an injury-riddled 2021 campaign.

The 2024 Panthers set a record by allowing the most points in NFL history (534); the Ravens are on pace to allow 602. The 1966 Giants hold the all-time record for most points allowed per game, giving up 501 points in a 14-game season for a 35.79 average; Baltimore is currently allowing 35.4.

The issue could absolutely be on Orr’s shoulders. The early issues against Buffalo and Detroit can hardly be attributed to injuries, but the litany of injuries in the past two weeks have made it hard to blame the scheme and play-calling. Regardless, when asked, head coach John Harbaugh told the media he “does not think firing Zach Orr is the answer,” per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic.

Perhaps some of the short-term injuries quickly subside, and perhaps Orr engineers another midseason turnaround as impressive as the one last year. Whatever the expectation, Harbaugh has put his faith in Orr. If he’s not careful and the Ravens continue to flounder as the season goes on, he may just tie his fate to Orr’s, as well.