After breaking out a year ago, Baltimore Ravens TE Isaiah Likely has fallen off slightly in 2025, as he has struggled to maintain consistency in his fourth season in the NFL. Despite a career-high in receiving yards last season in 2024, Likely has gotten off to yet another slow start on Sunday Night Football against the New England Patriots in Week 16, a pattern that’s become a bit too familiar.
What Happened to Baltimore Ravens TE Isaiah Likely?
No, Likely is not injured. Despite missing a few games early in the season, he’s been a consistent presence for the Ravens offense as the season has gone on. However, after getting blanked against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 15, he’s trending towards a similar result in Week 16.
After two quarters of play, the fourth-year tight end was held without a target in the first half of the Ravens’ Sunday Night Football matchup against the Patriots. His impact becomes even harder to see with starting quarterback Lamar Jackson currently out of the game with a back injury.
The struggles for Likely come at an interesting time, as the Ravens recently extended veteran TE Mark Andrews, agreeing to a three-year, $39.2 million extension. Likely looked like the future last season as he hauled in 42 of 58 targets for 477 yards and six touchdowns as Andrews struggled in 2024.
However, their fortunes flipped as Andrews broke out of his slump, and Likely has only caught 22 passes in 2025 for 248 yards and a touchdown.
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Ironically, Likely is still the highest-rated Ravens tight end according to PFSN’s TE Impact metric. Despite his limited production, Likely ranks as the 39th overall TE in the league with a score of 73.6. Meanwhile, Andrews comes in as the 56th-ranked TE with a score of 70.8.
However, any passing game contributions hit a snag with Jackson exiting with a back injury. We know what the Ravens’ offense looks like with no Jackson. It’s not pretty. Tyler Huntley may be a lot better than Cooper Rush, but it’s a low bar.
If Jackson can’t return for the second half, expect a whole lot of running. It’s bad news for Zay Flowers, who is off to a strong start tonight. But it also hurts Derrick Henry, as the offense will not be nearly as efficient.
This injury could also pose a significant problem for the Ravens next week if they lose the game. There will be absolutely no reason for Jackson to play at less than 100% if the games don’t matter. In all likelihood, if this injury is anything even remotely painful, we won’t see Jackson again this season if the Ravens lose.
Editor’s Note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes available.
