The Baltimore Ravens are off to a terrible start in 2025. Sitting at 1-3, although with their losses coming to top teams, is not where the Ravens envisioned being when they were up 15 points on the Buffalo Bills with over four minutes left in the first quarter. Now, it keeps getting worse with their Week 5 inactives, as several star players will not be on the field.
Baltimore Ravens’ Week 5 Inactives
The two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson is the headliner of the Ravens’ Week 5 inactive list. It doesn’t stop there, as star defensive players Kyle Hamilton and Roquan Smith are also sidelined.
CB Chidobe Awuzie isn’t suiting up against the Texans, and neither are perennial Pro Bowl FB Pat Ricard and OT Ronnie Stanley.
Inactives vs. Texans pic.twitter.com/5FkOHZNFUT
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 5, 2025
The accolades among Baltimore’s seven inactive players are very impressive. Tallying up all that they are missing is an insane list. They are missing two NFL MVP awards with Jackson, a combined 11 First-Team All-Pro appearances, 20 Pro Bowl appearances, and four Second-Team All-Pro appearances.
It’s hard to imagine missing all of those players, but the Ravens have no choice but to get a win, or their season might be over a lot sooner than anticipated. There hasn’t been much good news for Baltimore fans so far, but at least backup QB Cooper Rush is 9-5 in his career as a starter when he’s been called upon.
The Ravens have Derrick Henry and can lean on him to be a pivotal part of the offense. They also have dynamic weapons available in Zay Flowers and DeAndre Hopkins. The Texans haven’t been particularly impressive in 2025, either. The Ravens have to win games and stay afloat while they await Jackson’s return to action, which could be next week or potentially later.
The defense is a big problem as they are missing two of their top three corners. Humphrey and Awuzie are both veterans, leaving gaps at those positions. They do have former Packer Jaire Alexander as a backup to help Nate Wiggins lock down Houston’s receiving core.
The loss of Smith and Hamilton cannot be underestimated either. Smith is the leader in the middle of the field, and Hamilton is one of the best in the NFL at the safety position. Rookie Malaki Starks is the safety across from Hamilton, but putting a new safety next to him instead of Hamilton could cause problems. Heading into Week 5, the Ravens’ defense is ranked 30th in the league based on PFSN’s Defense Impact metric.
It won’t be easy, but the Ravens were seen as one of the most complete teams at the start of 2025, and now it’s time to prove why they were in those talks. Despite adversity, Baltimore needs to prove it belongs in playoff considerations. It sounds crazy, but this is their reality. They need wins, and they need them now.