Baltimore Ravens dropped to 1-5 after a 17-3 loss against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. Baltimore’s Week 5 performance against the Texans was actually positive, but there were also plenty of negatives. Let’s take a look!

Derrick Henry The Ravens’ recent losses were largely due to the lack of rhythm and focus in their running game. This was especially true last week when they had a backup quarterback. The Ravens were determined to fix that on Sunday. Henry was the focal point of the game for most of it, with the exceptions being a goal to go situation before halftime (more about that later) as well as a few drive-heavy passes in the fourth quarter. Henry had 24 carries, resulting in 122 yards and 5.1 yards per carry. His longest rush was just 12 yards, but this is the best run game since Week 1. The team will hopefully build on this success going forward.

DeAndre Hoskins: Although he continues to receive fewer targets each week, compared to what he produces, it appears that he is making spectacular catches every game. Some people call it “vintage Hopkins”, but that version didn’t change much. QB1 should target him soon.

Defense It was not clean. It was probably not even good. This is the best defense the Ravens have looked this season, barring Week 2 when they played the Browns. The Ravens were heavily aided by dropped passes, missed throws and Rams penalties. But they had some of their tightest coverage this season, and finally managed some success again against the run. Matthew Stafford passed for only 181 yards and the Rams ran for only 74 yards. Marlon Humphrey was also better than he had been before his injury. Even though the Ravens have two sacks, the pass rush is non-existent.

Tyler Loop : Loop was able to pass another test at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday, despite the swirling wind. He only had to kick three times – a field goal of 37 yards and two kickoffs. But he did it all. He also drove the ball into the wind, which was something he struggled to do early in the season.

LaJohntay Wester Wester is a punt returner who has shown a lot of consistency in his first season, but without the same level of brilliance as he showed in the preseason. He was in the spotlight on Sunday for the wrong reasons, with a fumble during his first punt. It was fortunately called back because of a penalty. Wester returned the repunt 35 yards, giving the Ravens the best field position they had all day.

Lamar Jackson The best thing about this game was after it ended, when John Harbaugh confirmed Jackson would be expected after the Bye Week. It was good to hear John Harbaugh confirm what everyone had expected. Jackson is the only way to make a playoff run for the Ravens, who are currently 1-5.

Cooper Rush Rush was not great, but neither was he good. He missed some throws, and made others. His worst interception was to Zay Flowers who was tightly covered. Rush did not appear to be following his usual progressions. His best plays came from quick reads. He got the Rams on two consecutive plays to convert a third-and-8 to a first down.

Rush is a poor quarterback. He has not been able to run the offense or protect the ball effectively for more than a couple of drives. Tyler Huntley’s entry into the game during the fourth quarter was evident. While he committed the cardinal crime of throwing the football away on fourth down, it is clear that he fits better with this offense. Rush’s PFF score was 53.1, while Huntley’s was 66.2. Both players finished with the exact same grade, but Huntley brings a run-game element that Rush cannot replicate. Huntley should be the Ravens’ top backup. They can then see if Rush can be used elsewhere or if they want to move on in the offseason.

Edge rushers: Injury has played a major role in the Ravens struggles this season. The outside linebacker’s room is also short-handed. Adisa Isaac, like his rookie season, is out for most of his second year due to a preseason knee injury. Kyle Van Noy missed a few games and Odafe Oweh did not live up to expectations. However, trading him thinned the OLB depth.

Tavius Robinson broke his foot on Sunday. This made matters worse. The Ravens now only have Van Noy and Green on their roster. Green’s performance has not been up to par, despite his high draft ranking. Ojabo has also been disappointing for many years. Van Noy wasn’t his usual self when the Rams came to town. Baltimore’s edge rushers did not generate a single pressure against the Rams on Sunday. This is a terrible statistic that sums up this team this season.

The Ravens will have time to think about how to strengthen this position in the coming weeks, but they’ll also need to consider the long-term.

The goal line play calling was a colossal mistake. This was the worst error of the entire game. The Rams were held to just three points in the first half by the Ravens defense, while they only scored one field goal. Derrick Henry then ran five times in a row to bring the Ravens up to the 1-yard line after Wester’s bounced-back punt. There was a cacophony. Mark Andrews was placed under the center twice, and instead of letting Henry finish his drive they played their tush push play. Both were stuffed. On fourth down, instead of running the ball a third and final time for a half-yard into the endzone, they decided to go back to Henry. Henry lost two yards after the offensive line collapsed. This was the sequence that had the biggest impact on the game. The Ravens did not go into halftime with a 10-3 lead. Instead, they were tied with the Rams who received the ball after halftime.

Baltimore has had a difficult year in the red zone, and Monken has been criticized for his play-calling, particularly the decision to not go to Henry. A lack of consistency may be the biggest problem. Why do the Ravens sometimes run their tush-push and other times not? Why is their 250-pound runningback stuffed at goal line? These questions are not answered by the Ravens, and they seemed to panic after their tush-push worked. They should have chosen a strategy and stuck with it from the second down. You can either run Henry three more times or the push play. Do not do the same thing twice and then hope that your fourth down will be successful.

Fumbles : In reality, the Ravens were in this game longer than anticipated. The Rams were held to just three points during the first half despite the goal line sequence mentioned above. Los Angeles scored the first possession of the second period, but instead of scoring, Zay Flower lost the ball on the Ravens next drive. Rams recovered the ball and scored a touchdown. The Ravens, now down 17-3 to the Rams, responded with a drive of 13 plays that reached the Rams 30 yard line. Cooper Rush and Flowers fumbled a jet sweep pass, giving up a chance to bring the score down to one. The defense did a great job, but the offensive team dropped the ball.