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It’s Sept. 4, 2025. The Banner sports staff, after weeks of sweating and observing from the sidelines of Ravens training camp, is convinced: The Ravens are going to the Super Bowl.

All but one reporter, Jonas Shaffer, picked them to win it.

A star-studded roster surrounding another MVP season from quarterback Lamar Jackson means this is the year Jackson finally gets his ring.

Fast-forward just five weeks.

The Super Bowl dreams have vanished. Even the playoffs are in question (though remarkably the Ravens are still favored to win their division by many sports books).

Eight Pro Bowlers have missed at least one game. One, defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike, is out for the season. Another, fullback Patrick Ricard, has been out all season, and the date of his return is uncertain. Multiple other starters have been in and out.

With or without the starters in, the team looks like the Ravens’ evil twin. They impressed in the first three quarters in the season opener against the Buffalo Bills, but it’s been a slide into disaster since then — and it’s picking up speed.

As they prepare for the final game ahead of the bye week, the Ravens are in a very different spot than expected. Here’s a look at where we thought they’d be and the new reality they’re in.

Rams game

How it was supposed to go: Prior to the season, or even as recently as Week 2, it sounded reasonable for the Ravens to, at worst, have two or three wins ahead of the Rams game. This would have been another big test for the defense because coach Sean McVay and his offense are rolling. However, if things had gone as expected, the Ravens would have been favored to win in what would have been a great, competitive matchup.

The reality: The Ravens are 1-4. They just lost to the Houston Texans. No group — the offense, the defense, special teams — played well. The Ravens had Pro Bowl safety Kyle Hamilton and starting left tackle Ronnie Stanley return to practice Wednesday, but they’re still missing All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith, Ricard and Pro Bowl cornerback Marlon Humphrey, not to mention two-time MVP Jackson. The front office just picked up another defensive back in C.J. Gardner-Johnson and traded outside linebacker Odafe Oweh for Los Angeles Chargers safety Alohi Gilman.

But, whatever impact that has, this game feels like a given loss, one they just need to survive to limp into the bye. They’re calling it a “must-win,” but that doesn’t seem likely. Many are assuming the Ravens will be 1-5 after Sunday.

The bye

How it was supposed to go: This is a much earlier bye than the last two years. If things had gone according to plan, the Ravens would have been resting up and letting minor injuries heal. Maybe they would have fine-tuned schemes while also taking some time away. It’s unlikely, even in a perfect world, the Ravens would have been perfectly healthy, but with it being so early, the team wouldn’t be as banged up as it was during last season’s Week 14 bye.

The reality: The Ravens are scratching their way to the bye. The week away is the team’s saving grace. Maybe the time to recover and reset will give them a chance to stop the tailspin before it’s too late. The chances the Ravens make the playoffs are low, but they’re not yet zero. The coaching staff will be desperately searching for answers. The players need to get right mentally and physically. And everyone needs to return ready to go to turn the season around.

The trade deadline

How it was supposed to go: Whether the Ravens had lost to the Bills and Chiefs or managed to topple one or both, they’d still be gunning for a Super Bowl. There’s a chance they’d look to bulk up at whatever position they deemed weakest before the Nov. 4 trade deadline (last year they added wide receiver Diontae Johnson and cornerback Tre’Davious White).

Yes, any moves this year would have likely been along those lines because the roster is already so stacked. Coach John Harbaugh would be professing how much they like their guys — and he’d mean it. General manager Eric DeCosta would perhaps be willing to move draft capital or a depth player to go for the Super Bowl because the Ravens are in “win-now” mode, but he doesn’t love giving up picks.

The reality: The trades have started. The Ravens sent Oweh, of their failing pass rush, to the Chargers for Gilman, presumably to free up Hamilton. The team is desperately in need of an interior pass rusher after Madubuike’s season-ending neck injury, but his hefty contract constrains them. Gilman is on an expiring contract, so it’s not exactly a sign they’re going to be sellers. But, if this season tumbles further downhill, it’s unlikely they’ll make it to the playoffs, much less the Super Bowl. So it’s time for DeCosta to consider letting go of stars and picking up young players and draft capital. Franchise legend Mark Andrews, likely Hall of Famer DeAndre Hopkins and pass rusher Kyle Van Noy are among the impending free agents who could be moved.

The Ravens can’t do a full rebuild if they want to win with Jackson, but they can start loosening the cap and developing new talent. That’s what teams without a shot at the title need to do.

And the Ravens, as hard as it may be to fathom, could very well find themselves in that spot.