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And then there were two.

When the Ravens returned to practice after their Monday night loss to the Detroit Lions, they took the field without every starter on their defensive line. They have a short week before heading to play the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium at 4:25 p.m. Sunday.

Pro Bowl defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike, who suffered a neck injury in Week 2’s win over the Cleveland Browns and was ruled out of the Lions game, remained absent Wednesday. Travis Jones (knee) and Broderick Washington (ankle) were also missing.

The only remaining defensive linemen from the initial 53-man roster are veteran nose tackle John Jenkins and rookie Aeneas “Fub” Peebles, who was selected in the sixth round.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh declined to go into detail about the extent of Madubuike’s injury but already ruled him out for Sunday.

“I would say I am concerned about it,” Harbaugh said when asked if it could be a long-term injury. “But I’m not really in a position to comment on it right now. I haven’t been given the OK to comment on it at this point. He’s not going to play this week, I can tell you that. And we’re going to have to see going forward when they know what they need to know.”

The Ravens signed two defensive tackles to the practice squad Wednesday to help stop the bleeding, adding Josh Tupou, who was on the Ravens’ practice squad last year, and Taven Bryan, a former first-round pick who started six games for the Indianapolis Colts last year.

“We’ll be OK,” Harbaugh said about the run defense. “We’ll be fine. There’s a lot of real simple things that we didn’t do very well at times. We’ll have the same play, really, against the same defense two different times, and one time it’s no gain because we’re pretty much exactly where we’re supposed to be and other times we’re not where we’re supposed to be.”

Madubuike leads the team in sacks and pressures through the first three weeks, according to Pro Football Focus, even though he has only played in two games. He hadn’t missed a game due to injury through five NFL seasons, but Harbaugh said the staff could see during the Browns game that something was wrong. He underwent further testing after the game.

In Madubuike’s absence, the Ravens elevated Brent Urban off the practice squad for the Week 3 matchup against Detroit. They also have defensive lineman C.J. Okoye on the practice squad.

The Ravens have had issues on defense since Week 1, and their ability to shut down the run took a huge dive with Madubuike out against the Lions. Baltimore surrendered 224 yards on the ground and could not stop Detroit’s continued use of the “duo” run concept.

Madubuike was one of the most reliable run defenders last season, finishing second on the team with 19 run stops last season (tackles that constitute a “loss” for the offense, according to PFF). He anchored a defensive line that allowed an NFL-best 3.6 yards per carry in 2024.

Now, there’s even more uncertainty with all the defensive front’s key interior players dealing with injuries.

To make matters worse, the Ravens were still missing outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy, the team’s most productive pass rusher, due to a hamstring injury he suffered against Cleveland.

“KV is the vet out there,” outside linebacker Odafe Oweh said. “He’s seen a lot of things, so he can tell us a lot of stuff on the field that we weren’t necessarily paying attention to. Obviously, he’s a very skilled vet, savvy, too.”

After registering double-digit sacks for the first time his career last season, Oweh is still searching for his first sack in 2025. Among the other outside linebackers, Tavius Robinson has impressed but did not stand out in Madubuike’s absence. Rookie Mike Green played a lot of snaps but was not able to get to the quarterback. David Ojabo, a former second-round pick, had not been activated for a game until Van Noy’s injury.

Madubuike’s absence also hampers the pass rush since he typically draws double teams, allowing the other players in the front seven to make big plays. Without him, the Ravens did not sack Lions quarterback Jared Goff.

Entering Week 4, the Ravens’ pressure rate dropped almost nine percentage points (36.8% to 27.9%) when Madubuike was not on the field and their run defense was significantly weaker (6.3 yards per carry allowed to 4.3), according to Sports Info Solutions.

“It’s the importance of the middle push, the middle presence, especially in our defense,” Oweh said. “Because we give the middle guy the free run to go make the plays, so if we don’t have that, there’s a piece missing for our defense. So especially in our defense, I would say having a guy like ‘Beeks,’ it’s imperative for all our success."

However, all the players said in the locker room after the Lions loss that being without Madubuike and Van Noy is no excuse, even if both are Pro Bowlers. Oweh spun it in a more positive light Wednesday.

“It hurts having both of them out, but next man up,” Oweh said. “This is an opportunity for a lot of guys to make plays, and I think we’re up to the task.”

The defense has been hit the hardest by injuries, but the offense was also missing two Pro Bowl players at practice. Fullback Patrick Ricard remains out with a calf injury. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley was also missing at practice Wednesday due to an ankle injury. Tight end Isaiah Likely (foot) practiced but was still limited after returning to the field for the first time last week since his foot surgery.

The Ravens’ skill positions are currently at full strength, but everything starts up front in the trenches, and the defensive front is currently decimated.

The team has two more practices ahead of the game against the Chiefs.

Ravens reporter Jonas Shaffer contributed to this article.