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The Ravens were held without a touchdown for the first time in three years as they dropped their fourth straight game, falling to the Los Angeles Rams, 17-3, on Sunday in Baltimore.

At 1-5, the Ravens have matched their franchise-worst start and will head into their bye 3 1/2 games behind the AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers. Since the playoff field expanded in 2020, only one team that has started 1-5 went on to qualify for the postseason: the 2020 Washington Football Team (now Commanders), which won the NFC East with a 7-9 record.

The Ravens were outscored 14-0 in the second half and finished the game with three turnovers, plus three turnovers on downs in field goal range. By the time their fifth second-half drive ended without points, Ravens fans had largely emptied M&T Bank Stadium early for the second straight week. The team has been outscored 136-63 over its four-game losing streak.

On Sunday, defense wasn’t the Ravens’ problem. With Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua missing most of the game with a foot injury, the Ravens held an explosive offense to 242 yards and 4.8 yards per play. Quarterback Matthew Stafford finished 17-for-26 for 181 yards and a touchdown.

Instead, a Lamar Jackson-less offense only worsened. Quarterback Cooper Rush went 11-for-19 for 72 yards, threw an interception and lost a fumble before being benched for practice squad call-up Tyler Huntley. Huntley went 10-for-15 for 68 yards in the fourth quarter.

Running back Derrick Henry had 24 carries for 122 yards, his first 100-yard game since Week 1, but was largely silenced in the second half by a turnover-prone offense. Wide receiver Zay Flowers had six catches for 46 yards but lost a fumble (and was involved in a botched handoff on an end-around that led to a turnover) in the third quarter.

The Ravens entered halftime tied, but they could’ve been up by double digits. The Rams (4-2) stopped the Ravens on third-and-2 and fourth-and-3 in field goal range early in the second quarter, and they entered halftime with an even more impressive stand.

After a first-and-goal run by Henry, the Ravens had the ball at the Rams’ 1. A tush push attempt by tight end Mark Andrews went nowhere. Another one was also stopped. On fourth-and-goal at the 1, with a sixth offensive lineman on the field, Henry was knocked behind the line of scrimmage for a 2-yard loss. Boos rained as the offense trudged off the field and again as the Ravens headed to the locker room a minute later as halftime arrived.

Just offensive

The Ravens had the NFL’s best offense last season. Without Lamar Jackson, it looks like one of the worst. They’ve scored progressively fewer points in four straight games, dropping from 30 to 20 to 10 to three. It’s never a good sign when Tyler Huntley looks like the best quarterback available on your depth chart.

Lamar Jackson can lift this offense back into competence, and maybe beyond, but the Ravens’ offensive line and play-calling continue to be albatrosses around this unit. There are too many weapons on this Ravens offense for it to look this punchless against a Rams defense that struggled against a depleted 49ers offense in Week 5. A bye week can’t cure all of the Ravens’ ills.

— Jonas Shaffer, Ravens reporter

Solid in the trenches; terrible everywhere else

At long last, the Ravens shored up their run defense and committed to the run on offense. Although they failed to convert from the 1-yard line three times in a row when it mattered, Derrick Henry had over 100 yards and averaged over 5 yards a carry. And the defense, which was dwelling in the lower third of the league, held the Rams to 3.8 yards per carry. However, returning to their identity was not enough to turn things around for the Ravens when the pass game remained useless. The Ravens were bad, if not awful, in coverage, which was exacerbated by penalties. But they were awful, potentially atrocious, at passing the ball. Cooper Rush threw too many off-target balls, making it hard for the Ravens’ talented receivers to make an impact. Although it was good to see some units step forward, the Ravens have far to go to be competitive. Luckily for them, they have a bye week, which they should spend hoping and praying that Lamar Jackson returns.

— Giana Han, Ravens reporter

It’s clear: Rush was the wrong guy

I’ve rung the warning bell a few times on how cavalier the Ravens can be with their backup quarterback. Last season, I didn’t think Josh Johnson was good enough, but it ended up not mattering. This year, I thought Cooper Rush was worse than Johnson last year — and unfortunately it matters a lot. Rush has been bad since training camp, consistently throwing off target and to the other team. In the last three weeks, it’s been clear the Ravens made a huge mistake by signing him away from Dallas.

Hopefully, Lamar Jackson’s hamstring heals in the next two weeks and makes further discussion of Rush moot, but he shouldn’t be under center for the Ravens again. His execution is bad enough to stall the offense or set it back entirely with a turnover. The Ravens have used the backup QB position to save money under the salary cap for the last few seasons, but in the next draft it probably makes sense to spend a pick on a guy you can develop into someone more trustworthy than Rush.

— Kyle Goon, columnist

They had us in the first half

Was that a strip-sack fumble I saw from the Ravens’ defense? A semi-competent run game from the offense? Some creative play-calling? Perhaps sensing upcoming changes during the bye week, the Ravens came out with a renewed vigor, holding the Rams to just three first-half points. But it didn’t last. More failures at the goal line, untimely turnovers and defensive gaffes led to a second-half unraveling reminiscent of Baltimore’s Week 4 game in Kansas City. This team could look very different when it exits the bye in two weeks.

— Paul Mancano, Banner Ravens Podcast host

Time for honesty

The Rams tried to give this one to the Ravens. The Ravens ran the other way. They turned it over. They failed to push the ball a few yards for a touchdown. They stuck with a QB who was never a fit for the offense. They looked for all the world like a group that has become overly reliant on the unreal talent of the usual QB. This team is not well coached at the moment, and only the people working in the building who are strong enough to take a clear-eyed look at the problems will truly know why that is. Maybe this bye week will give them, and then us, clarity.

— Chris Korman, editor