Cris Carter Sounds Alarm: Is Ravens Defense on the Brink of Collapse?

Here we go again—Baltimore Ravens squandering another promising lead, a scenario so painfully familiar it’s almost comedic, if it weren’t so maddening. You ever wonder how a team dripping with defensive talent can still look so lost out there? Cris Carter doesn’t just wonder—he’s calling it out loud, hinting that John Harbaugh’s sideline presence has been more ghostly than commanding these past few years. When the defense can’t find its soul, can even a proven winner like Harbaugh steer the ship back on course? Let’s dig into why the Ravens keep handing the game-winner to the opposition like an unwanted gift, and why that stubborn pattern might just be their undoing this season.

The Baltimore Ravens failed to keep their foot on the gas, again.

If that sounds like a familiar phrase, it’s because it is.

No one has blown more double-digit leads in recent years than John Harbaugh’s team.

According to Cris Carter, things might not get much better going forward.

The former NFL wide receiver pointed the finger at the Ravens’ defense and said he doesn’t know if Harbaugh is the right head coach to turn things around.

“Harbaugh has been absent on the sideline the last four or five years. … I’m concerned about their whole defensive system, and not last night, but what I’ve seen the last several years. … They don’t have an identity as a defense, and when you don’t have an identity, that’s going to dictate going for it more on fourth down even if your quarterback is compromised,” Carter said.

Cris Carter weighs in on the Ravens:

"Harbaugh has been absent on the sideline the last four or five years. … I'm concerned about their whole defensive system, and not last night, but what I've seen the last several years. … They don't have an identity as a defense and when… pic.twitter.com/hyoSAEpVA7

— Bobby Trosset (@bobbybaltim0re) September 8, 2025

The Ravens are stacked with talent on defense, and to be fair, Buffalo Bills star Josh Allen looks like the most unstoppable quarterback in the NFL right now, and they were doing a good job until their head-scratching collapse in the fourth quarter.

Also, it wouldn’t be the first time Baltimore started slow on defense before tightening up toward the end of the season.

Even so, there are reasons for concern.

Harbaugh is a proven winner, yet he continues to make the same mistakes, such as punting the ball back to Allen instead of trying for a game-clinching first down facing fourth-and-3.

It seems like, no matter how big a lead the Ravens have, they keep finding ways to mess things up and leave the door open for a comeback.

That might be good enough to beat lesser teams, but it’s not going to get the job done against the reigning NFL MVP and the high-powered Bills.

It’s early in the season, and there’s plenty of time to fix it, but history isn’t on Harbaugh’s side.

The post Cris Carter Reveals Major Concern About Ravens Defense appeared first on The Cold Wire.