The Baltimore Ravens had a strong chance to beat the Detroit Lions at M&T Bank Stadium on “Monday Night Football.” They, however, spiraled when it mattered the most and absorbed another painful loss.
The Ravens gave up 17 points to the Lions in the fourth quarter, while scoring only nine of their own. It proved to be the deciding factor in what was an erstwhile tight contest. Baltimore dropped to 1-2.
The Lions were up by just seven points, 31-24, with a little over four minutes remaining. The Ravens, however, failed to stop David Montgomery, who rushed for a 31-yard touchdown to ice the game.
Baltimore's defense suffered without Kyle Van Noy and Nnamdi Madubuike, who are out due to a hamstring injury and neck injury, respectively.
Kyle Hamilton, however, refused to make his teammates' absence an excuse for their lackluster showing.
“Shame on us if we need a Pro Bowl guy to play good defense,” said the Ravens safety, as reported by Baltimore Banner's Jonas Shaffer.
Shaffer added that Hamilton, who logged five solo tackles, “did acknowledge that the Ravens could've used their help tonight.”
Nnamdi is a two-time Pro Bowler, while Van Noy, who could miss multiple games, earned his first nod last season as a replacement for TJ Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Jahmyr Gibbs' four-yard score in the early goings of the fourth quarter was a bad omen for the Ravens. From there, their defense sputtered, as the Lions continually found ways to put points on the board. Gibbs and Montgomery rushed for two touchdowns each.
Fans didn't suppress their anger after the Ravens' defeat, taking to X to call out the defense. The team lost for only the fourth time in 26 prime-time games under coach John Harbaugh, according to a report from the Associated Press.
Baltimore is set for another huge showdown in Week 4 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
