Baltimore (WBFF) — Much has been made over the past several days over the Ravens slow start to the 2025 NFL season. Unfortunately for Baltimoreans, they need only look across the Camden Yards parking lot for a reminder of what a slow start to a season can mean. For better or worse, the Ravens opening month struggles shares similarities beyond just nomenclature to the Orioles March/April issues.

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Record/Win Percentage

Orioles: 12-18 (.400)Ravens: 1-3 (.250)

It requires no more than a glance at the standings to see where the comparison begins. The Orioles slightly outperformed their NFL counterparts, albeit with more chances to do so. However, the results remained the same, as both teams occupied their respective division basements in the standings after a month of play.

Embarrassing Losses

Orioles: 4/20: 24-2 vs. Reds; 4/29: 15-3 vs. YankeesRavens: Week 1: 41-40 @ Bills; Week 4: 37-20 @ Chiefs

While obviously neither team played inspiring ball during their opening month, certain defeats stood out for their demoralizing effect on the fanbases. For the Orioles, Charlie Morton and Kyle Gibson’s dismal starts fueled fan animosity towards the team’s front office after an offseason in which the fanbase felt not enough was done to improve the team’s starting rotation. The Ravens losses came via differing reasons, with a collapse against the Bills and injury-fueled debacle against the Chiefs bookending a tumultuous opening month.

Key Injuries

Orioles: SP Grayson Rodriguez, SP Trevor Rogers, OF Colton CowserRavens: DL Nnamdi Madubuike, TE Isaiah Likely, OLB Kyle Van Noy, FB Patrick Ricard

Both teams had more missing lineup spots than a TV show canceled after the pilot in their respective opening months. The Orioles rotation sorely missed Rodriguez (who never pitched in 2025) and Rogers (who became the team’s ace) early on, especially amid Morton, Gibson, and company’s struggles. Meanwhile, the Ravens defense has looked worse and worse with every snap missed by Madubuike and Van Noy, the two most consistent players at pressuring the quarterback on the team.

High Expectations

Orioles: 6th/7th favorite to win World SeriesRavens: Co-favorite to win Super Bowl

Making the struggles of both teams worse was the fact that both entered their seasons among the favorites to win it all. The Orioles were the 6th or 7th favorite to win the World Series on Opening Day, depending on which oddsmaker you asked. The Ravens were co-favorites for the Super Bowl as Week 1 kicked off, along with the Bills and Philadelphia Eagles.

The O’s eventually fired manager Brandon Hyde on May 17 (the 7th week of the Orioles season), which sparked a turnaround closer to the team’s expected level of play for the rest of the season, though it was too little, too late to make a real playoff push after the team’s slow start. The Ravens will face the Texans and Bears over the next two weeks before heading into a Week 7 bye. With all the similarities between the team’s starts, could the football team follow the baseball team’s lead and make a coaching change during that seventh week? Only time will tell.