Week 16 won’t be remembered as the finest moment for the Baltimore Ravens’ defense.
They’ve been, against all odds, considerably steadier than the team’s offense, and that’s accounting for yet another horrifically sluggish start out of the gate. But ever since falling to an initial 1-5 record that was marred with blowout losses and enabled comebacks, their jumbled assortment of linebackers and secondary contributors has strapped in to hold the line fairly consistently throughout the meat of the 2025 season.
Those familiar late blown leads had more or less vanished, right up until the Ravens’ matchup against the New England Patriots. Baltimore couldn’t hold a 24-13 lead over the Patriots, who’d score multiple fourth-quarter touchdowns to all-but eliminate the Ravens from postseason contention barring a miracle.
Baltimore’s defense, for the record, looked about as healthy as they have all season, gelling new acquisitions and players in changing roles with the old, and one previously-injured contributor used the evening’s opportunity to continue adding to a quietly-unbelievable comeback story. Just seven months after tearing his Achilles tendon, Ar’Darius Washington rattled off a highly-productive outing that, for a time, looked to have saved the Ravens.
Dec 21, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens safety Ar’Darius Washington (29) celebrates recovering a New England Patriots fumble with safety Kyle Hamilton (14) during the first half of the game at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images | Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images
Adding Last-Second Depth
The Ravens have been needy in various corners of their depth chart over the course of this rocky 7-8 season, most frequently begging for edge-rushing help before the trade deadline while religiously tending to their injured cornerback room.
Safeties, however, haven’t been a concern in a while. Nabbing Alohi Gilman from the Los Angeles Chargers enabled Kyle Hamilton to inch closer to the action by the linebackers, while rookie safety Malaki Starks did just enough to make people forget about the injured Washington for a while.
Dec 21, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; New England Patriots running back Treveyon Henderson (32) runs the ball against Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton (14) and linebacker Trenton Simpson (32) during the first half of the game at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images | James Lang-Imagn Images
He was crucial in challenging New England’s pocket in this one, though, racking up two quarterback hits and a strip sack that resulted in a fumble recovered shortly before halftime. He can charge the quarterback like a defensive end, breaking several blocks to take Drake Maye to the ground for the only turnover forced out of the eventual winners.
Ar’Darius Washington, playing in just his second game after an Achilles tear, forces a fumble and continues to add to his game-changing play making resume as a Raven. pic.twitter.com/hhPlhFF3f4
— Bobby Trosset (@bobbybaltim0re) December 22, 2025
That eye for game-flipping opportunities is necessary for a Baltimore group that’s sufficiently lacked in pressurers, especially at such a crucial inflection point in their season. The Patriots were favored for good reason, having accumulated 11 wins to take a clear advantage over the regularly-struggling Ravens, and every play counted in making the younger group uncomfortable in an outing that included playoff implications for both sides.
Add that to Washington’s second-straight multi-tackle game since returning from his Achilles rehab, as well as his first sack of 2025, and this amounts to the sort of game that he can be individually proud of in re-proving his place in Baltimore’s rotation.