The 2015 season was the Baltimore Ravens' 20th in the National Football League (NFL) and their eighth under head coach John Harbaugh. Although picked by some, including Sports Illustrated Peter King, to reach the Super Bowl, they had a disappointing season due to devastating injuries to team starters. 14 of their games were decided by 8 points or less and Joe Flacco, Justin Forsett, Steve Smith, Sr., and Terrell Suggs all suffered season ending injuries. They were eliminated from playoff contention in Week 14 with a loss to the Seattle Seahawks, in which they also suffered their ninth loss, resulting their first losing season in the Harbaugh era and first since the collapse of the Brian Billick era. Ultimately the Ravens finished with a 5–11 record and twenty-two players ended the season on Injured Reserve. The 5–11 record is their worst since the 2007 season.
The Ravens lost to the Falcons, 20–19, in a preseason game on September 3. This is notable because they would go on an NFL-record 24-game winning streak in the preseason afterwards.
2015 draft class
Notes
The Ravens traded their original fifth-round selection (No. 162 overall) to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for guard/center Jeremy Zuttah. The Ravens traded defensive tackle Haloti Ngata and their seventh-round selection (No. 231 overall – previously acquired in a trade that sent offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie to the Miami Dolphins) to the Detroit Lions in exchange for the Lions' fourth- and fifth-round selections (Nos. 122 and 158 overall, respectively). The Ravens traded their original sixth-round selection (No. 202 overall) to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for the Browns' 2014 seventh-round selection. The Ravens acquired an additional sixth-round selection (No. 204 overall) in a trade that sent their original seventh-round selection (No. 243 overall) and linebacker Rolando McClain to the Dallas Cowboys. The Ravens traded their second and fifth-round selection to acquire the No. 55 overall selection from the Arizona Cardinals.
Staff
Final roster
Preseason
Schedule
Regular season
Schedule
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1: Denver Broncos 19, Baltimore Ravens 13
The Ravens opened the season in Denver. Joe Flacco and the offense struggled through the entire game. Not only did the Ravens lose 19–13 and start the season 0–1, but they also lost Terrell Suggs to a torn achilles. It was later announced that Suggs would miss the entire 2015 season, jeopardizing the Ravens defense for the rest of the season.
Week 2: Oakland Raiders 37, Baltimore Ravens 33
With the tough loss, the Ravens dropped to 0–2, the first such start to a season since 2005. The team also dropped to 7–2 all-time against the Raiders. With wins by both the Steelers and the Browns, the Ravens remain in the AFC North basement.
Week 3: Cincinnati Bengals 28, Baltimore Ravens 24
With their fourth straight loss to the Bengals, the Ravens dropped to 0–3 and started the season with such a record for the first time in franchise history.
Week 4: Baltimore Ravens 23, Pittsburgh Steelers 20 (OT)
The Ravens finally produced a win against their archrival the Steelers to improve to 1–3. With the Browns' loss to the Chargers on Sunday, both teams remain in last place in the division.
Week 5: Cleveland Browns 33, Baltimore Ravens 30 (OT)
The Ravens couldn't use the momentum from the Pittsburgh win to beat their division rival the Browns, losing in overtime 33–30, dropping to 1–4 for the first time in franchise history. They fell back to solo last place in the division and also lost their first game to the Browns at home since 2007. Harbaugh and Flacco's records dropped to 13–2 against the Browns as well.
Week 6: San Francisco 49ers 25, Baltimore Ravens 20
In a rematch of Super Bowl XLVII, the Ravens' defense was unable to keep up with San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick and their former teammates Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith.
Week 7: Arizona Cardinals 26, Baltimore Ravens 18
The Ravens, hoping to stop a five-game losing streak, travel to Arizona to take on the Cardinals. The defense struggled to contain the Cardinals explosive receiving corps. Late in the fourth quarter, Joe Flacco attempted to mount a comeback, but an interception in the end zone by the Cardinals sealed the loss. With the loss, the Ravens go to 1–6, tied for the worst record in the league with the Detroit Lions.