Rastall Ramblings: Defensive Issues on Full Display in Ravens Loss

Derrick Henry hasn’t played at his typical Hall of Fame level during much of the 2025 season, but last Saturday night at Lambeau he was at his King Henry best.

Henry and the Baltimore Ravens rushing attack sliced and diced through the Green Bay defense with little resistance all throughout the night in a loss for the Packers that ended any faint hopes of an NFC North title and raises red flags for them ahead of the playoffs.

Despite starting quarterback Jordan Love being unable to clear the NFL’s concussion protocol in time for Saturday’s game, the offense didn’t miss much of a beat with Malik Willis in at QB. Willis continued to show his worth as the Green Bay backup quarterback and set himself up to be an attractive candidate in free agency this offseason, but a terrible defensive display squandered his efforts.

Issues stopping the run aren’t a new phenomenon for a Packers defense — and this year’s group has struggled in the back half of the season in that regard — but this was probably the most hapless it has looked since that horror show of a loss to the Niners in the NFC Championship Game six years ago when Raheem Mostert ran for 220 yards and QB Jimmy Garoppolo only needed to attempt eight passes.

Even in that loss, the Packers didn’t manage to give up over 300 rushing yards like they did against the Ravens. Whenever Henry touched the ball, there was little doubt he’d be getting at least 4-5 yards a clip.

If there’s any silver lining to be had with the loss, which locked the Packers into the No. 7 seed in the NFC playoff field after the Vikings’ win over Detroit on Christmas Day clinched a postseason berth for Green Bay, it’s that they can at least rest up their key players and get a bit healthier in Week 18.

The only intrigue remaining in the last week of the regular season for Green Bay is finding out who their playoff opponent will be. A Chicago win or Philadelphia loss means a rivalry rubber match at Soldier Field between the Packers and the Bears just weeks after an unforgettable entry in the series.

A Bears loss and Eagles win means a trip to Philadelphia to take on the defending Super Bowl champions in a rematch of last year’s postseason.

No matter the opponent, what does seem clear is that this will likely be similar to many of the Packers playoff appearances of the 2010s, where the offense will need to be firing on all cylinders to compensate for a flawed defense.