Kyle Hamilton says bye week comes at perfect time for Ravens reset

Some teams don't like having a bye week so early in the season, but Baltimore Ravens Safety star Kyle Hamilton, it's coming at just the right time.

Perhaps the biggest surprise in six weeks of 2025. NFL The Ravens are 1-5 this season and are mired in a four-game losing streak entering the bye week. They were a strong Super Bowl contender entering this year, but injuries and inconsistent play have left them with an uphill battle to make the playoffs in January 2026.

But while sports talk shows and fans rant about what went wrong with the Ravens, Hamilton knows his team has the opportunity to put together a “great story” with the remaining schedule.

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“There are still 11 games left that we're guaranteed,” he told Fox News Digital before taking part in the Ravens NFL FLAG clinic with military children and their families at the team's training facility on Monday. “So we have to right the ship and point it in the right direction because the season is not over yet. We know that, and that's why I'm going back to bye week. When we come back, it will be good for us to just reboot, refocus and hit the ground running.”

Hamilton's first three seasons in the NFL were filled with regular season success as the Ravens made the playoffs each season. But any NFL player knows the team is in for trouble, no matter what the protocol says.

So this bye week is a crucial one at a time when the Ravens can take a step back and evaluate, individually and collectively, what went wrong.

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“Every year I've been in the league, bye week seems to come at the perfect time,” Hamilton added. “I think it shows that you can use the bye week whenever we have it, which is what's happening now. It is even more necessary now than in the past. I think it would be good for the team to just make it more simple than it needs to be. Relax and don't have to think too much about anything during the week. Obviously we're preparing for the Bears when we get back and things like that, but I think it would be good as a complete reset for us as a team and just for self-esteem.”

Bye weeks can also help teams get better, and the Ravens have two key players out: cornerback Lamar Jackson and middle linebacker Roquan Smith.

Jackson, a two-time MVP, has been unable to play in the last two games and the Ravens' offense has suffered in his absence. But head coach John Harbaugh expects him to return in Week 8 when the Ravens face the Chicago Bears, a much-needed return.

“Those two guys are the heartbeat of our team, especially Lamar. No offense to Ro, he's obviously the heart of our team. But Lamar is our quarterback, and he’s the guy who puts asses in seats in the stadium, sells tickets and wins games for us,” Hamilton said. “Obviously we contribute to that as well by defending and supporting the guys offensively. But in the end [No.] 8 is what makes this thing work.”

Coach Harbaugh also noted after Sunday's loss to the Los Angeles Rams that he believes his team has what it takes to break a necessary winning streak and make the playoffs later this season. After all, many of the players on that roster were there in 2023, when Baltimore won 10 of 11 games before resting its starters in the regular-season finale to ensure playoff health.

Only four NFL teams have overcome a 1-5 start to the playoffs. But as Hamilton said, this group has what it takes to create this great story.

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“Obviously, we as a team are not in the position we want to be in. [team] We can do this,” Hamilton said. “I think everyone in this building has that mindset right now.” It is obvious that the players, coaches, fans, everyone who supports us is disappointed with the results we have achieved so far in the season.

“We have to come out at the end of the bye and do what we say. It’s all talk until we actually go out and win games.”

The Ravens have had a difficult schedule to start the season, but their final 12 weeks are expected to be easier depending on how their opponents performed early in the season.

Of course, it's different circumstances than in 2023, but Hamilton will have his usual one-game-at-a-time mentality. It starts at 8 weeks.

“I think it's good to focus on one day at a time, one week at a time, and I think the wins start to accumulate when you do that. But we can't get ahead of ourselves and say, “We need to win eight games in a row to get in,” or whatever it is. We just need to win one game,” he said.

IMPACT ON MILITARY CHILDREN

A change of pace during the bye week can benefit a struggling team, and that's what Hamilton saw Monday when he partnered with Toyota to help make a positive impact on the Baltimore military community by hosting a Ravens NFL FLAG clinic for military children through Our Military Kids.

After all, flag football was invented near the Ravens' training facility at Fort Meade in the 1940s during World War II.

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“It’s a lot of fun and I’m really grateful to Toyota for letting me be a part of it,” Hamilton said of the event. “I know Toyota has been a big supporter of the NFL FLAG and has helped 300,000 people. “I know they like the slogan, ‘Any Season, Anything,’ and I think that’s very true of what they’ve done with this program and the NFL in general.”

Toyota's belief that football empowers communities has led to its sponsorship of more than 300,000 NFL FLAG youth players nationwide to date.

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