Tyler Huntley will make his 17th regular-season start for the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night in Atlanta, after being told on Friday that he would step in against the Atlanta Falcons. It is a familiar situation for the 11-year veteran, who said the opportunity felt “like riding a bike” as the Ravens again turn to a quarterback with previous road success while Lamar Jackson is unavailable enough for Huntley to take the job.
The Ravens re-signed Huntley to a two-year contract this offseason after he helped steady the offense in similar circumstances before. Baltimore will now ask him to guide the team into a matchup that offers a clear contrast: the Falcons have a top-ranked rush defense, but their pass defense sits 30th, which gives the Ravens a route to lean on their structure and stay efficient through the air.
That balance matters even more because the offense has to function with a different starter under center. Declan Doyle’s scheme already points toward that approach, and Baltimore added Nick Vannett to fit a blocking-tight-end role that supports the running game and protects the shape of the offense. The idea is not to ask Huntley to be Lamar Jackson. It is to give him the kind of controlled, repeatable gameplan that lets him settle in quickly.
Huntley says familiarity should help
Huntley’s own explanation was straightforward. “It’s just like riding a bike,” he said, adding that if you only ride once and return days later, you do not feel fully comfortable. “You do it every day, you feel more comfortable every time you are out there,” he explained. He also answered “Yes, definitely” when asked whether that experience helps when he steps back into the role.
That is exactly the kind of confidence Baltimore will want from a backup-turned-starter in a nationally televised road game. Huntley has already shown he can manage this stage before, and the Ravens’ decision to trust him again suggests they believe the structure around him can do a lot of the heavy lifting.
What the Ravens are building around him
Jesse Minter’s view captures the broader point. “They are obviously different players, and [Lamar] is, like I have said before, he is one of one,” he said. But he also stressed that it remains Baltimore’s offense, built around the playmakers, offensive line, running game and weapons the team already has. “Snoop” has “done a great job this week,” Minter added, and he expects Huntley to play well.
That is the central question for Baltimore: can the offense look like itself even with a different quarterback? The Ravens have seen Huntley help them before, including when he started against the Falcons in 2022 in a 17-9 win on Christmas Eve. Last season, he also helped the Ravens beat the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers, giving this group another reminder that he can handle the job if the game is managed properly.
There is also a timing element to the wider roster picture. Ja'Kobi Lane went on injured reserve in Week 1 after wrist surgery, but Minter said he is doing really well and has attacked the situation impressively. He will be eligible to return against the Cleveland Browns next week, which gives the Ravens another reason to keep the current plan clean and stable in Atlanta.
Why this start matters for Baltimore
The Ravens do not need Huntley to carry the entire night. They need him to stay calm, use the structure Declan Doyle is setting, and take advantage of the space that can appear against Atlanta’s pass defense. That is why this game feels less like a rescue mission and more like a test of whether Baltimore can keep winning when the identity of the quarterback changes.
Huntley has been here before, and the Ravens are acting like they believe that familiarity matters. If he can settle quickly, Baltimore’s offense should have enough around him to make Sunday night competitive on its own terms.
