BALTIMORE — There was a sense of relief mixed into the loud, passionate discussion among a few Ravens fans at my local gym Sunday. Whatever else happened that afternoon, their team couldn’t disappoint them.

The Ravens had already taken care of that Thursday night, suffering a 33-10 defeat by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Such is the state of a disgruntled fanbase that has endured four consecutive losses and another injury to quarterback Lamar Jackson.

The two-time NFL Most Valuable Player intends to return from a fractured and dislocated right thumb this season, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, who paraphrased Jackson’s message to teammates: “Just stay alive.”

Fans could really use a reason to keep believing.

Baltimore sits in last place in the AFC North at 4-5, its 4-1 start erased and its Super Bowl ambitions reduced to remaining relevant until Jackson returns. The Ravens have been outscored 84-10 after halftime during their losing streak.

Tuesday’s trade deadline offered no sweeping intervention. Baltimore acquired center Ryan Neuzil from Atlanta for guard Andrew Vorhees and a 2028 sixth-round pick, another attempt to patch a battered offensive line. The more consequential move came last week, when Baltimore traded for veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett.

Brissett was a necessity with Jackson and Tyler Huntley (turf toe) sidelined. Asking undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano, navigating his own ankle injury, to keep the Ravens competitive was an unreasonable burden.

Brissett gives first-year coach Jesse Minter and offensive coordinator Declan Doyle a chance to field a functional offense and evaluate the players around him. His arrival also signals that Baltimore hasn’t completely surrendered.

General manager Eric DeCosta, though, knows when to stop shopping.

Standing largely pat was defensible. Additional draft capital shouldn’t be sacrificed to rescue a season approaching its nadir. Selling wasn’t simple, either. Limited cap space and the dead money attached to expensive veterans restricted Baltimore’s flexibility.

With the deadline passed, most of the improvement over the final eight games must come from the veteran-laden roster responsible for the deterioration.

Stopping the run and Zay Flowers’ production are among the few dependable strengths these Ravens can claim. Beyond that, too much of Baltimore’s identity rests on what some of its highest-paid players have done in the past or what its coaches insist this team can still become.

“I believe in our guys,” Minter said last week. “All three phases, there’s spurts of good enough football. There is a real inconsistency at all three levels, all three phases. … If we can find a consistency level and find a formula for this particular team where it’s at right now, I do think there’s a good opportunity for this team.”

Nine games into Minter’s tenure, those spurts should be giving way to playoff-caliber football. Instead, Baltimore ranks 15th in total defense and 23rd against the pass, hardly the foundation a team missing its franchise quarterback can lean on.

The Ravens need to shore up a porous offensive line, revive a faltering running game and eliminate the penalties and breakdowns undermining their defense and special teams.

The fans cannot cheer those problems away.

Embattled cornerback Marlon Humphrey, the team’s longest-tenured defender, used his podcast last week to question the persistent alarm among Ravens fans.

“I think they’re always freaking out. When are they not freaking out, to be honest?” he said, recalling a fan who complained after a victory that Baltimore had nearly lost.

In his latest episode, Humphrey recounted another encounter with a frustrated fan, this time at Ulta after the Jacksonville loss, and predicted a winning streak, with the Chargers up next in Week 10.

Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver also voiced his frustration with the atmosphere during the second-half collapse against Cincinnati, describing a point when Baltimore trailed by only one.

“It felt like I was at a funeral,” Weaver said, urging supporters to remember that “sometimes we need you to pump life into us too.”

Before asking the crowd to stop anticipating another collapse or buy into promises of a winning streak, the Ravens should try delivering a performance that warrants the faith.

Veteran tight end Mark Andrews, who received boos and cheers during introductions before the Jacksonville debacle, offered a more accountable response.

“They have every right to boo,” Andrews said.

Fans understand Jackson is hurt. They can distinguish an overwhelmed replacement from veterans making avoidable mistakes. Being fed up with those failures doesn’t mean they fail to comprehend adversity.

For Humphrey, Weaver and the Ravens, accepting criticism is the minimum. Accountability requires correcting the mistakes that keep inviting it, including Humphrey allowing a rookie Minter described as a “blocking tight end” to get behind him for a 52-yard reception on Jacksonville’s second offensive play.

Humphrey set the tone. The boos, once again, followed.

The Ravens have given fans little to trust on the field and little clarity about the quarterback they’re counting on to rescue them. Minter’s day-to-day characterization of Jackson’s ankle injury gave way to a three-game absence. After announcing that Jackson needed thumb surgery, Minter declined to confirm whether it had occurred.

The ambiguity leaves Jackson absorbing speculation about his latest recovery timeline.

If the secrecy reflects Jackson’s wishes, the Ravens might consider it a necessary concession to their most important relationship, particularly with another big contract negotiation looming. But a new coach has brought the same opacity that characterized the John Harbaugh years, leaving fans to sift through outside reports for answers.

Minter’s former team, the Los Angeles Chargers (0-8) led by Jim Harbaugh, visits M&T Bank Stadium on Monday night. Baltimore will try to end a franchise-record four-game home losing streak in primetime.

Honoring Jackson’s plea to “just stay alive” and backing up Humphrey’s promise starts with beating an opponent that hasn’t beaten anybody.

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