Rearview Mirror/Post Game Analysis

RAVENS SUPER BOWL XLVII REPORT CARD: Ravens 34, 49ers 31

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Steve Hasler

REARVIEW MIRROR – SUPER BOWL XLVII BALTIMORE RAVENS 34, SAN FRANCISCO FORTY-NINERS February 4, 2013 After the last flake of confetti fluttered to the floor of the Super Dome several stunned Ravens were still staring into the rafters, looking for a surer sign. Could that have just happened? Had they really outlasted the San Francisco 49ers, 34-31, to win Super Bowl XLVII? It seemed like an improbable dream. Not because they weren’t good enough to earn the win. The talent was always there, even as Las Vegas continued to label … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Ravens 38 Broncos 35 (2 OT)

Posted on January 13, 2013 by Steve Hasler

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Jones celebrates his fourth quarter touchdown against the Denver Broncos with teammate Smith in their NFL AFC Divisional playoff football game in Denver

The nightmare of recent playoffs past crept into the Super Bowl dreams of Ravens fans once again. When Jacoby Jones dropped a pass thrown by Joe Flacco on third-and-five with 3:22 left in this AFC Divisional Championship game, with the Ravens trailing the Denver Broncos by a touchdown, it certainly looked like a third consecutive year that the Ravens would get knocked out of the playoffs just as Flacco was driving his offense for a late score to tie or win the game. In each of the last two playoff … Continue reading →

WILDCARD REPORT CARD: Ravens 24, Colts 9

Posted on January 7, 2013 by Steve Hasler

Wild Card Playoffs - Indianapolis Colts v Baltimore Ravens

BALTIMORE RAVENS VS INDIANAPOLIS COLTS January 6, 2013 It felt like a surreal, nostalgic game of musical chairs. In the end, when the music stopped, the Baltimore Ravens were still seated, having beaten the Indianapolis Colts 24-9 to advance to the Divisional round of the AFC Playoffs next Saturday at 4:30 Eastern against the Denver Broncos. The game was full of strange story lines. Most everything that had been, changed, but then in the end it all really seemed to stay the same. The changes kept coming right up until … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Bengals 23 Ravens 17

Posted on December 31, 2012 by Steve Hasler

Each year Marist University conducts a poll asking Americans what is the most obnoxious word or phrase used in casual conversation. For the fourth consecutive year the top choice was, whatever. So with apologies to all Americans, here’s our reaction to a Ravens 23-17 loss in their regular season finale to the Cincinnati Bengals: whatever. As many suspected, head coach John Harbaugh treated this game like a meaningless pre-season tune up, opting to sit most of his starters well before the first quarter had ended. With a post-season home game … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Ravens 33 Giants 14

Posted on December 24, 2012 by Steve Hasler

The reigning world-champion New York football Giants came to Baltimore with their playoff lives at stake. Question was, which Giants team would the Baltimore Ravens see? The Giants who were shutout 34-0 in Atlanta a week prior? Or the Giants who had crushed a good Packers team and a surging Saints squad in home contests in weeks 12 and 14? It wasn’t an easy game to predict. After all, the Ravens were reeling, losers of three straight and playing just as poorly at home as on the road. They came … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Broncos 34, Ravens 17

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Steve Hasler

REARVIEW MIRROR DENVER BRONCOS 34, BALTIMORE RAVENS 17 December 16, 2012 Coming into this game against the Denver Broncos not many pundits in Baltimore expected a win, even against a team that had never beaten the Ravens in Baltimore. Despite knowing their Ravens had not lost two consecutive home games under John Harbaugh, Ravens fans had still never seen their team beat Peyton Manning. So the chances of accomplishing it with nearly half the defense sidelined seemed dim. But how they lost this game – a 34-17 blowout – was … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Ravens fall 31-28 in OT

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Steve Hasler

REARVIEW MIRROR WASHINGTON REDSKINS 31, BALTIMORE RAVENS 28, OT December 9, 2012 What is it with the Ravens and backup quarterbacks? After losing a week ago to Charlie Batch and the Steelers, the Ravens this week faced the Washington Redskins and their vaunted rookie Robert Griffin III. Except when the Ravens knocked Griffin out of the game with a leg injury in the game’s final minute, it was backup Kirk Cousins who engineered a touchdown pass and two-point conversion with 0:29 left to send the game into overtime, then beating … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Ravens 16, Chargers 13

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Steve Hasler

REARVIEW MIRROR RAVENS 16 CHARGERS 13, OT November 25, 2012 The ends justify the means. That may be the only way to explain an ugly performance that resulted in an unlikely 16-13 overtime win for the Ravens in San Diego. In the end a beautiful, hard-fought victory justified a lethargic first-half performance against a Chargers team that had not been playing well. Coming out of the locker room down 10-0,the Ravens could have accepted excuses about traveling across three time zones to play football. They could have accepted the notion … Continue reading →

Ravens Report Card: Ravens 13 Steelers 10

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Steve Hasler

The Ravens and Steelers had to wait eleven weeks to renew the NFL’s best rivalry. It was a long enough march to this point of the season to see a good number players go down on both rosters. The biggest and newest name on that injury list was Ben Roethlisberger, who was out with a shoulder and rib injury from the previous week, making way for veteran signal caller Byron Leftwich to get the start at quarterback for the Steelers. Given Roethlisberger’s history of overcoming injury histrionics to perform late-game … Continue reading →

Ravens Report Card: Ravens 55 Raiders 20

Posted on November 11, 2012 by Steve Hasler

“We’re still 6-2. We’re still 6-2.” That’s what a restless Ravens fan base told themselves all week leading up to this home game against a battered Oakland Raiders team, trying to look past doubts about a team that had not played as well as its record. Those doubts were put to rest, at least for a week, as the Ravens steamrolled the visiting Raiders 55-20, setting the franchise record for points in a game and running their division-leading record to 7-2. The weather was picture perfect. Joe Flacco was back … Continue reading →

Ravens Report Card: Ravens 25, Browns 15

Posted on November 4, 2012 by Steve Hasler

REARVIEW MIRROR BALTIMORE RAVENS 25, CLEVELAND BROWNS 15 NOVEMBER 4, 2012 The Baltimore Ravens arrived in Cleveland riding an impressive set of statistical streaks that predicted victory. Under John Harbaugh they had already gone 9-0 against the Browns and had reeled off 14-straight wins following a loss. So it seemed fitting that Baltimore would look very “streaky” in beating the Browns 25-15. The offense at first appeared to be in total rhythm, emphasizing the run and throwing when necessary to move the chains. Joe Flacco went 8-for-8 to start the … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Texans 43, Ravens 13

Posted on October 21, 2012 by Steve Hasler

HOUSTON TEXANS 43, BALTIMORE RAVENS 13 October 21, 2012 Before we get to the criticism of the Ravens play in this 43-13 shellacking at the hands of the Houston Texans – and there is plenty of criticism to come — let’s assess whatever good news is possible to take from this game, a rare blow-out loss by the Ravens. The Ravens are still 5-2, atop their division, and they are now headed into their bye week, with a winnable division game against the Browns … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Ravens 31, Cowboys 29

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Tony Lombardi

The mood was anything but celebratory. The Ravens had just won their fifth game of the season to take a commanding lead in the AFC North. They are one of 2 AFC teams with a winning record. Yet the players seemed agitated while the fans exiting M&T Bank Stadium expressed relief more than they did jubilation. The emotion was on par with barely earning a passing grade after a tough pass/fail exam. Also dampening the mood were injuries to defensive stars Lardarius Webb and Ray Lewis. The losses of these … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Ravens 9, Chiefs 6

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Steve Hasler

REARVIEW MIRROR BALTIMORE RAVENS 9, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 6 October 7, 2012 The Baltimore Ravens barely survived their trip to Kansas City, coming away with a 9-6 win over the lightly regarded Chiefs. In many ways, it was old-fashioned Ravens football, with goal-line stands and field goals flying. Except it was the Chiefs who resembled those Ravens teams from a decade ago, with a solid-looking defense, and a pounding running attack that was hampered by inept quarterback play. Chiefs running backs carried the ball 46 times for 200 yards against … Continue reading →

REPORT CARD: Ravens 23, Browns 16

Posted on September 28, 2012 by Steve Hasler

REARVIEW MIRROR BALTIMORE RAVENS 23 CLEVELAND BROWNS 16 September 27, 2012 Gene Steratore and his experienced crew of NFL officials were back on the field Thursday night shortly after the NFL had reached their new, eight-year labor agreement with their union earlier in the day. Also back on the field to face the Cleveland Browns were the Ravens players, the same field where just four nights earlier they slugged their way through to the final whistle and came away with a last-second win over the New England Patriots. The mental … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Eagles 24, Ravens 23

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Steve Hasler

REARVIEW MIRROR PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 24, BALTIMORE RAVENS 23 SEPTEMBER 16, 2012 Seeking explanations for a 24-23 loss to the Eagles, the Ravens faithful will surely question the fairness of the officiating in Philadelphia. All afternoon Robert Frazier’s frantic crew of replacement officials failed miserably to keep players from taking shots at one another after the whistle, and they were downright laughable simply trying to correctly spot the ball amidst the ongoing chaos. So when Ravens receiver Jacoby Jones was flagged for a questionable and rare offensive pass interference call in … Continue reading →

Ravens Report Card: Ravens 44 Bengals 13

Posted on September 11, 2012 by Steve Hasler

They did the old man proud. On a night dedicated to the memory of former owner Art Modell, playing on Monday Night Football, the venue Modell helped pioneer over forty years ago, the Ravens dismantled the Cincinnati Bengals, 44-13. All summer long teammates pronounced Joe Flacco a new, take-charge guy. Now a home crowd and national audience saw it with their own eyes. Flacco played brilliantly, well enough to support the growing sense that the Ravens finally have an offense that can outshine their vaunted defense. In fact, it was … Continue reading →

Ravens Report Card: Rams 31 Ravens 17

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Steve Hasler

Old Ravens nemesis and new Rams head coach Jeff Fisher elected to keep his starters on the field for more than a half of play while Ravens head coach John Harbaugh dressed only a handful of starters. It was a good chance to expose Ravens’ bubble players to top competition before the team is required to cut 22 and get down to their final, 53-man roster on Monday. However, there were very few standout performances in this runaway 31-17 Rams win. The team has been very good at unearthing undrafted … Continue reading →

Ravens Report Card: Ravens 48 Jaguars 17

Posted on August 24, 2012 by Steve Hasler

On a Monday night last October a national TV audience watched the Ravens embarrass themselves in Jacksonville, losing a 12-7 shocker to a poorly regarded Jaguars team. Revenge certainly was not a factor in this preseason rematch. The goal for the Ravens was simply to work the starters for more than a half together, and perhaps improve on scoring from inside the red zone, something the starting offense has struggled with in the preseason. They accomplished both, and maybe a bit of revenge nonetheless in piling up the most points … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Lions 27 Ravens 12

Posted on August 18, 2012 by Steve Hasler

Detroit Lions wideout Calvin Johnson is good – good enough to be an NFL video game cover boy. As we saw Friday night, he’s also good enough to torch Ravens cornerbacks, who for the second straight weeks struggled in coverage. A week ago the Falcons relied on three-step drops and quick slants for easy connections in front of sagging Ravens defenders. This week Johnson simply ran past, through and over Ravens corners Cary Williams and Jimmy Smith while averaging 22 yards on five catches and a touchdown in less than … Continue reading →