It felt like we were playing with house money.
Every minute, every second of postseason playing time seemed like it was gifted given the way the Ravens played down the homestretch of the regular season.
A swagger, a collective aggressiveness that was missing from the first 16 games was born as John Harbaugh’s squad attacked like they had nothing to lose.
They were the Playoff Crashers.
But unfortunately, when facing a 2nd and 5 from the New England 36-yard line with 1:46 to go, the house money inexplicably ran out and hopes for another miraculous romp through the playoffs hit a wall named Duron Harmon.
The Playoff Crashers crashed.
I’ve watched the Ravens practice the two-minute offense daily during training camp. The 1:46 was an eternity, relatively speaking. But Joe Flacco, riding the wings of another outstanding playoff performance may have bought too much into the persona of January Joe.
Had he looked off Harmon or even a slight pump fake towards the center of the field, Flacco may have created enough of a window to fit that pass into Torrey Smith. Had Smith attacked the ball in flight and not slowed slightly to push the defender, perhaps the end result is different.
But the bigger question is, why make that call at that time in the game at all?
Even if the pass is completed and the Ravens go up 38-35 there would still be 1:30 or better for Tom Brady to matriculate the ball down the field for at least a game tying field goal – particularly the way he was shredding the Ravens secondary.
Would’ve, should’ve, could’ve…
When the game ended, like many of you, I dropped my head, slumped my shoulders and absorbed the unwelcomed suddenness of the season’s end.
The adrenalin that ran through my veins and invigorated my body in a way that energy drinks could only dream of, had dried up. The tank was dry and left me with the emptiness that accompanies elimination.
On the plus side we learned a lot about the Ravens in 2014 and more importantly so did the coaches and talent evaluators.
The injury bug while unfortunate, provided an opportunity for many “next-man-ups” to gain valuable experience, which will help strengthen the club’s depth in 2015.
There are obvious holes to fill – holes that were on full display in this Divisional Playoff Game in New England.
THE GOOD
Joe Flacco had an amazing first half connecting on 17 of 22 passes for 146 yards and 3 touchdowns for a passer rating of 133.7. He slumped in the second half throwing two interceptions and getting away with a near-disastrous fumble on his own 3-yard line, saved by a defensive holding call. A legendary performance was within reach but he couldn’t finish…Marshal Yanda was extremely effective stonewalling Rob Ninkovich, silencing the pass rush on the right which was vital given the leakiness on the left side. Marlon Brown, Kyle Juszczyk and Mike Campanaro were all effective working the soft white underbelly of the Patriots defense…
Steve Smith, Sr.’s physicality was inspiring. His crushing block on the screen to Campanaro brought back memories of Q…Owen Daniels made a few key grabs but had a chance to be a hero if he managed to hang on to that fourth quarter pass from 7 yards out…Three for 3 on fourth down conversions.
CJ Mosley had a few key stops and forced a Julian Edelman fumble that unfortunately the Ravens weren’t able to recover…Excellent interception by Daryl Smith who put an end to a late second half drive by the Patriots to help set up a go ahead score by the Ravens…Run defense was extremely stout, limiting the Patriots to 14 net yards rushing (1.1 ypc)
THE BAD
The play calling with 1:46 to go. The Ravens could have milked the clock with a run on 2nd and 5 that may have caught the Patriots off guard while picking up a first down… Isolating Will Hill on Rob Gronkowski from 5 yards out is never a good idea…Elvis (Dumervil) was not in the building…Punt coverage was weak. Missed tackles helped pave the way for Edelman to average 15 yards per return…Jacoby Jones has probably made his last return of any kind for the Ravens. He struggles to find his stride and his decision-making is questionable at best. Not making a fair catch during the waning seconds of the game but instead catching it and running directly to the sideline to kill the clock is yet another indictment on his limited football IQ.
THE UGLY
Someone tell James Hurst that the pace of a playoff game is a little more up-tempo than a Friday afternoon walk through. He’s awful and fortunately the officials let these guys play a bit. Apparently Hurst thought Chandler Jones needed a few hugs and ref Bill Vinovich allowed it…One of 9 on third down?…Torrey Smith’s probable last game as a Raven will be best remembered by two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and his lack of awareness as a receiver…Rashaan Melvin, it’s ok to take off the bullseye now. Brady is done with you. By the way why didn’t the Ravens play more press coverage?…Matt Elam had only 15 snaps and still managed to miss 2 tackles, one of which led to a 15-yard Danny Amendola TD. Every time he
takes the field he builds a case to be labeled the worst draft pick in Ravens history and that includes Kyle Boller…John Harbaugh out on the field unleashing his inner Dez Bryant while whining to officials.
THE MEGAN FOX AWARD
From day 1 of OTA’s right on through the Divisional Playoff loss, Justin Forsett has been a model of efficiency. The diminutive overachiever had 129 yards on 24 carries (5.4 ypc) plus a score on a swing pass from 16 yards out.
GOODBYE?
Noteworthy players who may never take the field again as members of the Baltimore Ravens:
- Torrey Smith
- Jacoby Jones
- Haloti Ngata
- Chris Canty
- Owen Daniels
- Tyrod Taylor
- Bernard Pierce
- Albert McClellan
- Sam Koch
- Pernell McPhee
FINAL THOUGHTS
The 2014 season was clearly an improvement over 2013. The Ravens are heading in the right direction and there’s little reason to think that they won’t be an even more formidable team in 2015 with proper roster augmentation.
Players will come and go and we’ll remember some for their accomplishments, others for their failure to reach expectations. That’s life in the NFL.
As fans we come to expect good things from the Ravens. The ride during this postseason, albeit shorter than we hoped, was a reminder of our good fortune. Unlike so many cities, we have regularly experienced the thrill of playoff football for 6 of the previous 7 Januarys. Many gatherings with friends and family would never have materialized if not for the success of that team in purple and black.
So here’s to the good times. May they echo forever in the halls of our heritage.
Here’s to the difficult times. May we learn from them and grow.
And here’s to the Baltimore Ravens and a successful offseason.
Thanks for the memories.
