The Ravens fall to the Bengals in the season finale, 24-16, wrapping up a 5-11 season. Our staff reacts:
Tyler Lombardi
It was a last week of the season fitting for a year filled with constant disappointment.
The game looked like it was going well early, but Ryan Mallett showed us why he was released from his previous team. Even his completions often appeared to be behind or too far in front of the receiver. He made a few ill-advised throws to the flat, and it finally caught up to him at a time when the Ravens could have taken control of the game.
To make matters worse, the Jets (nor the Browns, but that was expected) couldn’t stick a dagger in the Steelers’ season. It’s a shame for Brandon Marshall, and especially for Ryan Fitzpatrick, both of whom have never played a postseason game. It’s even worse for the latter; he was the reason they lost.
Now I’m forced to root for the Bengals and their growing arrogance next week, and I don’t get to continue to laugh at their continuing incompetency in the playoffs if they lose.
At least this season of torture is over for the Ravens.
Drew Forrester
The good news about Mallet stinking it up in Cincy is we were saved from a summer of sports radio callers saying, “Mallet is just as good as Flacco.”
The game played out about how I expected. Cincinnati has a good team but they aren’t beating anyone in the playoffs with McCarron at quarterback.
On to next season…
Joe Polek
Well, that wasn’t fun (said nearly all season). How does a team go 0-for-8 in 3rd down and win? That’s what the Ravens allowed the Bengals to do. The defense got scorched on the ground, and didn’t help themselves with penalties (what else is new?). Mallett was okay, but showed why he is a back-up in the NFL and not a starting QB. I still believe that he will be the best option as a back-up to Flacco next year, but at least this showing will quiet down anyone who was thinking he could take Flacco’s job next year.
But I will continue to say it, even though he won’t get even one vote, John Harbaugh deserves consideration for Coach of the Year. To have the team with the most guys on IR and the most important guys on IR, but keep this team fighting until the very end with no locker room issues or closed door meetings, shows just how good of a job he did this year.
Brian Bower
The Ravens played hard and never quit unlike several teams around the league over the last few weeks. The loss wraps up a top draft selection and the brass certainly has their work cut out for them this offseason in filling obvious holes on the roster.
It will be interesting to see what Bisciotti, Cass, Newsome and Harbaugh have to say on Thursday..
Ryan Jones
That will do it for 2015. A couple of takeaways now that we’ve wrapped up the season.
What a great game and solid season for Maxx Williams. He is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Ravens down season. The extended playing time he’s been given should help him make a huge jump in 2016. For those who will say his season was fairly quiet, he just had the most productive year for a rookie tight end in Ravens history. That includes Todd Heap and Dennis Pitta.
Ryan Mallett’s numbers don’t tell the whole story of this game. He threw for almost 300 yards and made some good throws but the immaturity was still apparent. He gets flustered when he’s pressured and hit, and throws his arms in the air when he thinks his receiver ran the wrong route. He possesses all the physical attributes to be a successful NFL quarterback, but he’s lacking some important mental aspects of the game.
Pittsburgh’s in the playoffs which is unfortunate. But that doesn’t take away from the importance of last week’s win.
On to 2016. I fully expect this team to bounce back and it will be an interesting offseason.
Mike Fast
I’m glad this season is over, because now we can look forward to a high draft pick, the return of Steve Smith, and a much-needed fresh start in 2016.
I applaud and commend John Harbaugh, his coaches, and his players for their efforts despite adverse and uncomfortable circumstances. Though it doesn’t translate to wins, the fight the Ravens showed when their season was over was impressive and reassuring.
Here’s to a productive, restful offseason, and a return to the playoffs in 2016.
Derek Arnold
The staff members above articulated my thoughts on today’s game, and on the upcoming offseason quite well, so instead of echoing them, I’ll just bellyache a bit:
Ah, the worst part of the year is upon us – the holidays are over, the decorations are down, and now we’re in the time between the Ravens’ season being over and Orioles spring training starting: a period many refer to as simply “winter.” To make matters worse, it won’t even be the stress-free start to “winter” that it should be, as now we have to bite our nails and hope the Steelers don’t luck their way to a playoff win, or two, or…ugh, I can’t even speak it. Deep down, I think we all knew the Jets would screw this up, but that doesn’t make it any easier to stomach.
Ken McKusick
While I think John Harbaugh did a great job keeping the team playing hard, I am far less positive about the state of the franchise. In particular, the young talent had a bad year with regressions and no-shows from some key players.
For several reasons (position, new comps, tradability of comps) , the Ravens are poised to have a big draft. As much as any time in franchise history, they need it.
