The Ravens took another double-digit fourth-quarter lead in New York against the Giants, but fell in the end, 24-20.
They fall to 3-3 on the season.
RSR staff react to the loss here.
Derek Arnold
When it comes to the Ravens’ nauseating fourth-quarter collapses this year, this is the one where blame is shared most among the three phases of the game. Let’s review, in increasing order of responsibility…
Special Teams: Justin Tucker missed field goal (crazy long, but that’s why he’s the GOAT, right?), Jordan Stout punt into the end zone with the chance to pin NYG deep, allowed a huge kick return immediately upon going up 7-0, committed an unnecessary roughness that fortunately didn’t result in any points, but that gave the Giants some life at the end of the half.
Defense: Allowed multiple 3rd-and-10+ conversions on the Giants’ first TD drive, allowed 12- and 14-play TD drives in the fourth quarter. Bottled up Saquon Barkley but allowed Daniel Jones to carve them up on 3rd down.
Offense: Bogged down twice in NYG territory in the first quarter, coming away with zero points when six should have been the minimum if they’d managed to just not go backwards, lined up illegally on a 3rd-and-inches on what was really the game’s pivotal play, had multiple pre-snap penalties, turned the ball over twice in the final three minutes.
That last point is on Lamar Jackson, who made poor decisions all day. He wasn’t terrible on balance, but he certainly wasn’t special, and this team needs him to be just that to win games, when the other phases are failing as spectacularly as they continue to. Just as he CAN’T make that throw in the end zone against Buffalo two weeks ago he CAN’T toss it up to Patrick Ricard on a broken play with a lead like that. Completely inexcusable.
Rob Shields
Is there a team in the NFL that snatches defeat from the jaws of victory as well as the Ravens do?
The Ravens dominated this game. They largely shut down the Giants run game. The Ravens ran for over 200 yards. They had almost 200 yards more. They had several more first downs.
But Lamar played awful. He was inaccurate all game and then he has two awful turnovers, including one of the worst decisions/INTs you will ever see. Lamar isn’t playing like a guy who should be the highest paid player in the league. He had some good games early but hasn’t been good lately.
Of course, the biggest issue today were penalties. Awful penalties at the worst times over and over again. Add that to the poor Lamar play and the awful third down defense and you have a recipe for a loss that absolutely should have been a double-digit win.
This is even worse than the Miami game because at least the Miami game was lost without Marlon Humphrey on the field. You were healthy today and blew it. Disgusting.
Darin McCann
This team is 3-3 right now and it exactly deserves to be 3-3. They are a few plays from realistically being 6-0 this season, but you know who makes those plays? Winning teams. This is not one.
Kenyan Drake put on a terrific performance, and there were several standouts on defense, but this team is not good enough right now when it matters. Lamar Jackson, penalties and a lack of explosive elements to this offense is what beat this team today.
It’s obvious right now that this receiving unit is not impactful enough without Rashod Bateman available. This should be putting up very loud alarms around the Castle that a dramatic move is needed. Now.
Chad Racine
Another 4th quarter blown lead is becoming this season’s storyline. The illegal formation penalty is what started it and nothing went right after that.
The bright spot was Kenyan Drake having a great game. Hopefully Dobbins not getting any carries in the 2nd half doesn’t mean an injury setback.
Kevin McNelis
Shoulda, coulda, woulda.
I swear, watching this team every weekend is getting to be an exercise in self-punishment. I was really hoping that when we turned the roster over from last year and got most of the way healthy, most of these problems would correct themselves. It’s just more of the same.
This game wasn’t just playing down to competition, Baltimore HANDED the Giants this game. It’d be hard to find a bigger Lamar supporter than I am, but Lamar is going to have to wear that hero-ball throw. It’s certainly not going to detract from any of the narratives he’s grappled with, either.
The officiating was abysmal. It wasn’t like the Ravens didn’t benefit on the expired play clock for the Andrews TD, but the officials couldn’t have blown more calls the hurt the Ravens if they were actively trying.
To top it all off, Morgan Moses tweaked his ankle, and the Steelers and Bengals both won today. I am begging for the BYE week to get here.
Nikhil Mehta
Where to even begin? Another pre-snap offensive penalty pushes Lamar Jackson into one of the worst plays of his career and another double-digit lead evaporated in the second half. You can’t ask for any more from the defense in that game – the offense simply didn’t come through when it mattered. That’s becoming a recurring theme for this Ravens team. The running game was humming, but drops and bad throws brought down the air attack and the Ravens fall to 3-3. You can see what this team is supposed to be, but their key absences still loom large.
Reinforcements can’t come soon enough and if Lamar Jackson can’t be that guy, the Ravens could have a losing record by their Week 10 bye.
Jared Pinder
At this point my faith in John Harbaugh and the Ravens is pretty much gone. I don’t care if people get mad because something is wrong with this team and it starts at the top and trickles down to the bottom. Nobody is held accountable, players are making some of the worst bone headed mistakes ever and there just seems to be a divide of the talent level this team has and the people who are paid to employ them.
Something is wrong and if you think trading a pick for a receiver or pass rusher will fix everything than I need the hopium you are whiffing. The Ravens under all circumstances should be undefeated and they are somehow .500.
I’m tired of the excuses for this team. Something needs to change but of course nothing will change and this slowly depleting “culture” the Ravens are holding onto like some sort of stepping stones over other teams continues to just fade like dust in the wind.
The mental mistakes that happened today simply don’t happen to well-coached teams and I am tired of people defending this coaching staff.
If adding more talent masks these mistakes than I guess you have to do it but I’m tired of defending this insanely poorly coached team.
When the Orioles make the Ravens look like the poorly-run team in town, that is a huge problem.
Chris Schisler
The Baltimore Ravens seem determined to get in their own way. There’s just no no explanation for the struggle that was this game. The New York Giants were down 20-17 when a bad snap and a interception put them in the red zone. It was an inexcusable sequence of events.
The Ravens defense did a great job in this game. At the two minute warning the Giants had a chance to take the lead on a crucial third down. In a game where they only had 230 yards at that point, it was a little shocking. A pass interference penalty nullified an interception. Then the Giants scored the go ahead touchdown. It looked like another game the Ravens squandered.
Jackson is the reason the Ravens lost the game. He threw the game-deciding interception. He missed throws he should have made all game long. The offense was stagnant most of the ball game. Jackson turned the ball over in critical moments. Jackson wants a fully guaranteed deal and he’s not playing to that level.
The defense did its job. They only gave up 238 yards. The defense did it’s job and the offense let them down. Its that simple. Lamar Jackson isn’t living up to his contract demands. The Ravens have scored 20, 19, and 20 in the last three games. It’s time to stop getting mad at the defense and start holding the quarterback responsible for falling short. He turned the ball over inexcusably and he missed throws he should have made. Blame anyone you want but Jackson is the reason the Ravens lost.
13 Responses
I second everything Jared said !
wow
Lamar is playing himself OUT of that big contract. He has been terrible the last 2 games, just awful and I am NOT a Lamar basher, but he has stunk to high heaven.
Lamar is at his best when he runs! Either he, Harbaugh or both apparently are determined to prove that he’s a typical pro type pocket passer which he is……not! Just one fan’s opinion for a change…….
Good teams find ways to win! This team finds ways to lose and right now, and they can’t be characterized as good! But, it’s a long season with mostly mediocre teams, so anything is possible! One thing seems obvious at this point…..Lamar is playing himself out of that huge contract! Lamar is a gifted athlete with great running skills, but he’s not a pocket passer, he’s not an accurate passer and more often than not, he rattles when pressured!
This team isn’t ready to contend right now. After 5 years of stocking the cupboard we have a powder puff defense and injury riddled excuse making offense.
Back in the stone age when Vince Lombardi took over in Green Bay one of the first things he did to change the culture of losing was to eliminate players with constant injuries even if they where good and make the walking wounded feel unwelcomed. In todays game these guys are coddled and protected and make way to much money to be disciplined.
Failure of first and second round picks to stay on the field and make plays looms large in todays NFL. Its only going to get worse with guaranteed contracts and soon to be 18 game season. You hand over millions to young men many extremely immature and with egos the size of Mt Everest and coaches unable to discipline due to the CBA.
I have watched the NFL since the early 1960s and played in high school. Right now this team is lacking focus and has no killer instinct. The coaches seem to player friendly to me and some of these divas on this team need a good ass chewing. Make them run some hills. Oh I guess you can’t with the CBA. They let the Giants hang around like a bad cold. Pathetic!
Shouldn’t Harbaugh’s seat be getting at least a little bit warm?? Every year we – supposedly – have A+ drafts but we have this complete car wreck of a team. We’ve gone through OCs and DCs but the constant is the HC. I’m sick and tired of hearing how ” excited ” he is about everything. And how he loves so and so and he hopes so and so still loves him. He should be thankful for an owner with patience of Job
Sean Payton is waiting in the wings……
Correct me if I’m wrong, but Lamar seems to currently lack confidence throwing the ball deep down field. He’s overthrown the ball to open receivers the last 2 games. I don’t know if it’s due to Bateman being out or his delivery of the football has changed. There is definitely some regression for Lamar as a passer.