Break out the pitchforks and torches.
The Ravens could not hold a nine-point fourth quarter lead and fell to the Jacksonville Jaguars 28-27 in Week 12.
Where do we shift the blame?
Overall, the Ravens scored two touchdowns on five trips inside the red zone.
Kicker Justin Tucker accounted for all of their points in the first half and the Ravens even relied on him to attempt a 67-yard kick to win the game as time expired.
The Ravens’ defense could not make a stop in the final two minutes and allowed the Jaguars to go the length of the field and pull within a point on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Trevor Lawrence to Marvin Jones.
Jaguars coach Doug Pederson gambled and went for the 2-point conversion. Lawrence made him look smart by throwing a short pass to Zay Jones for the victory.
Perhaps, there is enough blame to go around for all of the coaches and players.
“You try to call your best plays,” Harbaugh said. “Sometimes you think you can run it in – you run it in [and] it doesn’t work – sometimes you try to pass it in. We just didn’t do a good job in the red zone. You go down there and kick – what – four field goals? That’s tough. Those are big trips down there, and obviously, touchdowns are what you’re looking for. It’s something we have to improve on going forward. That’s really important for us.”
How crazy is it that #Ravens 4th quarter defensive collapses are so regular you get upset when the offense takes a 7 point lead with two minutes left and you conclude, “they scored to fast!”? #Ravensfootball2022
— Tony Lombardi (@RSRLombardi) November 27, 2022
Quarterback Lamar Jackson was inconsistent for a third straight game but was also let down by a couple of drops by Mark Andrews and Kenyan Drake. Jackson was 16 of 32 for 254 with a touchdown (87.2 rating). He also ran for 89 yards on 14 carries and converted several third downs.
“[We] look good in practice,” Jackson said. In the game, we have opportunities. Sometimes we just didn’t hit it. You know, we hit one late in the game [and] went up. But still, I feel like [if] we score early, [the] game looks different. The team will have confidence. They’ve got confidence.”
Running back Gus Edwards returned to the lineup and had 52 yards rushing on 16 carries with a touchdown. However, Edwards had a critical fumble late in the fourth quarter that led to Jacksonville’s go-ahead field goal.
Offensive coordinator Greg Roman did call a balanced game with 35 rushes and 32 passing attempts.
The secondary was much improved over the four-game winning streak before allowing Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence to complete 29 of 37 passes for 321 yards with three touchdowns.
“I don’t think you get down,” linebacker Justin Houston said. “It should be motivation to keep moving forward. That’s all that matters. We get in the dance [playoffs], we’re going to shake something. We’re good. Like I said, it’s growing pains. We’re still learning, we’re still figuring stuff out.”
Jaguars running Travis Etienne, who leads the team with 725 yards rushing and is averaging 5.5 yards per carry, had to leave the game in the first quarter with a foot injury. However, JaMycal Hasty took his spot and had five catches for 67 yards with a touchdown when he beat Marcus Peters.
It was a costly loss for the Ravens, who are now tied with the Bengals for first place in the AFC North.
“We’re disappointed, but we’re moving on,” Harbaugh said. “We have to get ready for the next one. We have the Broncos coming on Sunday at our place, and we’re going to get ready for that.”
3 Responses
The blame starts at the top with a HC dedicated to an ultra conservative, keep it close and play not to lose old school philosophy that is outdated in the pass oriented NFL! The offense is antiquated and the defense lacks a consistent pass rush against the better QBs in the league! We’ve had 6 OCs and 6 DCs in the past 14 years and the one constant in all that time is…….Harbaugh! The game appears to have passed him by……
The Ravens have gone from a juggernaut in 2019 to mediocre in 2022. Last year was a mulligan but the reality is setting in now. Could another December collapse be in store? Time will tell. Meanwhile Jags fans are getting on line to buy upper deck seats for their remaining home games.
The hallmark characteristic of a Harbaugh team…being unprepared, then be unable to adjust when the situation arises. Sooooooo tired of his schtick. “We’re disappointed but pick up and move on…”. Most the drama could have been avoided, but Harbaugh and his staff fielded an unprepared team and bad gameplan again.