As the Browns hosted the Buccaneers on Sunday, there was an unexpected patron in the stands: a skunk had somehow found its way into the crowd at FirstEnergy Stadium.
The skunk is out. pic.twitter.com/kDbWoo4Kp9
— Hayden Grove (@H_Grove) November 27, 2022
Though I’m sure it was quite a sensory experience to the fans sitting in the nearby sections, I can guarantee it didn’t stink nearly as much as the majority of Sunday’s Ravens game did.
Ravens dropped three touchdowns vs. the Jaguars sheesh pic.twitter.com/gChJWe2rPd
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) November 28, 2022
The Ravens have gotten the ball to the Jaguars 10-yard line and the Jaguars 12-yard line on their first two drives
They have six points
— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) November 27, 2022
It was a nice reprieve over the last few weeks to be able to write about a winning streak instead of monumental collapses. The wins were ugly in some spots, but the revitalized defensive unit looked like the spark that the Ravens needed to right the ship. For a brief, shining moment, it looked like maybe- just maybe- the Ravens were beginning to move past the issues that had plagued them last year.
Nope.
Stop me if any of this sounds familiar: Costly dropped passes. Fumbles at the worst time. Pre-snap penalties. Wasting the play clock. Corners losing receivers in coverage. Woeful red zone efficiency.
Can I stop yet?
The nicest thing I can say coming away from this game is that at least one guy doesn’t have to unfairly shoulder all the blame. That doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of blame to go around, though.
Marcus Peters had a ROUGH day at the office
8 targets
6 receptions
55 rec yards
3 rec TD pic.twitter.com/EU1K8680t3— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 27, 2022
The Ravens so desperately need to move on from Greg Roman.
— Ramey (@HoodieRamey) November 27, 2022
Lamar Jackson is 9-of-17 for 88 yards in the first half.
He had 5 off-target throws in the first half, tied for his most in a half this season, per @ESPNStatsInfo.
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) November 27, 2022
Jamison Hensley probably won’t be getting any Christmas cards from Lamar Jackson this year, but the point of that last stat remains the same. Lamar didn’t look sharp for large swaths of the game, and it didn’t help that his pass catching targets once again looked like they couldn’t have caught a cold in the dead of winter. Absolutely nothing went right, as the Ravens squandered yet another late lead and continued a historically bad trend.
Four teams in NFL history have led by more than one possession in each of their first 11 games
Record
1942 Bears 11-0
2009 Saints 11-0
2011 Packers 11-0
2022 Ravens 7-4 pic.twitter.com/dqScZE14cm— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 27, 2022
In the immediate aftermath of this game, I went back to asking myself the same question that I’ve been asking since the middle of last season: how the hell do the Ravens fix this? It’s happened over and over again, and every time the coaches beat the drum about how they’ll make adjustments and get better as a result. If you’re like me and you’ve heard these promises, I want you to think back to what’s already been said, and now I want you listen to what Coach Harbaugh had to say in his media availability yesterday.
John Harbaugh was asked about red zone problem: "It's always two things: it's scheme and execution."
— Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) November 28, 2022
Coach Harbaugh on the fourth quarter: pic.twitter.com/MND7nupqVx
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) November 28, 2022
"We're going to look at everything."
Coach Harbaugh on the red zone: pic.twitter.com/B9V6mgjLQa
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) November 28, 2022
Don’t get me wrong; there is a reason Harbaugh is in the position that he’s in. Every team will have a bad game, and the coach will have to take it on the chin sometimes. That said, if a poor performance happens once and you say you’ll improve and learn from it, no one wants to hear the same excuses and explanations when it’s happening for the fourth time in twelve weeks. Tell me what’s going to be different this time. That wouldn’t fly in any other line of work, and I’m stunned that it’s lasted this long in a job so exclusive that there are only 32 total positions to fill.
Now let’s take this discussion a step further: imagine, theoretically, that this season had played out exactly the same way for the Ravens, but with any other head coach from around the NFL at the helm. Regardless of individual coaching acumen and focusing solely on leadership presence: do you think any of them get behind that microphone and act this blasé about all four of their team’s losses coming in the form of monumental chokes?
I’ve never been part of the vocal contingent of the fan base in favor of firing Harbaugh. That said, there’s a clear lack of accountability in the building, and I don’t know where the franchise goes if they don’t make a change. When you hear quotes like this…
John Harbaugh on getting to the line late: "We did a lot of substituting in H1. We were in more complicated plays and formations. I don't think we got on the field as quick as we can. Even Greg [Roman] said 'I gotta call the play faster.' … The whole thing needs to be faster."
— Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) November 28, 2022
…it just feels like the coaching staff is always the last horse to cross the finish line. I’m sure some of that is just appearances through my biased lens as a pissed off fan, but we’ve seen the offense have to battle the play clock for multiple seasons now. You’re telling me they need to burn 30 seconds of a 40 second clock relaying a play like this one?
This Pat Ricard screen play-call is still pissing me off man pic.twitter.com/hZRltZvvKs
— The Ravens Realm (@RealmRavens) November 28, 2022
I’m exhausted by this. Maybe I’m just wishing that the coaching staff acted like they were as tired of losing as the fanbase is of watching them lose. Maybe instead of hearing about how the coaches want to “chase perfection” in fourth-quarter defense…
John Harbaugh on the Ravens' final defensive series: "We didn't play the technique as well as we can. That's been a problem. We're going to keep coaching our guys. We're not down on our guys. We're going to chase perfection in the fourth quarter."
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) November 28, 2022
…the team could start by not allowing a 3-7 Jaguars team to put up 18 points in the final minutes of the game. Maybe don’t allow Zay Jones to put up a quarter of his season’s receiving stats in a single game. I just want to see this leadership group act like they want to be here, because if they don’t, eventually they won’t be.
The Ravens need a change
— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) November 27, 2022
5 Responses
One common denominator during Harbaugh’s tenure here: consistent and repetitive bad game decisions and inept clock management! I still remember Billy Cundiff running onto the field in the final seconds of a game to kick a 37 yard FG to tie the game that he……missed! Bill Belichick was asked following the game why he didn’t call a time out to “ice” the kicker and he replied that there was so much chaos on the Ravens sideline that he was better off NOT giving them time to settle down! Harbaugh lost the game with an unused timeout in his clutches that might have made a difference in the outcome! And, this has been a constant and recurring problem in virtually every game during Harbaugh’s tenure…….
From a coaching perspective? Burn it down. There is a laziness and an untouchability permeating this staff. I’m not a Harbaugh fan and never have been so I’m biased, but yeah…he is way past his expiration date needs to go. While it’s nice on one hand to have a “family” environment, even families break up, or fall out. Steve B. really needs to consider the ramifications of keeping Harbaugh around as less games are won and less fans are in the seats. Right now it does not appear he is taking it seriously.
It’s become very obvious that Harbaugh doesn’t need to win to keep his job.
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