Yesterday’s contest against the Indianapolis Colts had all the makings of a trap game. And like John Harbaugh & Co. have done so many times before, particularly since 2020, they fell right into the trap, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory to fall to (2-1) on the season.
The Ravens had plenty of chances to put this one away. Taking a 19-16 lead following the team sack of Gardner Minshew in the back of the end zone with 2:05 to play, the Ravens had an opportunity to kill the clock. Instead, they killed themselves. The botched handling of the free kick, calling a fair catch and the offense’s inability to wind down the clock, all of it was the byproduct of incompetence from the sideline coupled with horrible execution within the lines.
Lamar Jackson’s numbers will show that he had a pretty decent day. But he’s paid to make big plays in crucial situations and on Sunday he failed – repeatedly. Balls were thrown behind open receivers; he took a mind-numbing sack during the team’s last possession in regulation. It was a calamity of errors committed by a team that just showed up expecting to win.
With weapons like Jackson, Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Nelson Agholor, Gus Edwards and Mark Andrews, the Ravens offense and all its glorious coordination (or lack thereof), were only able to muster 178 passing yards against a defense that gave up 337 net yards by air to rookie C.J. Stroud just one week prior in Houston.
“It’s just about finishing. It was right there to be had. It was one of those games that you look back on at the end of the year, and you thought it made you better.” ~ Mark Andrews following the game
Andrews’ comments may be true – only time will tell. But if history is any indication, these are the games that the Ravens year-in and year-out let get away. They are the kind of games that end up costing them a home playoff game, a better seeding, or worse. This could be the kind of game that keeps them out of the postseason dance.
We’ll see what this team has learned. We’ll see what they can do against a Cleveland defense that has put up the league’s three best single-game defensive performances in the NFL this season, based on success rate, according to The Ringer’s Sheil Kapadia. We’ll see how offensive coordinator Todd Monken fixes the mess that was the Ravens offense against the 8-point underdog Colts at home.
Until we see if this debacle at The Bank made the team better as Andrews hints, get out some Tums as we dive into the Good, Bad & Ugly.
Todd has even more to fix after today. They talk a good game though. Time to coordinate. #TalkIsCheap pic.twitter.com/WV28DqhWTx
— Tony Lombardi (@RSRLombardi) September 24, 2023
[Related Article: Ravens Report Card]
THE GOOD
Although he’s clearly not as explosive as he once was, Lamar was decisive running with the football. He was also adept at escaping pressure, avoiding a couple of sacks to produce positive plays when the O-line effort suggested otherwise. He finished with 101 yards on 14 carries including the team’s only two touchdowns…Gus Edwards ran hard and into the teeth of a Colts front seven that clearly manhandled the Ravens offensive front. He had 51 yards on 11 carries before leaving the game with a concussion…Devin Duvernay had a clutch 31-yard punt return in overtime to set up the Ravens offense at the Indy 48-yard line. It was a wasted effort…Brandon Stephens did a nice job of mirroring receivers. He contributed 2 PD’s, 11 tackles and a clutch drop of Colts’ RB Zack Moss on a 4th-and-1 at the Ravens 46 with 4:15 left in the overtime period. If only Stephens could learn to turn his head towards the quarterback when the ball is in flight…
THE BAD
Maybe it’s the scheme. Maybe Lamar isn’t seeing him. Maybe he just doesn’t sell his routes the right way. Maybe Rashod Bateman is a first-round bust. He certainly seems to be constructed of glass, leaving the game again, this time with a sore hamstring. His 1 catch for 6 yards sparked memories of the great Devard Darling. The former Minnesota Golden Gopher is slowing morphing into a Baltimore Oh-fer…The offensive line failed to get a push during the game’s most crucial moments. They were outmuscled from start to finish.
“It feels definitely like we screwed ourselves out of this one. We did a lot of things that you can’t do when you want to be a winning football team. And everybody had a part in some way shape or form, and obviously it’ll all add up and you let the game get away.” ~ Kevin Zeitler
Outside of Jadeveon Clowney, the Ravens front 4 struggles to pressure the quarterback without DC Mike Macdonald scheming up some blitz. David Ojabo left the game with an ankle injury and before that the only time he was noticeable was when he failed to hold down the edge during an off-tackle run. The game’s opening play from scrimmage is a perfect example…Travis Jones and Justin Madubuike, both highly touted for their training camp outings, have apparently left their best efforts on the practice field. They’d make great props for a David Copperfield performance. They regularly disappear.
While it wasn’t the reason the Ravens lost (they only have themselves to blame), the game officiating during crunch time was pathetic. They missed two key calls against Zay Flowers. The first with 1:55 left in regulation and the Ravens facing a 3rd-and-9 at their own 26. Lamar hit Flowers on a short pass (head-scratching play call) that went for a whopping 2 yards. Agholor was called for an illegal block above the waist which the Colts declined but the Ravens should have had an offset penalty to try the play again. Clearly the zebras missed this rather obvious penalty below.
Ravens win if this is called…. pic.twitter.com/OkcQr7V6i1
— Maryland Sports Blog (@MDSportsblog) September 24, 2023
Later, facing a 3rd-and-6 from the Colts 44 with 7:09 left in overtime, Lamar tried to hit Flowers on a short in-route. The drive should have been kept alive by a DPI seen by everyone except those paid to enforce such infractions.
HOW DO YOU MISS THIS?
HOW? #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/L4H8xeQaFX
— Nic Mason (@British_Raven19) September 24, 2023
THE UGLY
Lamar crumbled during the game’s most crucial moments. The unnecessary sack; balls thrown behind receivers; balls thrown late; balls thrown in the dirt. He’s paid to be a difference maker during pivotal plays and in this game, he just failed. Lamar completed just 1 of 5 pass attempts in overtime for 7 yards. And let me remind you, this is a Colts defense that gave up 384 passing yards to a rookie QB just a week ago. A franchise QB must do more in OT when given the ball at the opponent’s 48-yard line. Instead, the Ravens offense produced a three-and-out. Is he pressing? Is he just not in synch with Todd Monken yet? Whatever the reason, he soiled the bed each time he was given an opportunity to put this one away. And those fumbles are a big, ongoing problem that never seem to get corrected. But I suppose those close to the team will reason, “that’s just Lamar being Lamar”.
How about Lamar just be better when it counts the most?
Kenyan Drake’s fumble in the first quarter completely flipped the game’s momentum. The Ravens were going to score again to take at least a 10-0 lead. With that fumble it was as if the the offense’s mojo vanished like a fart in the wind and from that point forward, Lamar and Monken’s hind part tightened up like snare drums….Isaiah Likely’s dropped a third-down conversion attempt in overtime that would have placed the ball around the Indy 40 and potentially set the Ravens up for a Justin Tucker game-winner…The rush defense along the edge was atrocious, allowing Zack Moss to gash the Ravens for 122 yards on 30 carries. Forcing Minshew into undesirable second and third down situations should have been the plan. They needed to take Moss out of the game and failed…The Ravens blew an opportunity to add at least 3 more points at the 0:27 mark of the second quarter when Jeremiah Moon went for the scoop and score instead of falling on the ball following a Minshew fumble. Stephens also had an opportunity to recover but also failed. It looked like children playing hot potato.
The Ravens punt coverage has been awful through three games. Yesterday they had opportunities to flip the field but two returns totaling 48 yards dashed those hopes. Jordan Stout might have a booming leg when the pressure is off but when it’s on, he fails. He might have been pretty excited about his punt that was downed at the Colts 2-yard line, celebrating by simulating left-handed wedge shot, but if the Colts returner had simply caught the ball at the 13-yard line, the lofted club would have stayed in the bag. When the Ravens need Stout to pull out the driver, he opted for a flop wedge at the 1:48 mark of the 4th and hit a 34-yarder to the Colts 38.
THE MEGAN FOX AWARD
It’s a shame that such an outstanding performance, like that of Kyle Hamilton yesterday, had to be wasted in defeat. Hamilton was a force. He had 9 tackles; 2 for losses; added 3 sacks, hurried Minshew 3 other times; swatted a pass at the LOS and forced a fumble. He was by far the best player on the field yesterday and his efforts were deserving of a better team outcome. Here’s a video compilation of Hamilton’s unforgettable day at the office.
kyle hamilton vs colts pic.twitter.com/g1maibw80X
— 🏜️ (@SimplyAS10) September 24, 2023
The injuries continue to mount at a pace that far exceeds the league average. And we should all continue to wonder why Harbaugh opted to keep the staff of a fired strength and conditioning coach. It makes about as much sense as hiring doctors who worked under the tutelage of a surgeon with multiple malpractice suits.
COACHING
“We were going to fair catch that ball because it was 1:58 (left), and that was before the two-minute warning, After the kick return team was out there on the field, (the officials) pumped (the clock) up over two minutes, and we were unable to communicate to him. We were trying, but we couldn’t communicate to (Flowers). They were winding it. That was unfortunate.” ~ John Harbaugh commenting on Zay Flowers fair-catching the free kick following the safety that put the Ravens up 19-16
I should first make it clear that I’m a John Harbaugh fan. His teams are gritty. They play hard. The team’s winning culture and one that lures players to Baltimore is largely John’s doing. But that doesn’t make him exempt from criticism. So here goes.
First, the Ravens opted to send Flowers out there to receive the free kick when Duvernay is the defacto returner for both punts and kicks. So using Flowers was clearly strategic on some strange level. So it stands to reason that Flowers must have been given specific instructions.
If John is being transparent and his explanation is what went down, the Ravens still had two timeouts in the bag. If there was some uncertainty or confusion at that moment, burn one! Get it right. Instruct Flowers to return the kick, get the clock under two minutes so that even if the ensuing drive does not produce a first down, the Ravens would give the ball back to the Colts with worse field position and less than a minute on the clock. Isn’t John supposed to be a special teams guru?
As for Todd Monken’s offense, the Ravens have all of these weapons, and they morph into a dink and dunk attack? Rookie C.J. Stroud completed 15 passes of 10+ yards against the Colts in Week 2. Former MVP and $260M man Lamar Jackson completed just 6 of 10+ yards. Take a look at the targets from Next Gen.
The Ravens offense had 133 yards in the first quarter. They had just 231 yards during the remaining 54 minutes of play, including the overtime period. This offensive futility, regardless of the coordinators, has one common denominator.
Once again, the Ravens played not to lose. Once again, the Ravens opted not to go for the jugular, this time playing bashful while facing a quarterback who up until yesterday never beat a team with a .500+ record.
PARTING THOUGHTS
At the end of the day, the Ravens share the lead in the AFC North with the Browns and Steelers, teams that happen to be Baltimore’s next two opponents. It’s still very early and the opportunities lie in wait, but with the mounting injuries just 3 games into the season, John Harbaugh & Co. look like a team running out of artillery. And you have to wonder if all of John’s horses and all of John’s men can put this Humpty Dumpty team together again.
13 Responses
I still don’t get the reasoning of Harbs decision to fair catch the free punt regardless of how much time was left. Shouldn’t we TRY to run as much time off as possible when you have the lead and Gay was having an NFL record day kicking FGs. Lamar tends to, when he gets frustrated, tries to do too much, it is like he is busting out of a phone booth ripping off his suit to show his superman outfit. He still makes rookie mistakes for a 6th year player regardless of how much he makes.
For all the talk about how well this team drafts or how much talent we have on this team none of that matters until the Ravens get a handle on their constant mounting injuries. Teams can get away with a couple of injuries and win but it is delusional to think with as many injuries as we continue to get this team will be successful in the post season.
With all due respect, John Harbaugh’s lengthy history of bad game day decisions is legendary! He may be a wonderful human being and certainly has some strengths, but game day management is not one of them! How many more games do we have to lose before the FO figures out how this long standing problem must be addressed? As for the Humpty Dumpty metaphor, we continue to replace ALL the king’s horses and ALL the king’s men, but the ultimate problem remains the……King!
Thank you for saying it, I’m glad I’m not the only person in Baltimore, who is sick and tired of seeing John Harbaugh on the sidelines! This team is stuck in mediocrity, the fans are stuck in accepting mediocrity, and people like me who know we can get better by starting over with a new coach, are sick and tired of all these sycophants who are mediocre fecal bags, sorry, I call it as I see it
we have serious weapons on offense…a new,highly regarded off. coordinator….but we still aren`t stretching defenses……our offense has been,and looks like it will continue to be street ball…if the first read isn`t there,the qb scrambles and throws to guys who are coming back to the ball…we really don`t utilize a set passing offense replete with qb reads and progressions..if the initial play call goes sideways it`s street ball…now maybe that isn`t all lamar…..the o line might be culpable for the inability to allow him to go through his progerssions..i really don`t know…but it looks exactly the same as last year…the guy ran what,15 times yesterday?…is that smart?…is that sustainable?..
and i`m going to say it again…we have (at worst) the 3rd best tight end in the league…..all we hear the entire preseason is that nobody can cover andrews…and that was the case at oklahoma…and early in his ravens career…he`s big and can get down the field….why has he been relegated to a dump off guy?…we have waaay too many weapons for teams to designate double teams on one guy…that was the point of having more weapons…people bemoan us not having size on the outside at receiver…well,andrews has size and knows how to get open….but his role seems to have morphed into designated safety valve receiver…what a waste…with these weapons we should be stressing defenses to the max…make them cover the entire field…..zay catching nothing but hitches and screens…yes that`s part of it but flowers is just so much more than that…
tony`s right…it all looks so “playing not to lose”…
it looks like we have converted monken into greg roman…i don`t think that was the plan,was it?
Great insight! See my comment above! Despite all the coaching and personnel changes over the years, Harbaugh remains the one constant as does his legendary mishandling of game day decisions! And, as long as he remains HC, don’t expect changes in performance! The Ravens FO will rue the decision to give Lamar that huge contract! For all his immense talent and skill sets, he’s not a franchise pocket QB!
Injuries: The Ravens seem to defy all statistical odds by apparently having more injuries than all other teams year after year. Biscotti should want answers as to how this is possible. I would commission a study because bad luck every year seems unlikely.
Fair catch. If you can’t convey a message to Zay Flowers, you need to call a time out. I still don’t understand telling Zay Flowers to make a fair catch on a free kick.
This loss is all on Harbaugh and Lamar. Paying Jackson $50,000,000 a year didn’t improve his accuracy, his ability to hold on to the ball or his decision making. Harbaugh’s refusal to call a timeout to let Flowers know not to fair catch the kickoff was inexcusable. Had he done so the Colts would have gotten the ball back with about 30 seconds instead of the 1:40 they wound up having. And finally I agree with Tony about Stout. He is a choke artist when you need a good punt. I expect more from a 4th round draft pick then what he has shown. They could have gotten a similar performance had they kept Sam Koch.
Ironic that the Ravens make it an annual video of the Rookies chasing, then falling on the ball through the wet grass while being sprayed with a firehouse. And yet, they still can’t rid themselves of the temptation to pick up a wet ball and run with it.
TL on point today with the similes
It was a bad game all around. More injuries year after year. Same poor decision making year after year. Poor officiating game after game, year after year.
Questions. How much did the weather conditions affect the game? How much did the injuries affect the play calling when almost half of our starters were out of the game? How much did/does the officiating affect the game(s) week after week and it is totally overlooked and the league does not do anything to improve it?
This is an emotional game and when you have poor officiating impact the game, it easily swings the emotion and potentially the outcome of the game to the other side. The weather definitely affects the game especially when the field is wet or it is very cold. The next man up idea is nice but reality is that the farther you go down the roster, the less effective your team’s overall performance will become. Just food for thought.
In the end we lost a game we should have won. Let’s give some credit to the Colts. They are in the league for a reason. Let’s move on to the next game.
Once again Harbaugh makes the irrational decisions that lose games. As you said Tony, you have an All-Pro return man — so why is Flowers back there at all? And why not call a timeout beforehand to convey everyone’s on the same page? Now for the elephant in the room (that others have also mentioned). Watching Lamar drop back and attempt to find “open” receivers is painful. He doesn’t throw anyone open, and even with the various weapons, the offense seems to only have one route: Someone runs 5 or 10 yds. and turns around. As was said, Andrews used to be a weapon downfield and now like all of the WR’s, the Ravens have turned him into a dink n’ dunk guy. It doesn’t matter who we bring in, the Ravens will turn them into silly putty. After Zay caught that deep bomb I thought “well that’s the end of Zay going deep.” And Rashon Bateman may as well be inactive. Doesn’t matter if we’re facing terrible corners, we’re too scared to challenge anybody. As other reporters said about training camp: why didn’t they practice the deep ball? To even raise that as a question speaks volumes. The basic feeling I have watching the Ravens is there’s no particular offensive mindset at work. If a receiver makes a catch in the 1st quarter, chances are he’s not seeing another throw his way till the 4th quarter.
Now it seems like Harbaugh picked Monkton because he was another Roman. Here’s to another season of streetball. Meaning Lamar can’t find a receiver so he scrambles. This is practically every play the run.
Minshew has a good arm. Got the crap kicked out of him and never quit. I saw him doubled over after one of the sacks. Tells me lots about this guy. It’s one game sure but we keep seeing this a few times a year against lesser opponents every season and it really hurts to see it at home especially if you dish aout all the bucks to see it live and in person. The walking wounded many every year with the same jersey numbers. Thanks for telling it like it is Tony.
Lucky they played Houston already … but they still have to play Arizona.
Do we have the analytics of Lamar in the rain? It was a perfect storm.
Oh my.