This week continues to be a tough one, at least for me. To my complete surprise, the Ravens were washed 17-10 last week by the Kansas City Chiefs, leaving question marks all over the place in Charm City.
Just to get my thoughts out quickly, it’s not the fact they lost that surprises me, it’s how poor the performance was all around. Even the defense, who to their credit turned things around, came out a bit sluggish. And that was the bright spot.
The biggest issue in my eyes was the gameplan on offense. There didn’t seem to be any real sense of identity – especially in terms of how the unit found success all year – and that hurt Baltimore. I don’t want to beat a dead horse, but six RB runs is unacceptable.
The Ravens never trailed by more than 10 points to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game
They played the entire game like they were down by 30
— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) January 30, 2024
It’s not like they didn’t find success, though. This Gus Edwards run came just before the TD to Zay Flowers that tied the game:
The Ravens saw this happen and said “Eh, I’m good” pic.twitter.com/MyxCPNAlX7
— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) January 30, 2024
Even worse, the offense failed to adjust on the fly and at halftime. KC was stacking the box, and it was like the Ravens had never seen that defense before.
.@Chiefs v @Ravens the Chiefs challenged the Ravens to run against a “stacked big lber box” especially on 1-10 and Baltimore did not answer the challenge. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/SZq5EGP88Z
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) January 30, 2024
Another blunder:
The Ravens didn't just abandon the run, they failed to utilize play-action against a defense that struggled to defend it this year.
The Ravens ran play action only three times in the first half. Halfway through the third quarter they had four play-action…
— Spencer Schultz (@ravens4dummies) January 30, 2024
Regardless of who the QB or OC have been, the Ravens have either abandoned their running identity, or allowed opposing teams to dictate that they lose it, in many of their playoff losses since 2019.
2019
Season: +9.8 rush (37.3 rush/gm to 27.5 pass/gm)
Divisional loss: -30 rush…— Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) January 30, 2024
This has been a trend for a few years, and throughout the whole game, I was at a loss for words. Colin Cowherd never is:
Colin Cowherd goes OFF on the Ravens’ AFC Championship game plan
“That felt like coaching malpractice. They completely abandoned their identity…I didn’t even recognize Baltimore…It’s one of the strangest 3.5 hours of playoff football I’ve ever seen” pic.twitter.com/VsVGYZymzk
— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) January 30, 2024
Now, Baltimore fans are left with another offseason of “what-ifs,” counting down the days until Lamar Jackson and company are back on the field. Unfortunately for us, while it’s impossible to guarantee, it does look like the Ravens staff and roster will be worse than this season.
This 2023 team really felt like a Championship one, but they may have missed their window, and a key name is already out the door:
got our guy
we’ve agreed to terms with Joe Hortiz to be our general manager » https://t.co/8a4oIeakx8 pic.twitter.com/uqq7M9gOql
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) January 30, 2024
Thank you, Joe! 💜 pic.twitter.com/CS8iTbK9yi
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 30, 2024
This is a well-deserved promotion for Joe Hortiz, and he’s got quite the roster to work with, but it may be the start of a mass exodus across the Ravens staff. Mike MacDonald doesn’t seem too far behind:
The Ravens chances of keeping Macdonald probably get even worse with this development: https://t.co/6Gih7YSWnB
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) January 30, 2024
With MacDonald still in Baltimore as of now, how are you feeling about the situation? Let me know in the comments, but here’s some interesting food for thought:
A scenario I've been thinking about: what if John Harbaugh and the #Ravens fall short again next year?
Will Steve Bisciotti feel the urge to make a coaching change? Lamar Jackson will have completed the second season of a five-year deal. He turns 28 next January.
Could that…
— Bobby Trosset (@bobbybaltim0re) January 30, 2024
In my eyes, you want to keep MacDonald at all costs, but it just isn’t going to work out. Unless there’s an unforeseen retirement or sabbatical from Harbaugh, he isn’t going anywhere. MacDonald’s departure might just be part of the tax of being good.
But it’s not all bad. Despite a group of high-priority free agents about whome Baltimore will have to make tough decisions, the Ravens do still have a solid core to the team. Starting with the true breakout star this year, Kyle Hamilton, they have a bonafide stud at the back-end of their secondary:
The highest-graded Safety from the Championship games… pic.twitter.com/dwOMdnBxeO
— PFF BAL Ravens (@PFF_Ravens) January 30, 2024
On the flip side, they have Lamar Jackson, Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely, and this guy, Zay Flowers. The rookie had an AFC Championship marred by a few critical errors, but the talent is very clearly there. As he says himself, his career won’t be defined by one game:
Rookie year in the books. Learn from the mistakes and grow. Can’t wait to see what Zay Flowers brings to this offense for years to come ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/KMHuHUyoZO
— The Ravens Realm (@RealmRavens) January 31, 2024
One Response
Well, MacDonald is gone. And I think it’s a major blunder by this organization to let this guy leave. He was made to be the head coach of this team. It could have been the perfect succession plan. A few more years of Harbaugh post season flame outs and Bischotti’s gonna be kicking himself for being too buddy buddy with Harbs to do what needs to be done