If it feels like I am writing the same article all over again… well, you would honestly be half right, but that is more of a testament to the Ravens inability to rectify their issues than it is to a lack of originality, I would like to think. At this point, the Ravens are just the most predictable team in the entire NFL that it really has become quite sad at this point.
Did the Ravens score first? If no, then it is a loss. Really- the Ravens have not won a single game that they have trailed in since at least 2016. If yes, did the Ravens secure more than a one score advantage? If no, then count on a late fourth quarter score for the opposing offense and expect the offense to come up just short. If the lead is more than two scores, there is a good chance that the Ravens will go on to put up two defensive touchdowns and shut out their opponents.
Sunday against the Tennessee Titans proved no different. The Titans scored first and from that point on, the Ravens would fail to do more than simply tie the game. When the Ravens intercepted an errant Marcus Mariota pass and gave the offense new life, the Ravens pulled within three points of the Titans. To that point, the defense had forced three second half three and outs and had an interception on four total drives for the Titans. All signs pointed to what may have been the first come from behind the victory for the Ravens since early 2015. But alas, Mariota would find Eric Decker in the end zone for a late Titans touchdown that would ice the game, yet again cementing a late defensive touchdown for a Ravens opponent to put the game out of reach when the offense had just started clicking… finally. Again, it is a very predictable story line that has continued for over a season and a half to date.
The team just has a dysfunctional look and feel to it. Unless the Ravens get up by at least two scores, likely due to defensive touchdowns with how this offense is operating at the moment, then no lead feels safe and if the Ravens are behind, no amount of points feels like it can be overcome. When the defense holds its own and limits the damage from opponents, the offense flounders and stalls, turning over the ball or having consistent three and outs. When the offense finally gets going at any point in the game, the defense seems to fall apart. Only on rare occasions do both units actually come together in beautiful fashion to form a dominant performance like the prior week against the Miami Dolphins. However, those performances are usually far and few between due to a team that cannot click on the same page.
What makes the Ravens especially frustrating is that this team will rarely get blown out and look lost on both sides of the ball for the entirety of the game. In a way, those losses would be easier to stomach because then at least the team looked horrible. But the Ravens are not that kind to their fans. Instead, we have performances like Sunday that send a divide through Ravens fans as blame is thrown on both sides of the ball and adamant supporters come out to defend their side of the equation from the haters on the other side.
Before I get into why I feel the offense was the larger issue, let me just put this out there- the defense flat out needs to perform better as the game comes to an end. It does not matter if you perform for 59 minutes if you flounder in the final minute and cost your team the game. Sunday was no different. As Mariota danced around in the backfield, the Titans had called a play that would work perfectly. The Titans called for their tight end and outside receiver to come across the formation to the right and pull the Ravens defense to the right. Decker, the right slot receiver on the play, would work across the field to his left, hopefully being left one on one with his man, Maurice Canady. The play worked to perfection as the Ravens cleared to the right, leaving just Canady to work across the field in man coverage on Decker. However, as Canady worked across the field, Patrick Onwauser dropped into a zone and backed right up into Canady, allowing Decker to run wide open and free into the end zone for a pitch and catch I would be capable of throwing or catching. These defensive lapses happen far too often and are an unacceptable reason for the Ravens losing many close games. At some point, the Ravens need to hammer out exactly why two players are getting tangled up with each other and how that happens at just the perfect time. It is maddening and incredibly frustrating when games feel winnable and within reach. With that said, I still personally largely put this blame on the offense.
The Ravens offense did absolutely nothing with the opportunity that the Ravens defense provided for the Titans. Excluding the final drive of the game where the Titans kneeled to run out the clock, the Ravens defense held the Titans to just one scoring drive on five attempts (four three and outs, one interception), held the Titans to just 52 plays as compared to the Ravens 77 plays, a 25 play difference, and held the Titans to 3-11 on third down. The Ravens even came up with their interception late in the fourth quarter to set up what would ultimately be a failed comeback attempt.
The question I have is about what the offense is doing for the first 50 or more minutes of the game? Prior to the final two drives of the game, the Ravens had gained just six points, both from drives that were started in the first quarter of the game. For nearly 30 minutes, the Ravens offense did not score a single point. Between the final two drives of the game out of 11, the Ravens played nearly 30% of their total offensive snaps, gained nearly one third of their total yardage, and scored 70% of their points. Why does it take until the game is almost over and on the line for the Ravens to wake up and realize that they need to score points? What is it about the final 10 minutes of the game that the Ravens start functioning like a competent offense? If the Ravens showed any semblance of this type of production for the first 50 minutes of the game, these defensive collapses would not be an issue.
For reference, look at the Eagles vs Broncos game. The Eagles led by a score of 44 to 9 before the Eagles gave up two touchdowns to narrow the gap to 44 to 23 late in the fourth quarter. And do you know who actually cared? Not a single damn person outside of the Eagles defensive players and coaches who were playing for pride. Not a single person cared that the Eagles gave up two touchdowns because in the end, those 14 points were inconsequential. Even with those two touchdowns, the Eagles had still stomped the Broncos and thoroughly embarrassed what was thought to be one of the best defenses in the league. My point is this- if the offense would start fast and play hard for the first 50 minutes, much like the Ravens defense, there would be no fourth quarter defensive collapses. However, when you walk a fine line of playing close games within three points, it puts up a lot of pressure and you are bound to have problems. Why even risk a comeback? Why not just put the game out of reach? It will be something the Ravens offense will have to work on in 2018 and beyond; at this point 2017 just looks beyond repair.
Oh, and before we second guess Harbaugh’s decision to go for the fourth down conversion that ultimately failed instead of taking the field goal to narrow the score to 9-16, can we please acknowledge the context? To that point, the Ravens were 2-2 on fourth down, had yet to actually reach the red zone of the Titans, and had scored just six points in three full quarters of work. Why would you settle for a field goal when you just reached the opposing red zone for the first time in three full quarters of work? At this point, Harbaugh did not know whether or not the Ravens would reach the red zone again and with a weapon like Tucker, it is much easier to get into his field goal range than it is to get into the end zone. Settling for a score of 9-16 and hoping for a stop plus a touchdown seemed way too out of reach to that point. It was the right decision based on how the game had gone to that point. Did it ultimately appear to backfire in the end? Sure, it did if we only look at the final score and ignore the fact that the entire play calling changes based on the opponents points and your own down and distance in relation to the Titans. Can we just stop playing Captain Hindsight when we have all the information of the after?
At this point, though, the Ravens season feels like a continuous loop of too little too late. The Ravens offense comes alive just too late and the Ravens defense gives too little to close out games. It is an issue that seems as old as time and one that will likely cost coaches their jobs at the end of the season. It is an issue that has fans looking at 2018 and losing hope for 2017.
Did the Ravens score first? If no, then it is a loss. Really- the Ravens have not won a single game that they have trailed in since at least 2016. If yes, did the Ravens secure more than a one score advantage? If no, then count on a late fourth quarter score for the opposing offense and expect the offense to come up just short. If the lead is more than two scores, there is a good chance that the Ravens will go on to put up two defensive touchdowns and shut out their opponents.
Sunday against the Tennessee Titans proved no different. The Titans scored first and from that point on, the Ravens would fail to do more than simply tie the game. When the Ravens intercepted an errant Marcus Mariota pass and gave the offense new life, the Ravens pulled within three points of the Titans. To that point, the defense had forced three second half three and outs and had an interception on four total drives for the Titans. All signs pointed to what may have been the first come from behind the victory for the Ravens since early 2015. But alas, Mariota would find Eric Decker in the end zone for a late Titans touchdown that would ice the game, yet again cementing a late defensive touchdown for a Ravens opponent to put the game out of reach when the offense had just started clicking… finally. Again, it is a very predictable story line that has continued for over a season and a half to date.
The team just has a dysfunctional look and feel to it. Unless the Ravens get up by at least two scores, likely due to defensive touchdowns with how this offense is operating at the moment, then no lead feels safe and if the Ravens are behind, no amount of points feels like it can be overcome. When the defense holds its own and limits the damage from opponents, the offense flounders and stalls, turning over the ball or having consistent three and outs. When the offense finally gets going at any point in the game, the defense seems to fall apart. Only on rare occasions do both units actually come together in beautiful fashion to form a dominant performance like the prior week against the Miami Dolphins. However, those performances are usually far and few between due to a team that cannot click on the same page.
What makes the Ravens especially frustrating is that this team will rarely get blown out and look lost on both sides of the ball for the entirety of the game. In a way, those losses would be easier to stomach because then at least the team looked horrible. But the Ravens are not that kind to their fans. Instead, we have performances like Sunday that send a divide through Ravens fans as blame is thrown on both sides of the ball and adamant supporters come out to defend their side of the equation from the haters on the other side.
Before I get into why I feel the offense was the larger issue, let me just put this out there- the defense flat out needs to perform better as the game comes to an end. It does not matter if you perform for 59 minutes if you flounder in the final minute and cost your team the game. Sunday was no different. As Mariota danced around in the backfield, the Titans had called a play that would work perfectly. The Titans called for their tight end and outside receiver to come across the formation to the right and pull the Ravens defense to the right. Decker, the right slot receiver on the play, would work across the field to his left, hopefully being left one on one with his man, Maurice Canady. The play worked to perfection as the Ravens cleared to the right, leaving just Canady to work across the field in man coverage on Decker. However, as Canady worked across the field, Patrick Onwauser dropped into a zone and backed right up into Canady, allowing Decker to run wide open and free into the end zone for a pitch and catch I would be capable of throwing or catching. These defensive lapses happen far too often and are an unacceptable reason for the Ravens losing many close games. At some point, the Ravens need to hammer out exactly why two players are getting tangled up with each other and how that happens at just the perfect time. It is maddening and incredibly frustrating when games feel winnable and within reach. With that said, I still personally largely put this blame on the offense.
The Ravens offense did absolutely nothing with the opportunity that the Ravens defense provided for the Titans. Excluding the final drive of the game where the Titans kneeled to run out the clock, the Ravens defense held the Titans to just one scoring drive on five attempts (four three and outs, one interception), held the Titans to just 52 plays as compared to the Ravens 77 plays, a 25 play difference, and held the Titans to 3-11 on third down. The Ravens even came up with their interception late in the fourth quarter to set up what would ultimately be a failed comeback attempt.
The question I have is about what the offense is doing for the first 50 or more minutes of the game? Prior to the final two drives of the game, the Ravens had gained just six points, both from drives that were started in the first quarter of the game. For nearly 30 minutes, the Ravens offense did not score a single point. Between the final two drives of the game out of 11, the Ravens played nearly 30% of their total offensive snaps, gained nearly one third of their total yardage, and scored 70% of their points. Why does it take until the game is almost over and on the line for the Ravens to wake up and realize that they need to score points? What is it about the final 10 minutes of the game that the Ravens start functioning like a competent offense? If the Ravens showed any semblance of this type of production for the first 50 minutes of the game, these defensive collapses would not be an issue.
For reference, look at the Eagles vs Broncos game. The Eagles led by a score of 44 to 9 before the Eagles gave up two touchdowns to narrow the gap to 44 to 23 late in the fourth quarter. And do you know who actually cared? Not a single damn person outside of the Eagles defensive players and coaches who were playing for pride. Not a single person cared that the Eagles gave up two touchdowns because in the end, those 14 points were inconsequential. Even with those two touchdowns, the Eagles had still stomped the Broncos and thoroughly embarrassed what was thought to be one of the best defenses in the league. My point is this- if the offense would start fast and play hard for the first 50 minutes, much like the Ravens defense, there would be no fourth quarter defensive collapses. However, when you walk a fine line of playing close games within three points, it puts up a lot of pressure and you are bound to have problems. Why even risk a comeback? Why not just put the game out of reach? It will be something the Ravens offense will have to work on in 2018 and beyond; at this point 2017 just looks beyond repair.
Oh, and before we second guess Harbaugh’s decision to go for the fourth down conversion that ultimately failed instead of taking the field goal to narrow the score to 9-16, can we please acknowledge the context? To that point, the Ravens were 2-2 on fourth down, had yet to actually reach the red zone of the Titans, and had scored just six points in three full quarters of work. Why would you settle for a field goal when you just reached the opposing red zone for the first time in three full quarters of work? At this point, Harbaugh did not know whether or not the Ravens would reach the red zone again and with a weapon like Tucker, it is much easier to get into his field goal range than it is to get into the end zone. Settling for a score of 9-16 and hoping for a stop plus a touchdown seemed way too out of reach to that point. It was the right decision based on how the game had gone to that point. Did it ultimately appear to backfire in the end? Sure, it did if we only look at the final score and ignore the fact that the entire play calling changes based on the opponents points and your own down and distance in relation to the Titans. Can we just stop playing Captain Hindsight when we have all the information of the after?
At this point, though, the Ravens season feels like a continuous loop of too little too late. The Ravens offense comes alive just too late and the Ravens defense gives too little to close out games. It is an issue that seems as old as time and one that will likely cost coaches their jobs at the end of the season. It is an issue that has fans looking at 2018 and losing hope for 2017.
