At some level Sunday afternoon, not lengthy after latest historical past had repeated itself inside MetLife Stadium — one other late lead, one other collapse, one other loss — the Ravens appeared to tire of repeating themselves.
They’d heard the identical questions after their Week 2 loss to the Miami Dolphins, after their Week 4 loss to the Buffalo Bills, and now, after a 24-20 loss to the New York Giants, they had been being bludgeoned by a well-known line of inquiry. What did they make of throwing away a 20-10 fourth-quarter lead? Was there a silver lining to being 3-3 regardless of having trailed for lower than two minutes over their losses? What was the subsequent step after one other muted postgame staff discuss?
Cornerback Marlon Humphrey arrived at his information convention with earbuds in his ears, as if he needed to blot out the noise. He stated, “We’ll watch the film and then we’ll figure it out all Tuesday,” to at least one query, and he stated, “We’ll watch the film and then we’ll figure out what we’re doing wrong,” to a different, after which, after a beat of silence, he thanked reporters and left.
In the locker room, tight finish Mark Andrews was requested the important thing to ending. “Just finish,” he stated, a phrasing he repeated indirectly 4 occasions in a brief media session. “We hurt ourselves today. We’ve just got to finish,” he stated later, earlier than grabbing his bag, the media scrum over, and heading for the staff bus.
Even defensive lineman Calais Campbell, nearly zenlike in his postgame ruminations, acknowledged his frustrations. “We’re emotional,” he stated. “You pour a lot into it to be out there and be at your best and feel like you have the game won, and you give it away late in the game. It’s the story we’ve seen too much this year.”
It is the story of their season to date. On Sunday, the Ravens trailed for simply 1 minute, 43 seconds — the ultimate 1:43, because it turned out — and nonetheless misplaced. Two weeks earlier, they by no means trailed however nonetheless misplaced to Buffalo on a last-second subject aim. Two weeks earlier than that, they led Miami by three touchdowns within the fourth quarter, trailed for 14 seconds whole and nonetheless misplaced.
In a postgame tweet, Humphrey quoted Albert Einstein’s definition of madness: “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” But it didn’t take a genius to see the Ravens had been properly on their technique to a 4-2 begin, to a different week alone atop the AFC North, to a much less ominous quote from one in all their high gamers. After a 12-yard landing cross from quarterback Lamar Jackson to tight finish Mark Andrews, they led 20-10 early within the fourth quarter. The Ravens had been the higher staff all afternoon.
Then, properly, they immediately weren’t. Per week after closing out the Cincinnati Bengals in an imperfect however stirring house win, the Ravens performed as in the event that they hadn’t discovered their late-game classes. The specifics of their collapse modified; their strategies didn’t.
On offense, there have been turnovers. Against Miami, the Ravens had failed on a vital fourth-and-short within the decisive interval. Against Buffalo, Jackson had thrown two fourth-quarter interceptions. Against the Giants and coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale, calling the photographs towards Greg Roman’s offense for the primary time, the harm arrived on back-to-back drives.
The Giants’ first takeaway was almost prevented. On third-and-1, with the Ravens clinging to a 20-17 lead, Jackson pushed ahead on a sneak for a primary down. Only, there was a flag on the sphere: an illegal-formation penalty. The Ravens, penalized 10 occasions for 74 yards, needed to begin over at third-and-6.
Good turned to unhealthy, and unhealthy gave technique to worse. Center Tyler Linderbaum’s shotgun snap arrived sooner than Jackson anticipated, and the ball skipped off his midsection and behind him. Jackson gathered the ball, turned upfield and, in a frantic determination, focused fullback Patrick Ricard in need of the sticks. He was higher off not even attempting. Safety Julian Love stepped in entrance of the cross for a simple choose, Jackson’s fifth interception previously 4 video games and the Giants’ first interception all season.
After working again Saquon Barkley’s 1-yard leap ended a 13-yard landing drive, the Ravens received one other likelihood. Trailing 24-20, they wanted a landing, not a subject aim, as that they had towards Cincinnati. But that they had Jackson, three timeouts and a Giants protection that had allowed about 7 yards per play all recreation.
That wasn’t sufficient. On Jackson’s first drop-back, he noticed broad receiver Demarcus Robinson, enjoying an elevated position with Rashod Bateman (foot) once more sidelined, drop a catchable cross. On his second drop-back, he didn’t see Giants rookie outdoors linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux shed proper sort out Patrick Mekari, enjoying a brand new position with Morgan Moses (heel) sidelined, and attain out to Jackson’s uncovered proper hand.
The ball was knocked unfastened, and left sort out Ronnie Stanley’s dive for it knocked it to Giants defensive finish Leonard Williams. Five performs later, the sport was over.
“We’re just messing up ourselves,” stated Jackson, who completed 17-for-32 for 210 yards, a landing and an interception, together with seven carries for 77 yards. “We can’t let that happen. The mistakes happen in practice and shouldn’t happen in the game. But it’s a part of NFL football. We try to overcome it, [but] sometimes it happens.”
The protection saved its worst for final as properly. At halftime, the Giants had 90 yards of offense. They completed with simply 238 whole, and simply 3.8 per play. But well timed stops eluded the Ravens, simply as that they had towards Miami, simply as that they had towards Buffalo.
On the Giants’ first landing drive, quarterback Daniel Jones (19-for-27 for 173 yards and two touchdowns) transformed two third-and-longs, then turned a third-and-5 right into a 6-yard landing cross to rookie broad receiver Wan’Dale Robinson.
The Giants’ second landing drive was a 12-play, 75-yard march that squashed no matter momentum the Ravens had earned from Andrews’ fourth-quarter landing.
“We knew where we were at right there,” security Chuck Clark stated. “We knew we had to go out and get a stop on defense, plus [the offense] got a score for us. We didn’t do that.”
The protection was all the time only a play away, particularly within the fourth quarter. Just earlier than Barkley scored the Giants’ go-ahead third landing, cornerback Marcus Peters had a third-down red-zone interception negated by a pass-interference penalty.
Even after Jackson’s second turnover in as many possessions, the Ravens nonetheless had a pulse. Barkley, bottled up all afternoon (22 carries for 83 yards), was caught behind the road of scrimmage on a second-and-5 run — till he one way or the other spun freed from Clark and eased himself down on the 1-yard line. Three kneel-downs later, and the sport was over.
“That’s the biggest story for us, is winning the game at the end of the game” coach John Harbaugh stated. “Making the plays that need to be made, and not making the errors that cost you an opportunity to win the game. So, we’ll regroup, we’ll go to work, and we’re going to find ourselves as a football team. That’s what we have to do right now — find ourselves as a football team.”
They have every week to get proper. Sunday’s loss, like the opposite two this season, provided silver linings, from working again Kenyan Drake (10 carries for 119 yards) powering a floor recreation that amassed 211 yards (8.8 per carry), to a 3rd straight sound defensive efficiency, to Moses avoiding a big harm.
But momentum hasn’t yielded a lot this season, not with the Ravens undercutting each spectacular win with a irritating loss. They know they are often higher. They’ve proven they are often higher. But they haven’t been higher for a couple of Sunday in a row. Until they’re, the questions will proceed, and so will the frustration.
“We know how good we can be and we know that a lot of these issues are self-inflicted,” Stanley stated. “When you are your own biggest enemy, that’s really something that can frustrate anyone. We know how much talent we have on this team. We’re going to pull it together. That’s kind of the frustration that everybody has.”
Week 7
BROWNS@RAVENS
Sunday, 1 p.m.
TV: Chs. 13, 9
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
Line: Ravens by 6
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Source: www.bostonherald.com