The Ravens lastly lived too dangerously to outlive, failing to construct a bonus over the plucky Jaguars due to sloppy offense and permitting Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence to chop by means of them within the final two minutes in a 28-27 loss. They’re not precisely a crew in disaster, however the good vibes from a four-game profitable streak are gone, changed by severe questions on their viability towards the playoff groups they hope to face come January.
If the Ravens left this many cracks for the Jaguars to take advantage of, how can they count on to carry up towards the league’s finest come playoff time?
For a cut up second, as Justin Tucker’s 67-yard discipline aim try moved relentlessly towards the middle of the crossbar, it appeared the best of kickers would possibly bail the Ravens out on a day when they didn’t need to win.
When Tucker’s kick fell a number of yards quick, nevertheless, the Ravens had been left to lie within the laborious, chilly mattress they’d made for themselves. Farewell, four-game profitable streak. Farewell, good vibes.
Instead of celebrating a miracle, they confronted the truth that their slipshod offense left a trio of red-zone alternatives unconverted, and their protection — so fearsome in current weeks — squandered a fourth-quarter lead for the third time this season.
We thought the Ravens would come out of their bye week able to go on a run towards a string of woeful opponents. Instead, they slogged to an unpleasant 13-3 win over the Carolina Panthers and plunged headlong into the entice introduced by a Jacksonville crew that had misplaced six of its earlier seven.
Are the Ravens in disaster once more, as they gave the impression to be after a 3-3 begin marked by missed alternatives and second-half collapses? Not precisely. Their protection is simply too good and their schedule too mushy for us to say their playoff push is in peril. But they certain haven’t been straightforward to look at the previous two weeks.
What else can we are saying after watching them drop passes and rush to get off misbegotten makes an attempt earlier than the play clock ran out? After watching Lawrence decide on Marcus Peters all afternoon? Even the Ravens’ league-best particular groups faltered, with Devin Duvernay handing them pitiful discipline place by way of a pair of poorly judged returns.
The downside just isn’t a lot that the Ravens misplaced to a crew they need to beat. This occurs to everybody, and we knew the Jaguars, led by an on-form Lawrence, had been reside underdogs. No, the fear is that we’ve seen the cracks Jacksonville exploited in the entire Ravens’ losses this season and in a few of their victories. Imagine how the Kansas City Chiefs or Buffalo Bills or Miami Dolphins would possibly punish these identical failings — the unfinished drives, the mistimed deep strikes, the presnap confusion, the protection lapses — in January. The Ravens fancy themselves a professional contender, however they’re not taking part in like a crew that’s going to outlast the NFL’s finest when it issues most. They nonetheless have time to tune up however not that a lot.
Even if the Ravens’ offense isn’t damaged, it’s driving on three wheels too typically.
Per week after they struggled to 13 factors towards the Panthers, the Ravens took their followers to darkish locations with one other afternoon of follies that stored them out of the top zone.
We can not say their offense is a lemon. They outgained the Jaguars, 415 yards to 332, and quarterback Lamar Jackson gave them an opportunity to win with clutch scrambles and a gutsy 62-yard throw to DeSean Jackson to arrange a late, go-ahead landing. But the Ravens may have prevented these heartburn moments solely if they’d functioned over the primary three quarters.
Lamar Jackson hit Mark Andrews for 25 yards off play motion on the primary snap of the sport and narrowly missed Demarcus Robinson for a possible landing on the very subsequent play. So the Ravens clearly noticed vulnerability in Jacksonville’s move protection, which was thirty first in Football Outsiders’ DVOA coming in.
But they proceed to wound themselves with presnap disarray. On that first drive, a delay of recreation pushed them from second-and-goal on the 10-yard line to second-and-goal on the 15. They ended up with a discipline aim. Later, within the second quarter, they got here up quick on a fourth-and-1 sneak after showing disorganized and rushed on the line of scrimmage.
Offensive coordinator Greg Roman takes some overheated criticism, nevertheless it’s honest to name him out for this enduring lack of precision.
The Ravens failed to complete within the crimson zone once more on their second drive when a diving Robinson couldn’t haul in a low zinger from Jackson. The Ravens got here in twenty first within the league with a 52.6% landing price within the crimson zone, so it’s a development that’s holding them again and that would chunk them towards elite competitors within the playoffs.
The upshot was a 7-6 deficit after they’d dominated the primary 20 minutes of the sport.
The Ravens had one other probability at six to start out the third quarter, however tight finish Josh Oliver couldn’t pull down a excessive providing from Jackson in the long run zone, and so they stalled once more.
Jackson couldn’t clarify why the assault he leads serially fell quick: “I don’t know. It looks good in practice.” His frustration appeared to boil over later when he fired an off-color, expletive-laced response at a Twitter critic who mentioned the Ravens could be higher off not signing him to a profitable extension. He has since deleted the tweet.
With the Ravens’ lead at two within the fourth quarter, working again Gus Edwards, whose worth as a short-yardage converter is past reproach, misplaced a fumble handy Jacksonville a go-ahead discipline aim. The Ravens answered with their solely lengthy landing drive of the day, highlighted by that Jackson-to-Jackson bomb, however by then, they’d left too many factors unclaimed.
Two former Jaguars confirmed their outdated crew what it’s lacking.
The loss value Oliver and defensive finish Calais Campbell their probability to have fun exhibiting out towards a former employer.
The expertise may have been notably candy for Oliver, a 2019 third-round decide whom Jacksonville dumped for a conditional seventh-round decide after a pair of injury-riddled seasons. He’s established a house in Baltimore with violent run blocking, however on Sunday, he flashed the receiving expertise that made him a high-upside prospect within the first place. Oliver galloped into clear house alongside the sideline for a 40-yard seize on the Ravens’ first drive of the second half and completed his day with a 12-yard catch-and-run that would have been the game-winner and one other 12-yard catch to arrange Tucker’s 67-yard try. He led the Ravens in receiving yards with 76, and if he had snagged Jackson’s crusing throw in the long run zone within the third quarter, we would have referred to as it an ideal afternoon.
Campbell, against this, wasn’t preventing for his NFL life when he moved from Jacksonville to Baltimore. He was a star in a single dwelling and anticipated to stay one within the subsequent. Still, we in all probability take the 36-year-old man-mountain with no consideration at occasions.
He led the surge on a pair of stuffs because the Ravens stopped the Jaguars on third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 on their first defensive sequence. He flattened Lawrence within the final two minutes, knocking the ball free on a play that would have ended the sport if it had rolled extra favorably for the Ravens. Fifteen NFL years in, Campbell nonetheless places his imprint on each recreation he enters.
In a quick stretch on the sideline, Marlon Humphrey reminded us why he’s the crew’s most essential defender.
The Jaguars tried to get transferring, down 9 within the fourth quarter, however Humphrey stored backing them up, sacking Lawrence and dropping broad receiver Christian Kirk for a 5-yard loss on a working try. Then, Humphrey twisted his ankle, and the protection was instantly worse, permitting Lawrence to finish 4 of his subsequent 5 passes, the final for a landing to chop the Ravens’ result in 19-17.
It’s not as if the Ravens had been excellent with Humphrey. He was on the sector when Lawrence lower by means of them within the two-minute drill. But his versatility was on full show towards the Jaguars. With Kyle Hamilton sidelined by an ankle harm, Humphrey wanted to be the Ravens’ chief reply to Kirk, one of the productive slot receivers within the league. Sure sufficient, Lawrence needed to look elsewhere as Kirk caught simply 4 passes on 9 targets. We’re so used to Humphrey shifting inside seamlessly when responsibility calls that we would assume each prime cornerback can do it. Not so.
On prime of his work in protection, Humphrey has turn out to be extra of a risk to blitz opposing quarterbacks and blow up performs behind the road of scrimmage. His two tackles for loss towards Jacksonville had been a profession excessive, and he got here into the sport with one of the best pass-rush grade within the secondary, per Pro Football Focus. He was the Ravens’ finest all-around defender of their slim win over the Panthers and once more in Jacksonville.
After a modest dip in efficiency final season, Humphrey is on monitor for a 3rd Pro Bowl look and is making the Ravens look good for investing in him as their franchise defender.
Lousy as they had been in Jacksonville, right here’s why the Ravens are nonetheless in line to take the AFC North.
It’s a beautiful feeling to be so good that you just’re schedule-proof. The Ravens reached this rarefied air for a stretch of their 2019 season. They’re too leaky now. But right here’s the factor: So are most NFL groups, together with their chief divisional nemesis, the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Bengals did good work whereas the Ravens got here unglued Sunday, holding on for a street victory over the ever-challenging Tennessee Titans. They pulled even with the Ravens at 7-4. But what does the schedule say about subsequent weekend? The Ravens will host the Denver Broncos, who can’t rating on their finest day and appeared on the verge of a full meltdown in dropping 23-10 to the Panthers. The Bengals, in the meantime, will face the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes, who will certainly be wanting to serve comeuppance after final season’s playoff upset.
Schedule, schedule, schedule. It determines a lot at this stage within the NFL calendar. Care to peek forward? On Christmas Eve, when the Ravens will host the deeply mediocre Atlanta Falcons, the Bengals will journey to face the New England Patriots and their gnarly protection. On Jan. 2, the day after the Ravens invite the offensively challenged Pittsburgh Steelers to Baltimore, the Bengals will face the Bills.
So sure, Cincinnati has received 5 of six with an offense that thrives within the crimson zone moderately than self-destructing. Many pundits will spend the approaching week telling us they’re set to move the Ravens within the stretch. Just keep in mind: Context issues.
Week 13
Broncos at Ravens
Sunday, 1 p.m.
TV: Chs. 13, 9
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
Line: Ravens by 7
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Source: www.bostonherald.com