The Ravens started the fourth quarter of their dwelling opener with a three-touchdown lead because of one of many nice performances of Lamar Jackson’s profession. They completed it as 42-38 losers, licking their wounds from a disastrous defensive collapse towards the Miami Dolphins.
Here are 5 issues we discovered from their beautiful defeat:
The Ravens don’t know the place they’re headed after an epic collapse
What does one say to sum up quarter-hour of unfathomable soccer horror? For Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey, it was the recurring picture of passes crusing over his head. For rookie teammate Jalyn-Armour Davis, it was the sense that nobody on the Baltimore protection might discover the identical wavelength as they tried to stall the aqua-blue avalanche rolling their approach. For coach John Harbaugh, it was the stinging realization that his group should repair its basis within the weeks to come back.
This was not essentially the most soul-deadening dwelling loss in franchise historical past. It lacked the finality of the playoff loss to the Tennessee Titans that ended the Ravens’ romp by way of the 2019 season. It was not marked by a single beautiful play, just like the 49-yard move from Andy Dalton to Tyler Boyd that erased the Ravens’ playoff probabilities on the final day of the 2017 season. But for sheer whiplash, it was one for the annals.
See, this was not a tense contest for many of the afternoon. It was a celebration — Baltimore’s likelihood to shout hosannas for its elegant quarterback and its refreshed group.
For three quarters of their dwelling opener Sunday, the Ravens informed us they have been a contender reborn. They scoffed on the similar Dolphins protection that had smothered them final season and lined their very own defensive lapses with the takeaways that have been so scarce for them in 2021. Going into the sport, we puzzled if Miami had their quantity. When the rating reached 35-14, it appeared the Ravens have been saying nobody would have their quantity in 2022.
Perhaps we should always have learn the early omens. The Ravens started with a 103-yard kickoff return. They lower off Miami’s first drive with an interception. On their first correct drive, they ran 18 performs and held the ball for almost 11 minutes. All that, and with 10:54 to go within the second quarter, they have been tied at 7.
But no matter alternatives they left on the desk appeared irrelevant within the glow of Jackson’s unfolding masterpiece. His scalpel-sharp throws put them up 28-7 at halftime, and when he glided 79 yards by way of the guts of the Miami protection to make it 35-14 with 26 seconds left within the third quarter, chants of “MVP! MVP!” resounded throughout M&T Bank Stadium.
Not even essentially the most cynical fan might have envisioned the nightmare to come back.
For the final quarter-hour, nonetheless, all of the troubling storylines from final 12 months crawled again into the constructing. The Ravens watched helplessly as Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, an uneven performer by way of his first two NFL seasons, completed off a 469-yard, six-touchdown efficiency. Injuries, both recent or lingering, hampered their most skilled cornerbacks, leaving a lot of the job of masking Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle to discombobulated rookies. The dominant entrance seven we noticed in Week 1 towards the New York Jets did nothing to discomfort Tagovailoa. On offense, the Ravens couldn’t muster the type of grinding drive they used to rely on to place video games away.
Weighing this collapse towards the electrical taking place of the primary three quarters, what do we all know in regards to the Ravens as we sit up for 16 extra weeks of this?
“There’s really no conclusions to be drawn at this point in time,” Harbaugh stated.
Secondary well being is already concern No. 1
We spent the final 9 months assuming the Ravens couldn’t attain the depths of 2021, once they completed final in move protection. Humphrey and Marcus Peters could be again. Safety Marcus Williams would shore up the again line. First-round choose Kyle Hamilton could be a right away playmaker, and veteran Kyle Fuller would supply battle-tested depth. New defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald would make the items dance in patterns not restricted by conventional notions of place. No, it couldn’t get as unhealthy because it did final 12 months, once they gave up 435 yards to Derek Carr and 402 to Carson Wentz and 525 to Joe Burrow.
Well, Tagovailoa’s fourth quarter — 13 of 17 for 199 yards and 4 touchdowns — stated 2022 may very well be each bit as unhealthy.
With Fuller misplaced to a season-ending torn ACL, Brandon Stephens (quadriceps) inactive, Humphrey restricted by a sore groin and Peters easing his approach in after 20 months away due to a torn ACL, they needed to rely on Armour-Davis and one other rookie, Damarion Williams, towards the terrifying duo of Hill and Waddle.
We noticed a panoply of horrors on the 59-yard catch-and-run by Waddle that arrange Miami’s first landing. Linebacker Patrick Queen stumbled and fell in protection. Armour-Davis was greatly surprised by a block. Williams couldn’t shove Waddle out of bounds.
With the Ravens defending a two-touchdown lead within the fourth quarter, Hill ran proper previous Peters for a 48-yard landing. He dusted him badly sufficient that he had time to cease and look forward to Tagovailoa’s underthrown move to succeed in him.
On Miami’s subsequent possession, Hill accelerated previous Armour-Davis, who appeared to suppose he would have security assist behind him. There have been three Ravens who might have shaded to that aspect of the sphere, however none did as Hill caught a 60-yard landing with nobody close to him to tie the sport at 35.
“There were miscommunications across the whole defense,” Armour-Davis stated when requested what occurred on the play. “It’s something we’ve got to fix. It’s something we emphasized all week, so it’s definitely disappointing.”
Asked if the identical reply might apply to all the fourth quarter, the rookie stated sure.
Logic tells us this was in all probability the nadir. Peters and Humphrey will really feel higher and play extra snaps. So will Stephens, who appeared like he needed to play as he went by way of a tough exercise in entrance of trainers earlier than the sport. Armour-Davis will be taught. But the Ravens can’t really feel good, already staring on the similar troubles they might not outrun a 12 months in the past.
“Never did you think we were going to have that many balls thrown over our head,” Harbaugh stated. “That just can’t happen; that’s not OK. I don’t care who’s back there, [or] what they’re doing.”
The Ravens slew their offensive demons from 10 months in the past
Disappointing because the day ended up being, Jackson buried the notion that he couldn’t punish Miami’s attacking protection. His statistics — 11 of 13 for 210 yards, three touchdowns and an ideal 158.3 passer score — informed a compelling story of how effectively he threw the ball within the first half. If something, he was higher than the chilly digits stated.
Against a protection that had given him suits 10 months earlier, he didn’t make an off-target throw till the final minute earlier than halftime. His one incompletion to that time was a fantastically feathered move that tight finish Mark Andrews dropped (not a phrase we utter typically).
Jackson hit Rashod Bateman completely in stride for a 75-yard catch-and-run landing. He threaded passes to Andrews and Demarcus Robinson in site visitors. He didn’t take a sack all day.
Give the Ravens’ move protectors credit score for that final quantity. They spent the entire week listening to about how the Dolphins upset Jackson’s composure by crowding the road of scrimmage and firing safeties, unblocked, into the Baltimore backfield. They did their homework on Miami’s Cover 0 whereas understanding the Dolphins may take a extra affected person strategy this time round (which they did). Jackson operated from a clear pocket — “Our line did a heck of a job protecting me,” he stated — and did greater than sufficient harm to win the sport.
The working sport couldn’t put the sport away
Even as so many issues went proper for the Ravens early, their floor sport continued to be a priority. Running backs Kenyan Drake and Mike Davis mixed for 13 yards on eight carries on their near-11-minute drive that straddled the primary and second quarters. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman turned to fullback Patrick Ricard and Andrews (on a direct snap no much less) for 2 brief conversions to increase that march. The Ravens had 4 probabilities to punch the ball in from the 2-yard line and couldn’t, with Jackson developing an inch brief on third down and fumbling on fourth.
That’s an issue for a group that counts on having the most efficient ground-and-pound operation within the sport.
We noticed this weak spot once more within the fourth quarter, when the Ravens wanted a sustained drive to blunt Tagovailoa’s momentum. They did not convert on fourth-and-short on one drive and went three-and-out on the following. Drake and Davis, aided little by the identical blockers who did a great job defending Jackson, completed with 12 yards mixed on 11 carries.
“We’re not there yet; we’re not blocking like we need to,” Harbaugh stated. “That’s a good front, just like last week [against the Jets] was a good front, but we’re not doing it right now. So, that’s one of the things we have to take a hard look at and try to get to where we need to be in that way, because that’s how you win games.”
We don’t know sufficient to second guess the Ravens for holding out their No. 1 runner, J.Okay. Dobbins, for an additional week. As Dobbins detailed Friday, he suffered an unusually devastating knee damage earlier than final season, and we don’t know exactly what the Ravens are in search of to find out his readiness. What we do know is that they badly want a extra dynamic menace within the backfield.
The defensive entrance additionally went lacking
Nose deal with Michael Pierce and defensive deal with Justin Madubuike have been among the many finest defenders within the league in Week 1, and the Ravens usually owned the road of scrimmage in a straightforward win over the Jets. With the Dolphins down a beginning proper deal with and relying on ailing left deal with Terron Armstead (toe), Baltimore’s entrance seven appeared arrange for an additional large day.
Instead, they made little affect on Tagovailoa as he fired at will with the sport slipping away. The Ravens managed simply two quarterback hits and their one sack, by outdoors linebacker Justin Houston, got here early.
Defensive deal with Calais Campbell credited Tagovailoa with maybe the perfect efficiency of his three-year profession: “He was getting his feet set, getting rid of the ball, making quick decisions and got the ball to his playmakers and let them make plays. That’s what the quarterback does, so you have to give him his props. We were pressuring him and getting there sometimes, but he’s making good throws, putting it right on the money [while] we’re pressuring his face.”
Fair sufficient. Sometimes, the opposite man is simply good. But with their secondary ailing, the Ravens might have used a transformative play from their move rush, and it by no means arrived.
Week 3
RAVENS@PATRIOTS
Sunday, 1 p.m.
TV: Ch. 45
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
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Source: www.bostonherald.com