It was probably the most vital snaps of their season, however the Baltimore Ravens didn’t deal with it that approach.
Needing 2 yards for a tying two-point conversion late within the fourth quarter towards first-place Pittsburgh, the Ravens saved star operating again Derrick Henry on the sidelines and subsequently got here up brief.
The Steelers took over, ran off the ultimate 1:06 and secured an 18-16 dwelling win on Nov. 17 that dropped Baltimore 1.5 video games behind them within the AFC North.
Loads of questions lingered from the two-point loss, however the greatest one of all of them was apparent: Why wasn’t Henry on the sector with the sport on the road.
No one from the Ravens gave an insightful reply, however Baltimore’s resolution to sideline Henry encapsulated a dynamic that has hampered the crew over the previous few seasons.
The Ravens are seemingly afraid of how good they are often.
You’ve got Henry, a two-time speeding champion, and Lamar Jackson, a two-time MVP, main an offense that entered the Pittsburgh contest placing up a league-leading 31.8 factors per recreation. So why is just one of them on the sector for the largest play of the sport?
Wasn’t this why you signed Henry in March? For moments like this? The man’s averaging 6 yards a carry and solely wants to realize a 3rd of that to tie the sport towards the lone crew that separates you from first place.
Put him on the sector!
You don’t want to provide Henry the ball—I agree that doing so might be a bit too predictable—however no less than make the Steelers suppose.
Baltimore didn’t, and as a substitute of getting to fret about stopping both Henry or Jackson, Pittsburgh knew the sport was within the latter’s fingers. The Steelers appropriately despatched the home and compelled an incompletion on an ungainly play that regarded doomed from the beginning.
I’m not saying the Ravens would have transformed the two-point try with Henry on the sector, however it’s important to determine no matter play they ran would have no less than been extra competent.
How may it not have been? Deploying your bruising operating again together with your electrifying quarterback is certain to maintain a protection—even one as sturdy as Pittsburgh’s—on edge.
It was virtually like Baltimore selected to make the second more durable than it wanted to be. And that’s actually nothing new.
The Steelers deserve credit score, in fact, however Sunday’s recreation was one other occasion the place the Ravens did lots to beat themselves. This time it was 12 penalties, three turnovers and two missed kicks on prime of the questionable name on the two-point try.
Frankly, that’s how most of Baltimore’s losses in current seasons have performed out. Premature errors and unexplainable lapses that flip a winnable recreation into an inexcusable defeat.
Final Sunday’s recreation was a bit completely different within the sense that it didn’t contain a blown fourth-quarter lead. The Ravens have loads of these losses, together with two this season. Baltimore coughed up a 10-point lead at dwelling to Las Vegas in Week 2 and couldn’t maintain a one-point edge over the ultimate 2:36 at Cleveland in Week 8.
And there may have been extra. The Ravens almost blew a 22-point benefit at Dallas in Week 3 and allowed Tampa Bay to attain twice within the ultimate 3:46 of a less-than-comfy 41-31 street win in Week 7.
In these circumstances, it’s virtually like Baltimore will get bored and eases up simply to make issues extra attention-grabbing, just for it to generally backfire in the long run. No crew has finished it extra as of late—the Ravens have misplaced a league-high 10 video games over the past 4 seasons after main by no less than seven factors within the fourth quarter.
It needs to be particularly irritating for Baltimore followers contemplating that the Ravens are not often flat-out beat.
Baltimore’s final loss by greater than eight factors got here in Week 18 of 2022, a 27-16 defeat at Cincinnati that Jackson missed with a knee damage. With Jackson beginning, the Ravens haven’t misplaced a recreation by greater than eight since Nov. 10, 2021.
It’s like Baltimore has no killer intuition. The Ravens have maybe the deepest roster within the league and are primarily unimaginable to dominate, but they’ll’t cease stubbing their very own toe.
Whether or not it’s letting up too quickly within the recreation or—as was the case Sunday—not making the most of their weapons when it’s most applicable, Baltimore has price itself far too many occasions.
As they chase their first Tremendous Bowl title in 12 years, the Ravens don’t want to have a look at Kansas Metropolis, Pittsburgh, Buffalo or Detroit to search out out who their greatest risk is.
All they must do is look within the mirror.
