Ravens Punter Mistake Proves Costly – Jon Alfano, Sports Illustrated
The importance of ‘all three phases’ was brought to light for Baltimore in Week 2.
Lost in the mess of the Baltimore Ravens’ 26-23 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday was the poor performance of the special teams unit.
Yes, Justin Tucker missed a 56-yard field goal, dropping him to one for seven on 50+ yard attemtps since the start of last season and proving that Father Time comes for us all. However, punter Jordan Stout also had a performance to forget, and one that arguably hurt the Ravens even more.
Stout, punted four times for 173 yards on Sunday, but it’s his last attempt that he’d really like to have back. With 2:27 left in the fourth quarter, the third-year pro shanked a punt out of bounds for just 24 yards. Add on a five-yard penalty, and the Raiders started their game-winning drive from the Ravens’ 43-yard line, right on the cusp of field goal range.
The Ravens still have confidence in Stout, but they need him to be much better and more consistent going forward.
“Jordan is one of the best punters in the world, and that punt has got to be made – he knows it – and not just that one; it wasn’t a good game,” head coach John Harbaugh told reporters. “It wasn’t the kind of game he’s capable of, [and] it’s not the way he punted in practice, so you’ve got to take your practice performance, and you’ve got to take it to the game; you’ve got to help us.
“So, he’s very conscientious, [and] he wants to be the best. Sometimes you’ve got to take a deep breath and just go through your technique and do it the right way, and he’s capable of that, and we’re going to keep supporting him and keep coaching him, and I’m confident [that] he’s going to get the job done. But the job wasn’t done in the last game, and it hurt our team.”
Jason Kelce says Lamar Jackson has to be more disciplined late in games – Glenn Erby, USA Today
Jason Kelce explains why Lamar Jackson needs to show up in the clutch moments.
Lamar Jackson is a two-time MVP and one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, but until he wins in the playoffs and avoids late-game collapses, he’ll continue to receive criticism. Baltimore is 0-2 on the season, and while it’s not all Lamar Jackson, one future Hall of Famer and recently retired All-Pro center believes Jackson has to be better late in games.
While discussing the Ravens star on ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown, former Eagles legend Jason Kelce praised Jackson but said the Ravens quarterback has to be “more disciplined” late in games.
“The best quarterbacks, the reason they’re getting paid that money is because they answer it down the stretch.”
The Ravens have lost four times after leading by double digits in the fourth quarter since 2022, according to ESPN Research. That ties the Chicago Bears for the most in the NFL in that span.
After signing a five-year, $260 million contract extension, the onus falls on the quarterback late in games, and he’ll receive the bulk of the blame when things go wrong.
Ravens fans have turned on Marlon Humphrey after 0-2 start – Leigh Oleszczak, EbonyBird.com
The Ravens’ star cornerback received some friendly fire after Baltimore’s loss.
The Baltimore Ravens are 0-2 and it’s been a major surprise in the NFL. The Ravens went 14-3 a season ago, secured the top seed in the AFC, and were so close to representing the conference in the Super Bowl.
Unfortunately, after narrowly losing to both the Chiefs and the Raiders, the good guys find themselves winless through two weeks with a very tough schedule on the horizon. The Ravens’ next three games are against the Cowboys, Bills, and Bengals, which is no cakewalk. They need to win in Week 3 to avoid an 0-3 start.
Ravens fans aren’t taking the rough start well and there was a fan heckling Marlon Humphrey as he left M&T Bank Stadium following Sunday’s loss. “You give more effort to your podcast than you do on the field” the fan said to Humphrey.
The Ravens secondary had a rough day at the office, allowing Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew to throw for 276 yards and the touchdown that tied the game. Davante Adams demolished the Ravens secondary all day long, finishing with nine grabs for 110 yards and that game-tying touchdown.
It’s clear that Baltimore’s defense isn’t the same as the unit that stifled offenses throughout the entire 2023 season and that’s because Mike Macdonald left to take the Seahawks head coaching job in the offseason. The Ravens are still a good team despite the 0-2 start but their defense definitely needs to figure it out and fast.
Ranking winless NFL teams: Teams eliminated from 2024 playoffs – Bill Barnwell, ESPN
The 0-2 Ravens are looking to fight out of their hole.
I don’t know if alarm bells were going off in Baltimore after the Ravens lost to the Chiefs in Week 1. Losing to the Raiders at home, though, should have everyone’s attention. One year after going 13-4 and wowing advanced metrics with their regular-season performance, the Ravens are 0-2. It’s the first time since 2020 that a Lamar Jackson-led team has lost two straight, let alone two straight to begin the season.
Some of their problems could be expected and are straight out of their entry in the likely-to-decline column from before the season. After posting a league-best plus-12 turnover differential last season, they have been even through two games, with one giveaway and one takeaway in each of contest. Their red zone dominance has faded; an offense that converted nearly 62% of its red zone trips into touchdowns is 3-for-7, while a defense that allowed touchdowns 40.8% of the time last season is 3-for-6.
The offensive line is a work in progress. Chris Jones gave them fits in the opener. On Sunday, Jackson was sacked twice on 36 dropbacks, but the running game didn’t get going until after halftime. The Ravens had 11 rushing yards on 10 designed rush attempts during the first half, only to then turn 14 carries into 93 runs after the break. After Jackson had 16 carries for 122 yards in the opener against the Chiefs, Baltimore was conscious of his health, and he ran only five times for 45 yards Sunday. Just two of those runs were designed carries.
What has been more surprising is just how bad the Ravens have been in coverage. Last season, they allowed 46 completions of 20 yards or more, or about 2.3 per game. In a season in which they were battling injuries at cornerback from August on, that’s a solid performance. Mike Macdonald’s unit ranked ninth in the league in 20-plus yards played allowed in the passing game.
Source : BloggingTheBoys