The Baltimore Ravens lost their second game of the season on Sunday afternoon, again to an opponent they should have beat. They has gone 1-1 in Lamar Jackson’s absence due to an ankle injury that will continue to loom over the team until he is back on the field.
Losing to the Cleveland Browns – and letting them secure first place in the AFC North for the first time since 2014 – is nothing to be proud of. But is the sky really falling in Baltimore, or are these standard struggles for a team missing several key players, including a two-time MVP quarterback? How concerned are you coming out of Sunday’s defeat?
Nikhil’s take: Let’s be honest: the excitement of the Ravens’ fourth-quarter comeback and overtime win in Atlanta overshadowed three other quarters of uninspiring play from Tyler Huntley. He carried his hot streak into the first quarter of Sunday afternoon’s game (with some major assists from Declan Doyle and Josh Cuevas), but his ‘gamer’ magic was nowhere to be found for the last three. Nothing limits an offense like a weakened unit up front and a backup quarterback who struggles to push the ball downfield, and Baltimore dealt with both in Cleveland.
In the past, the Ravens needed Lamar Jackson back on the field so he could don his superhero cap and carry the offense. This time, he just needs to run it with a full playbook that threatens defenses at all levels of the field. Doyle could not find the answers for the Browns’ aggression on Sunday, largely because he was missing a pantry staple. It’s not a secret sauce – Baltimore’s offense does not need Jackson to turn every play into backyard football – they just need their standard ingredients.
Defensively, the Ravens buried the Browns in the first half before spending two-thirds of the second half of the field – and playing like it down the stretch. This is an under-discussed element of Baltimore’s collapses: the offense cannot sustain drives, leading to disparities in play count and time of possession that tank the defense late. But looking at the entire game, they played well enough to win.
The Ravens have a tough stretch coming up that will test their mettle. That and staying healthy are my two primary concerns moving forward. But Sunday afternoon’s loss did not change either of those factors, and there is plenty of reason to believe this team can get better. They have not been at full strength this year, and next week could be their first game with Jackson, Ja’Kobi Lane, Trey Hendrickson, and Nnamdi Madubuike all playing. Let’s see how that looks before drawing any sweeping conclusions.