With the Ravens suffering their second loss in three games to fall 1 1/2 games back in the AFC North with a 24-19 defeat to Philadelphia on Sunday, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. The start of Sunday’s game reminded me of last year’s blowout of Detroit until Lamar Jackson failed to connect with a wide-open Isaiah Likely to begin Baltimore’s third drive, a “mishap” in Jackson’s words. That marked the turning point offensively as the Eagles defense began imposing its will from there.
2. Though the Justin Tucker problem threatens to ruin a promising season, I’m surprised how convinced some are that his woes are irreversible and a replacement inspiring any more confidence is readily available. I’m not sure how much longer the Ravens can stick with Tucker, but what a nightmare this is.
3. Jackson’s mother scolded him for squandering some opportunities to run, but Todd Monken “did not see that in the game” as much. As is typically the case, the truth lies somewhere in between as Jackson’s incomparable playmaking ability will lead to bad sacks and empty plays from time to time.
4. The offensive line was always going to have issues with Philadelphia’s front, but surrendering 19 pressures despite the Eagles blitzing only 13.6% of the time is a deadly mix. Being able to wreak havoc with a four-man rush while dropping seven into coverage makes life miserable for even elite quarterbacks.
5. No image summed up Philadelphia’s physical superiority better than rookie defensive back Cooper DeJean blowing up Derrick Henry on third-and-11 midway through the fourth quarter. The Ravens pride themselves in being the bully, but Kansas City, Pittsburgh and now the Eagles have beaten them at their own game.
6. Though the dam began cracking against Saquon Barkley in the fourth quarter, the defense took another step forward with Philadelphia not registering a completion of more than 17 yards. I thought Jalen Hurts needed to be great for the Eagles to win, and he was far from that.
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7. The Ravens need to stop forgetting about Zay Flowers in the second half of games — he didn’t record a reception after halftime — but Mark Andrews continues to be money inside the red zone as he caught his seventh touchdown in the last eight games. Remember how some suggested trading Andrews?
8. You have to question why Diontae Johnson was even active unless something transpired during the game to warrant the benching. But watching Nelson Agholor fail to rein in Jackson’s beautiful deep pass late in the third quarter leaves one really hoping Rashod Bateman’s knee is OK after the bye week.
9. The latest examples of the defensive coaching staff not hesitating to make tweaks were Chris Board continuing to take snaps from Trenton Simpson and Tavius Robinson and Malik Harrison playing much more than Odafe Oweh against a run-first opponent. There’s no time for hurt feelings at this point.
10. Tucker’s poor performance is the obvious headliner, but the special teams remain middling to poor in every other area except for punt coverage. The Ravens currently rank 24th in special teams DVOA after ranking third or better in each of the previous four years. The margins continue hurting this team.
11. Sunday’s defeat marked a season lows in penalty yards (20), which just reiterates Baltimore’s frustrating inability to put together complete performances. The Ravens were also fortunate to recover each of their three fumbles, but that didn’t lead to a victory either.
12. I grow tired of pondering Baltimore’s potential because of shiny DVOA and EPA numbers and such narrow defeats. This team also could have lost both Cincinnati games to make its 8-5 record worse. The Ravens have soul-searching to do over the bye if they truly want to become great.
