With the Ravens dropping their third straight game in a 31-30 loss to Green Bay on Sunday, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. Though I liked trying to win in regulation, an earlier decision enables going for two on the previous touchdown. If good, you make it 31-25, needing a touchdown and extra point to win. If unsuccessful, you can go for 2 again to force overtime. John Harbaugh seemed stuck in between.
2. The 2-point decision itself was one thing, but I would have much preferred a play call allowing Tyler Huntley to win with his legs such as quarterback power, the option, or a draw. Huntley rushed for 45 yards and two touchdowns on six carries in the final quarter.
3. I strongly disagree with those calling to kick a field goal on fourth-and-goal from the 3 on the opening drive. Even if you have the defense to win 16-13, that’s questionable. Despite failing to convert, Baltimore had great field position on its next possession after Green Bay was backed up.
4. We’ve often talked about so many teams — including the Ravens — passing on Lamar Jackson until the 32nd pick, but I’m blown away that Huntley wasn’t drafted while the likes of James Morgan, Jacob Eason, Cole McDonald, and Tommy Stevens were. It’s not like Utah is a small school.
5. The Ravens have enjoyed their share of standout tight ends like Shannon Sharpe, Todd Heap, and Dennis Pitta, but none were as dominant for Baltimore as what we’re seeing from Mark Andrews. He has 21 catches for 251 yards and three touchdowns over the last two games. He’s a beast.
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6. As if the secondary weren’t already at a significant disadvantage, the poor third-down pass interference call on Kevon Seymour cost the Ravens at least four points in the third quarter with Aaron Rodgers throwing a touchdown pass on the next play. The official anticipated a jersey pull that never came.
7. Making his first NFL start in place of the injured Ben Powers and seeing his first meaningful action since early October, Ben Cleveland played all 70 offensive snaps and “had a very good game for his first outing,” per Harbaugh. It’s good to see the third-round pick gain such experience.
8. You won’t find many stat lines stranger than Marquise Brown’s 10 catches for 43 yards on 14 targets. According to Pro Football Focus, his 4.4-yard average depth of target was his lowest figure since Week 17 of 2019. You’d like to see a few more downfield opportunities for him.
9. I had to chuckle at some of the criticism for Robert Jackson being beaten badly on Davante Adams’ 3-yard touchdown catch. Released by Las Vegas in mid-October, the 28-year-old was without a job for eight weeks before signing to Baltimore’s practice squad on Dec. 1. What do you really expect?
10. After carrying the ball only three times over the previous two games, Latavius Murray getting more touches than Devonta Freeman was pretty surprising. Murray gaining 6.9 yards per carry certainly helped his cause for a bigger workload moving forward.
11. Anthony Levine played 17 defensive snaps after not logging a single one over the first 13 games. Tony Jefferson’s nine snaps were his most defensive action in a game in well over two years. Desperate times call for the 2017 Baltimore defense?
12. Depending on the source, the consensus probability for the Ravens to make the playoffs hovered around 50% prior to Cleveland’s loss on Monday. For a team that’s played 10 one-score games — with a record of 6-4 in those — this season, that sounds about right. A massive AFC North showdown looms.
