ExtremeRavens Posted September 15 Posted September 15 The sky isn’t falling in Baltimore yet, but there are some dark clouds hanging over this city. The Ravens lost to the Las Vegas Raiders, 26-23, on Sunday in the home opener at M&T Bank Stadium, and a sense of panic is about to set in. It’s one thing to lose to former NFL great Tom Brady or Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes, but the Ravens were beaten by a quarterback named Gardner Minshew II. Let’s say it again: Gardner Minshew II. Go ahead, exhale slowly. It just sounds so ridiculous. Not only did the Ravens lose to the Chiefs in last week’s season opener, but they had 10 days to prepare for the Raiders, who were flying from out west after losing to the Los Angeles Chargers last Sunday. Duh? This was virtually a gimmie, a lock, and the Ravens still lost because they allowed two field goals and a touchdown in the final 12 minutes, including a 38-yard kick by Daniel Carlson with 27 seconds left. Maybe the announced crowd of 70,762 knew what to expect because there were a lot of empty seats around M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday. There were also a lot of Raiders fans who flew into Baltimore sitting behind the Las Vegas bench in the final minutes. Hopefully that’s not a sign of things to come, but the Ravens’ next opponent will be the Dallas Cowboys, and that team will be incensed after the 44-19 spanking they took from the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. Then the Ravens host the Buffalo Bills and quarterback Josh Allen the following week in a Sunday night game here at M&T Bank Stadium. There is the potential for things to get ugly. Real ugly. “It was a disappointing loss, a tough loss. Could have gone our way for sure, but we didn’t get the job done,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “We’re 0-2. We’re going to play a 17-game season, and we will be defined by the next 15 games, so that’s going to be our objective — to play the best 15 games we can, be the best football team we can be, and if we do that, then we’re going to have a really good season, have a shot to win a lot of games and get in the playoffs and make a run, so that’s what we have to do. “Big picture — short-term — we have to go back and look at every little thing, continue to clean up the things that we know we can clean up and get better at the things that make a difference in games.” The Ravens needed to get off to a strong start this year, especially with a second-half schedule that includes three games in 14 days, and another three in 11. Needless to say, the Ravens have dug a deep hole going 0-2 for the first time since 2015. Worst yet, they couldn’t finish off the Raiders. When it came time for the Ravens to close out the win, they couldn’t stop rookie tight end Brock Bowers or All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams, who combined for 18 receptions and nearly 200 yards. Granted, the Ravens gave up field position, allowing the Raiders to start at their own 30-yard line twice and Baltimore’s 43 on their last three drives. Ravens vs. Raiders, September 15, 2024 | PHOTOS Offensively, there was no magic wand waved by quarterback Lamar Jackson. A week ago, he almost single-handedly carried the Ravens to a victory by rushing 16 times for 122 yards and completing 26 of 41 passes for 273 yards in a loss to the Chiefs. But there was no way Jackson was going to maintain that pace for the entire season. The Ravens have no offensive identity. Running back Derrick Henry finally found his niche, especially as a closer. He finished with 84 yards on 18 carries after gaining only 5 yards on seven attempts in the first half, but he couldn’t save the Ravens either. Despite the NFL’s reputation of being a pass-happy league, the basic formula for success will not change. For a team to win in this league consistently, it has to dominate on the offensive and defensive lines. On Sunday, the Ravens won with their defensive front for most of the game, but their offensive line was not very good. It’s a gamble that both Harbaugh and general manager Eric DeCosta made at the beginning of the season by saying goodbye to three starters on the offensive line from a year ago. Jackson has virtually no time to throw. Even when he does have an opportunity to go downfield, his passes are usually off the mark or thrown behind his receivers. If he doesn’t complete a pass early, he either has to run or often holds the ball too long. On the Ravens’ last three possessions of the game, they picked up only one first down. The assumption here is that Harbaugh will go over the game film and might be able to find some areas to improve. He can point out that the Raiders’ offensive line got better throughout the game, especially in the second half. In fact, Las Vegas played like the Ravens in previous seasons. The Raiders weren’t pretty, but they certainly were more physical. In the end, the Ravens caved and appeared to tire in the final two quarters. That’s a sign of a team that wilted under pressure. “They were just the better team; that’s why they won,” Henry said. “We didn’t make the plays when we needed to, as an offense. We’ll just go back to the drawing board, look at the film and correct the mistakes. The execution just has to be better. We just didn’t execute as an offense [and] as a team when we needed to, and they did. That’s why they won.” A young Ravens fan reacts in disbelief after the Raiders defeated Baltimore, 26-23, on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) View the full article Quote
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