ExtremeRavens Posted 16 hours ago Posted 16 hours ago Here’s what The Baltimore Sun sports staff had to say immediately after the Ravens’ 28-24 loss to the New England Patriots in Week 16 of the NFL season on Sunday night at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore: Brian Wacker, reporter Like so many games this season, the Ravens (7-8) had a grasp of victory until they didn’t. Without injured quarterback Lamar Jackson for the second half, the game was always going to be an uphill climb. Still, they forged a two-score lead into the fourth quarter, thanks mostly to Derrick Henry and for bits and pieces backup quarterback Tyler Huntley. But it wasn’t enough. Drake Maye continued to pick apart what has been an average-at-best defense and with little worry of the Ravens being able to consistently move the ball. It also felt apropos that the Ravens’ final last gasp effort ended with Zay Flowers fumbling. Like the Eminem song “Lose Yourself” that blared through the stadium as Ravens players took the field, the words were foreboding: “Look, if you had one shot or one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted, in one moment, would you capture it or just let it slip?” Mike Preston, columnist The Ravens got upset by New England on Sunday night and that pretty much sealed their playoff aspirations. It’s basically Pittsburgh’s AFC North championship to lose, but the Ravens played well enough to win Sunday, especially with a strong running game. But the Ravens couldn’t get enough pressure on Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, who sliced up their secondary, especially cornerback Marlon Humphrey. The Ravens’ weaknesses were exposed again, mainly problems in the secondary and no pass rush. The Ravens were also without quarterback Lamar Jackson, who left after taking a knee to the back with two minutes left in the first half. Jackson has left open to speculation that his days might be numbered in Baltimore. Josh Tolentino, columnist While the controversial ending of the Steelers’ win over the Lions was being displayed on one of the big screens at M&T Bank Stadium, an adjacent screen showed Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers amid pregame warmups celebrating what he initially thought was a Lions’ victory. Flowers’ celebration was a bit premature. The third-year wide receiver was later involved in Baltimore’s own controversial ending as Flowers critically fumbled away a shot at a comeback victory in the game’s waning moments. The Ravens are still mathematically alive in the playoff hunt, but they no longer control their own destiny. Sunday represented a culmination of frustrations with quarterback Lamar Jackson’s early departure in the first half. His pain tolerance (Jackson was ruled out in the second half with a back injury) will be under the microscope this week as the team faces a short turnaround with another prime time matchup looming Saturday night at Green Bay (dealing with its own quarterback health issues). Even with a potential Week 17 win against the Packers, the Ravens would still need help from the Browns for their Week 18 date at Pittsburgh to hold any weight. Sunday night felt like the beginning of the end as Baltimore dropped to 3-6 at home. Sam Cohn, reporter The Ravens’ season seemingly vanished into a cloud of smoke Sunday night. First, when Lamar Jackson left before halftime with an injury that would hold him out for the rest of the night. Then again, when Snoop Huntley was called on to author a two-minute game-winning drive to save the season, but Zay Flowers fumbled. The climb to the playoffs is arduous, a long shot. The Ravens will have to win out and get some help from the Browns, who would need to beat the Steelers. As strange a game as it was, Baltimore gave itself a chance. But Sunday, when a blown lead gave way to MVP chants raining for the opposing quarterback, proved a fitting way for this season to plummet. Michael Howes, reporter A deflating loss. No other words to describe it. Any immediate thought that the Ravens were going to lose when Lamar Jackson went down were quelled for the majority of the second half with Tyler “Snoop” Huntley under center. Huntley did enough to allow the Ravens to win, managing the game and avoiding mistakes. That optimism was swiftly snatched away. The defense allowed New England to score 15 unanswered points in the final 12 minutes of the fourth quarter to steal the prime-time victory. It doesn’t feel like a new way to lose for the Ravens. They have dropped games with a similar script this year, and throughout coach John Harbaugh’s tenure. This loss, though, will likely cost them the playoffs. C.J. Doon, editor The Baltimore Ravens, everybody. We’ve seen enough. This is just who they are. Squandering late leads against quality opponents? You bet. Star players making huge mistakes in big moments? Yup. Lamar Jackson raising more questions about his legacy? Unfortunately, yes. I just don’t know what else to say anymore. This has been an amazing run of regular season success with Jackson that has led to just one AFC championship game appearance. But just when you think that the Ravens are turning the corner — that dominant opening drive, that 11-point fourth-quarter lead, that Week 1 avalanche in Buffalo — they falter. MVP chants rained down in late December at M&T Bank Stadium as a postseason berth was clinched. It was for the visiting quarterback and his playoff-bound team. Let that sink in. Tim Schwartz, editor Yet another gut-wrenching loss for the Ravens. They have to be used to it by now, right? Down four with the season essentially on the line, Tyler Huntley trotted out with 2:03 left. Not Lamar Jackson, the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player, because he took a knee to the back late in the first half. It didn’t look like much, but it was enough to knock him out of Baltimore’s biggest game of the year. And just like another infamous playoff defeat, Zay Flowers fumbled the ball away when they desperately needed it. This, unfortunately, is in the Ravens’ DNA now. Change is necessary. Bennett Conlin, editor That’s all she wrote. The Steelers just need a win over the Browns next week to end Baltimore’s highly disappointing 2025 season. I’m betting they’ll make that happen. The Ravens’ hopes Sunday didn’t end when Lamar Jackson exited the game in the second quarter with a back injury. No, Tyler Huntley picked up the slack and then some offensively. It was Zach Orr’s defense that decided it would effectively end Baltimore’s season. The unit was spotted a double-digit fourth-quarter lead, and it coughed the lead up with two poor possessions in a row. That can’t happen at home in a must-win game. Zay Flowers then fumbled, a familiar sight in crunch time in recent years. Baltimore wasn’t good this season after having massive preseason expectations, even when Jackson was on the field. Expect significant offseason changes. This team needs them. Have a news tip? Contact C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon. View the full article Quote
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