Week 16: Ravens Fast Five: Completely Depleted

The loss was almost a given with the Ravens starting a third string quarterback. Tee Higgins and Ja’Maar Chase got a late Christmas gift, going up against defensive backs that were on the couch last week. It’s four Ls in a row as the Ravens drop to 8-7. Joe Burrow had a bone to pick with Baltimore, and apparently the last shellacking he gave them wasn’t good enough.

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1. Ravens come out up tempo on offense.

In a season full of slow starts, Greg Roman waited until week 16 and third string quarterback Josh Johnson to start to decide to change things up a little bit on the scripted, opening drive offense. They ran up tempo on the first drive, obviously catching the Bengals defense off guard. There were some easy completions to wide open receivers, and a couple decent runs, culminating in a touchdown drive to give the Ravens a brief 7-3 lead.

We didn’t see the quick moving offense the rest of the game. But the offense wasn’t all that bad, all things considered.

I like the wrinkle. It was a good time for it. But it could have beneficial a lot of other times this season. Show us something different. By this point in the season, there is nothing left to show. Everything is installed in the playbook. Doesn’t even have to be first drive of the game. Pull it out a couple random times, see what happens.

This is no longer the offense that runs for 200+ yards a game and grinds the opposition into submission.

2. Depleted defense or not, it was bad.

I think the game went about as expected, with the Bengals never needing to punt, and taking full advantage of a completely decimated secondary. But man, the Bengals had guys wide open by big margins very often on the day. I expected them to get beat, but it seemed like the Ravens were playing with only eight on the field. These are still NFL players after all. I expected some more of the plays to be at least contested.

They allowed Joe Burrow to complete 37 of 46 passes for 525 yards and four touchdowns in the rout. 100+ of those yards came in garbage time when most teams would have run the ball, put their backup quarterback in. I don’t care about teams running the score up. Don’t like it, do something about it. But it would have been a shame if one of the Ravens unknown practice squad players would have taken it personally. Taken a cheap shot at Burrow. Take an inconsequential 15-yard penalty. A fine that as we know veteran players pitch in to cover. “Suspension? I’m going back to the practice squad as soon as this is over.”

Dangerous game the Bengals were playing trying to get Burrow to 500 yards, are whatever the reason was. They don’t give out trophies for that stuff Cincy, even though today was basically you and your fans Super Bowl. Congrats.

3. Where the Ravens stand. The division is still in play.

Through no effort of their own, somehow, the Ravens will go from out of the playoffs, to back into the mix as a 7 seed with the Chiefs clobbering of the Steelers. The Dolphins will decide the Ravens standing as week 16 wraps up, as they can take over the 7^th spot with a win Monday night against the Saints. Miami started the season 1-7 mind you.

Too many scenarios to play out, but it would appear playing around on the playoff machines online, the Ravens must win out to make the playoffs.

Good time to lose four in row, eh?

It’s a long shot, but not impossible, but winning out and the Bengals losing out (vs. Chiefs, @ Browns) would give the Ravens the division, regardless of what the Browns and Steelers do. There are paths for all four AFC North teams to claim the division still, so no one is rolling over yet.

4. Ravens put themselves in this unnecessary position.

I’m not talking about the rash of injuries and COVID list placements.

I’m talking about putting yourself in almost a must win position today to keep the division title, and a home playoff game in place, by making some of the decisions and mistakes they have along the way.

Yes, part of this, includes the do or die scenarios the Ravens decided on with two-point conversion plays against Pittsburgh and Green Bay. Even worse against Green Bay with the fact the Aaron Rodgers would have had 42 seconds to get into field goal range anyway. Tied up, or trailing by one, hardly mattered. There are no guarantees in football. Those plays could have been scoring plays and wins, could have gone to overtime, and lost both games anyway.

But these were games that were lost because you asked your guys to make one play and they didn’t. You put your guys on the spot, and they failed. What math forgets about overtime, is it’s a series of plays. Throw an incompletion, on to 2nd down. Run the ball for no gain, as long as it isn’t on 4th down, no problem. Try again. Never mind that overtime often comes down to special teams. Now let me think. Who probably has some of the best special teams in the NFL. It would have to be…the Ravens? Right?

The Ravens went from the top seed in the AFC, to out of the playoffs in a matter of three games. Maybe even in a matter of two plays. Was the risk worth the reward? Possibly staying in the top seed or watching the playoffs, as the commercial says, “at home with Baker Mayfield.” There is no in between when it comes to being “aggressive.”

Regaining the division lead was on the line today. Could have had a one game margin of error when COVID ran through this locker room and almost decided the outcome before the teams took the field.

5. All eyes on the health on this club.

Enough dwelling on the past.

The must win nature of next week’s game against the Rams means the health of the team is under the microscope. Biggest question, will Lamar Jackson return to practice? Who comes off the COVID list? Do we add anyone else to the COVID list? Anthony Averett was carted off today. Tavon Young and Brandon Stephens left the game as well. Does the secondary get any reinforcements back, or are these the final nails in the infirmary coffin that was built during the preseason?

These things will matter more at this point than individual or positional group matchups.

Score 50 or die. Will that be in its simplest form, the game plan for beating the Rams? It will be if a similar roster takes the field next week.

Were the events today signifying it’s time to take the 2021 season out behind the woodshed and put it out of its misery?

If there is any time to break the funk, get healthy, Clark Kent to find his phone booth, turn this thing around, it is literally this week.