Baltimore flirted with disaster all game long against Jacksonville, and in the final seconds the Ravens could not avoid the ultimate disaster, losing to the Jaguars, 28-27.
Baltimore (7-4) gained control of the game multiple times, but as in games past, failed to make necessary plays to extend leads and allowed Jacksonville (4-7) to hang around a bit too long. Leading 19-10 to begin the fourth quarter the Ravens defense, so good in recent weeks, could not hold against Jaguar quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Ravens tripped over themselves all day
The Ravens controlled much of the game, but constantly undermined themselves with confusion on snap counts and poor execution in the red zone. Jackson was thisclose on several sure-fire touchdown throws.
That seems to be the status of the Ravens offense, “close, but no cigar.”
There’s plenty of blame for the Ravens this afternoon. It starts with veteran running back Gus Edwards, who had a costly fourth quarter fumble. The cornerbacks for Baltimore consistently allowed Lawrence to complete sideline passes on the game-winning drive in the fourth quarter.
For Baltimore, this act is getting old
Four losses, four collapses for the Ravens. Offensively, Baltimore failed to make big plays when they needed them. The defense, suddenly pedestrian, bent, bent, and finally broke in the waning minutes of the game, failing to hold a seven-point lead with two minutes remaining.
The inside linebackers missed plenty of tackles and failed to cover in the pass game. As in the previous colosses (collapse/losses), the weaknesses in defense did not go unnoticed by the opposition’s defensive coordinator.
Learning from a loss isn’t the Ravens mantra
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said after the game that “there are lessons to learn about the razor-slim margin between victory and defeat.” Really, another fourth quarter collapse, their fourth of the year, all resulting in losses, how many lessons are there before this team is on the outside looking in on the playoffs?
Baltimore entered this game with high playoff odds, but with the loss, even if Baltimore should qualify for postseason play, they won’t hang around long.
The end result
The Ravens must look in the mirror and realize that this game was more than winnable, they should have won. While Jacksonville has improved slightly and so has former No.1 pick Lawrence, they are far from a playoff-caliber team. Jacksonville entered the game with a 3-7 record for a reason.
Baltimore did not lose today because Justin Tucker was one-yard short on a game-winning 67-yard field goal attempt. The Ravens lost today because offensively they are lost inside the red zone, failing to score a touchdown on three of five trips.
Inconsistency continues to plague the Ravens. Trailing 10-9 at the half, Baltimore dominated the third quarter to take control of the game, limiting the Jaguars to just 21 yards and one first down in the quarter.
The fourth quarter was a different story, as the Ravens made Lawrence appear as though he was throwing against college-level secondaries.
This was a signature win for Jacksonville, and an equally bad loss for Baltimore.
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