It was one of the vital vital snaps of their season, however the Baltimore Ravens didn’t deal with it that method.
Needing 2 yards for a tying two-point conversion late within the fourth quarter in opposition to first-place Pittsburgh, the Ravens stored star operating again Derrick Henry on the sidelines and subsequently got here up quick.
The Steelers took over, ran off the ultimate 1:06 and secured an 18-16 residence win on Nov. 17 that dropped Baltimore 1.5 video games behind them within the AFC North.
Loads of questions lingered from the two-point loss, however the largest one of all of them was apparent: Why wasn’t Henry on the sector with the sport on the road.
No one from the Ravens gave an insightful reply, however Baltimore’s choice to sideline Henry encapsulated a dynamic that has hampered the crew over the previous few seasons.
The Ravens are seemingly afraid of how good they are often.
You might have Henry, a two-time dashing champion, and Lamar Jackson, a two-time MVP, main an offense that entered the Pittsburgh contest placing up a league-leading 31.8 factors per recreation. So why is just one of them on the sector for the most important play of the sport?
Wasn’t this why you signed Henry in March? For moments like this? The man’s averaging 6 yards a carry and solely wants to achieve a 3rd of that to tie the sport in opposition to the lone crew that separates you from first place.
Put him on the sector!
You don’t want to provide Henry the ball—I agree that doing so may very well be a bit too predictable—however not less than make the Steelers suppose.
Baltimore didn’t, and as an alternative of getting to fret about stopping both Henry or Jackson, Pittsburgh knew the sport was within the latter’s fingers. The Steelers appropriately despatched the home and compelled an incompletion on an ungainly play that regarded doomed from the beginning.
I’m not saying the Ravens would have transformed the two-point try with Henry on the sector, however it’s important to determine no matter play they ran would have not less than been extra competent.
How may it not have been? Deploying your bruising operating again along with your electrifying quarterback is sure to maintain a protection—even one as sturdy as Pittsburgh’s—on edge.
It was virtually like Baltimore selected to make the second tougher than it wanted to be. And that’s actually nothing new.
The Steelers deserve credit score, in fact, however Sunday’s recreation was one other occasion the place the Ravens did a lot to beat themselves. This time it was 12 penalties, three turnovers and two missed kicks on high of the questionable name on the two-point try.
Frankly, that’s how most of Baltimore’s losses in current seasons have performed out. Premature errors and unexplainable lapses that flip a winnable recreation into an inexcusable defeat.
Final Sunday’s recreation was a bit totally different within the sense that it didn’t contain a blown fourth-quarter lead. The Ravens have loads of these losses, together with two this season. Baltimore coughed up a 10-point lead at residence to Las Vegas in Week 2 and couldn’t maintain a one-point edge over the ultimate 2:36 at Cleveland in Week 8.
And there may have been extra. The Ravens practically blew a 22-point benefit at Dallas in Week 3 and allowed Tampa Bay to attain twice within the ultimate 3:46 of a less-than-comfy 41-31 street win in Week 7.
In these circumstances, it’s virtually like Baltimore will get bored and eases up simply to make issues extra fascinating, just for it to generally backfire ultimately. No crew has carried out it extra as of late—the Ravens have misplaced a league-high 10 video games over the past 4 seasons after main by not less than seven factors within the fourth quarter.
It needs to be particularly irritating for Baltimore followers contemplating that the Ravens are hardly ever flat-out beat.
Baltimore’s final loss by greater than eight factors got here in Week 18 of 2022, a 27-16 defeat at Cincinnati that Jackson missed with a knee harm. With Jackson beginning, the Ravens haven’t misplaced a recreation by greater than eight since Nov. 10, 2021.
It’s like Baltimore has no killer intuition. The Ravens have maybe the deepest roster within the league and are basically unattainable to dominate, but they will’t cease stubbing their very own toe.
Whether or not it’s letting up too quickly within the recreation or—as was the case Sunday—not benefiting from their weapons when it’s most acceptable, Baltimore has value itself far too many instances.
As they chase their first Tremendous Bowl title in 12 years, the Ravens don’t want to take a look at Kansas Metropolis, Pittsburgh, Buffalo or Detroit to seek out out who their largest menace is.
All they need to do is look within the mirror.
