John Eisenberg: The Ravens let one slip away. After playing well enough to win most of the way, especially on offense, they led by eight points with four minutes to play, but for the second straight week, they failed to close. All three units participated in the late collapse. The defense yielded, allowing an 85-yard touchdown drive and a successful two-point conversion. The offense did nothing with the opening possession of overtime. The punt coverage unit allowed a long return that set up the Redskins' game-winning field goal. The Ravens could have clinched the AFC North title with a win because Pittsburgh and Cincinnati lost, but they've now lost two in a row with back-to-back games against the Mannings coming up. It's gut check time.
Ryan Mink: A brutal loss. The Ravens looked like they had this game wrapped up on a couple of occasions. They should have. But a gimpy RGIII and even backup rookie Kirk Cousins led a game-tying drive. The punt coverage – a strength of the Ravens' all year – failed them in overtime, allowing the Skins to get into field-goal range for the game winner. Joe Flacco rebounded to throw three touchdowns, but still didn't make good decisions under pressure. A banged-up defense looked good at times, but was thrashed in the first quarter and gave up the game-tying drive. This one is a tough pill to swallow. The Ravens could have clinched the AFC North with a win for the second straight week. Two weeks ago, they were in the driver's seat for a first-round playoff bye. Now they'll be scratching and clawing just to get in.
Garrett Downing:What a gut-wrenching loss for the Ravens. They looked to have this game won in the fourth quarter when they took an eight-point lead late in the game. But then the defense allowed the Redskins to drive 85 yards and make a two-point conversion to tie the game, while starting quarterback Robert Griffin III was on the sidelines with a knee injury. A 34-yard field goal gave the Redskins a 31-28 win in overtime. For the second straight week, the Ravens let a chance to clinch a playoff spot slip away. They also missed a chance to wrap up the AFC North, as both the Steelers and the Bengals lost. This will be a tough week for the Ravens, especially with Peyton Manning and the Broncos coming to town next weekend. It's gut-check time for a Ravens team that has lost two straight games and has a very tough schedule in the final three weeks of the season.
Sarah Ellison: Uh-oh. That's a two-game slide for the Ravens with the playoffs around the corner, and the second week in a row that they've given up a fourth-quarter lead and failed to clinch a playoff spot. Last week it was backup Charlie batch to win it, this week is was backup Kirk Cousins. With an absolutely decimated linebackers corps and a banged-up defensive unit overall, the Ravens will have to find a way to stop the bleeding with the Manning brothers on the way. The good news is that both Pittsburgh and Cincinnati lost, keeping the division exactly the same.
