Fumbling in key situations. Surrendering big plays on defense. Falling short in the fourth quarter.
Those things have happened too often to the Ravens this season. On Sunday night, they happened again.
Moving to the brink of playoff elimination, Baltimore suffered a 28-24 loss to the New England Patriots (12-3) that dropped the Ravens to 7-8 with two games left in the regular season.
Baltimore led by 11 points with just under 13 minutes to play but couldn't hold the lead. Now the Pittsburgh Steelers (9-6) hold a two-game lead in the AFC North, and the Ravens will be eliminated with one more Steelers victory or one more Baltimore defeat. The Ravens had to dig deep when they started 1-5, but until this loss, they controlled their playoff destiny. Now they don't.
Meanwhile, regardless of what happens in Week 17 at Green Bay or Week 18 at Pittsburgh, the Ravens will finish with their worst regular-season home record (3-6) in franchise history. The Ravens have fallen short of many expectations this season and are having trouble explaining why.
"It's frustrating to keep having the same conversations with you guys," safety Kyle Hamilton said to reporters. "It's redundant and no excuses at this point. Six losses at home? That's terrible."
Here are five thoughts on the Ravens being in deep trouble:
Crucial turnovers are killing the Ravens this season.
The Ravens are tied for the NFL lead in lost fumbles (15), and so many of their turnovers have come at crucial moments. The tone was set in Week 1, when a fourth-quarter fumble by Derrick Henry helped the Buffalo Bills steal a 41-40 victory that left the Ravens in shock.
Baltimore has been too loose with the football this season and it continued in this game. Zay Flowers lost a fumble on Baltimore's final possession that sealed their fate. Henry lost a fumble when Baltimore held an early 7-0 lead and was threatening to score again.
Had the Ravens taken an early 14-0 lead, would they have taken control of the game? If Flowers had not fumbled with just under two minutes to play at his own 40, would the Ravens have manufactured a game-winning drive?
We'll never know. But we do know that turnovers have killed the Ravens.
On a play that was nullified by offsetting penalties just before halftime, Mark Andrews carelessly tried to lateral the ball as he was falling to DeAndre Hopkins. It was a bizarre play that could've cost the Ravens more points. Until they take better care of the football, potential victories will continue to slip through their hands.
Lamar Jackson's back injury is the latest big problem.
Jackson took a knee in his back late in the second quarter and did not return. He was in rhythm before leaving the game (7 of 10, 101 yards) and was frustrated in the locker room afterward. He said his goal was to play Week 17 against the Packers, but he was in obvious pain after the game for many reasons.
"You're fighting for a chance to make the playoffs, I can't finish the game with my guys," Jackson said.
Jackson missed three games with a hamstring injury earlier this season and has dealt with ankle and knee injuries, along with illness. Even if the Ravens get Jackson back for the Packers game, it may be too late to save their season.
Derrick Henry's absence during a crucial fourth-quarter drive will haunt them.
Henry had a huge game (18 carries, 128 yards, two touchdowns) that was wasted in defeat.
His final carry was his 2-yard touchdown run with12:53 left that gave Baltimore a 24-13 lead.
After the Patriots answered with a touchdown drive to make the score 24-21, the Ravens took possession with nine minutes left. Instead of riding with Henry, Keaton Mitchell was in the game for that series while Henry watched from the sideline. Mitchell (nine carries, 13 yards) had two carries for four yards during that drive, but the Ravens were stopped after one first down and forced to punt, setting up New England's go-ahead drive.
Head Coach John Harbaugh was asked if, in hindsight, he would have preferred to have Henry in the game for that crucial series.
"Looking back, would I rather have Derrick starting the drive? Yeah," Harbaugh said. "You look back on it, it's pretty easy to say he should have been in here, but we're rotating those guys throughout the game. But [the] game-winning drive, do I want Derrick Henry on the field? Sure, I do want him on the field."
The Ravens love Mitchell's explosiveness, and finding adequate touches for him and Henry is a challenge. But part of Henry's greatness is his ability to close out games. He didn't get a chance to deliver the punch that could have knocked out the Patriots.
Baltimore's defense isn't delivering enough in key moments.
Coming off a shutout victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, the Ravens felt their defense was reaching its peak. This game was a letdown, as the Patriots put together touchdown drives of 73 yards and 89 yards in the fourth quarter to snatch this game from the Ravens.
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (31 of 44, 380 yards, two touchdowns, one interception) showed why he's an MVP candidate. Stefon Diggs (nine catches, 138 yards) got the best of Baltimore's corners.
But for the Ravens to win this game, they needed big stops from their defense in the fourth quarter. They didn't get them, and it cost Baltimore dearly.
"I think it's very simple: We didn't play winning football," Pro Bowl linebacker Roquan Smith said. "I think that's what it is when it comes down to the clutch moments. We didn't play winning football. We all have to do our 1-of-11 – including myself."
Extra Points:
- Backup quarterback Tyler Huntley (9 of 10, 65 yards) was at the helm for two touchdown drives in the second half, playing solidly in relief of Jackson.
- Flowers had seven catches for 84 yards and scored on an 18-yard touchdown run, but lamented his fourth-quarter fumble. "I tried to make a play," Flowers said. "Somebody [from] behind punched it out."
- The Patriots had just 79 yards rushing but 374 yards through the air.
- Starting left guard Andrew Vorhees (foot) left the game in the fourth quarter and did not return. He was replaced by rookie Emery Jones Jr.
- Marlon Humphrey had an interception and has nine over the last two seasons. However, he was not happy with his coverage on several deep balls. "Giving up the deep ball has been an inconsistency of mine this year," Humphrey said.
