Colin Cowherd Says Narrative About Ravens Blowing Leads is Overblown
When Head Coach John Harbaugh was asked earlier this week if there is any rhyme or reason as to why the Ravens squander double-digit leads more than any other team, he said one aspect is that they've had a lot of two-score leads.
Some dismissed that – even though Harbaugh also said the blown leads have happened too many times and "we need to be really thoughtful of how we decide that we're going to approach those situations going forward" – but FOX Sports' Colin Cowherd said Harbaugh's point is valid.
"I went back and I looked, and the Ravens are one of seven teams to lead at least 20 games by nine-to-16 points in the fourth quarter over the past four seasons. And here's what's funny about the teams that lead big – they're all good: Ravens, Bills, 49ers, Bengals, Lions, Eagles, Chiefs," Cowherd said. "The other thing I noticed is the Ravens have led by more a lot more often. They've had 10 more huge leads in the fourth quarter than Buffalo in just four seasons, and seven more than the Chiefs in just four seasons, and 10 more than the Bengals.
"I'm not saying they don't play with their food a little and they don't need to get better, but when you look closely at it, wouldn't the Jets, Giants, Panthers, and Jaguars love to have the luxury of actually leading by nine-to-16 points in the fourth quarter?"
A deeper dive by Cowherd showed that not only are the Ravens in good company, but so is Harbaugh.
"I went and looked at the head coaches in the history of the league with the most blown double-digit leads in the fourth quarter," Cowherd said. "Tom Landry, Don Shula, Bill Belichick, Mike Shanahan, and John Harbaugh.
"You see blown leads. You know what I see? Lombardi trophies."
On a related note, NFL.com’s Kevin Patra said the Ravens' collapses over the past four seasons cannot be overlooked, but the notion that "the Ravens will continue to trip over themselves" is an overreaction to Baltimore suffering a 41-40 loss to the Buffalo Bills Sunday night after leading by 15 points late in the fourth quarter.
"When you're around for 18 seasons, the bad (and good) moments can add up," Patra wrote. "Given Harbaugh's comments following Sunday's fiasco, perhaps Week 1 could ultimately serve as a positive step toward avoiding such collapses."
Harbaugh said Wednesday that what it takes to bounce back from emotional losses is often "more subtle than it is obvious."
"You're going to have those in this league. It's the NFL, and it happens," Harbaugh said. "We've been in a lot of games over the years where we've had leads – I think it's actually 152 since 2008; we've won 140 of them and then lost 12, and that's tough, but there's a lot of other games you lost, too. It doesn't really matter how you lose them, it matters that you lost them, and you have to find a way to come back and play the next week and improve."
Offensive Line Gets High Marks for Week 1 Performance
The Ravens rushed for 238 yards and averaged 8.2 yards per carry against the Bills, and the offensive line is getting kudos for doing its part.
"Pat McAfee Show" contributor and former NFL center A.Q. Shipley put the Ravens at No. 1 in his Week 1 offensive line rankings.
Shipley noted that the Ravens had four 30+yard runs in the game and praised the blocking of Zaire Mitchell-Paden, a tight end who was elevated from the practice squad to serve as the fullback in place of the injured Patrick Ricard.
The unit's showing against the Bills was also reflected in Pro Football Focus’ weekly offensive line rankings, as the Ravens soared 12 spots to No. 5.
"The Ravens' offensive line let up only three pressures — including one sack — on 22 pass plays against Buffalo," PFF's Zoltán Buday wrote. "The group logged a 90.9 PFF pass-blocking efficiency rating, which tied for fifth in Week 1. Baltimore's offensive tackle duo [left tackle Ronnie Stanley and right tackle Roger Rosengarten] did not allow a single pressure in Week 1 as Buffalo tried to contain quarterback Lamar Jackson."
Tyler Linderbaum's 87.5 overall grade led all centers last week, per PFF.
Browns WR Jerry Jeudy Says Ravens' Secondary Presents 'No Challenges'
The Ravens defense is a proud and talented group that is determined to play significantly better in Sunday's home opener against Cleveland than it did against the Bills.
If the unit needed any additional motivation, Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy provided it.
When asked by a reporter Wednesday what challenges the Ravens' secondary presents to the Browns' receiving corps, Jeudy replied, "No challenges."
Jeudy also said it's "disrespectful" that the Browns are 10.5-point underdogs against the Ravens.
Quick Hits
Yesterday's Most Read: Nnamdi Madubuike Not Practicing; Isaiah Likely Still Sidelined
- Brett Kollmann broke down how the Ravens have mastered outside zone to elevate their run game on the NFL’s YouTube channel.
