Who’s Got it Better Than Us?

Well, Just About Everybody!

0-2. Historically a highly undesirable start to an NFL season – one that suggests that the remaining 15 games will be an uphill battle. And if the first two games are any indication, this season will be as tantalizing for Ravens fans as a prostate exam.

The Ravens had 10 days to prepare for the Raiders, a team that was on the road during Week 1 in Los Angeles and traveled across the continent for a 1PM kickoff on the east coast – normally a recipe for failure for the visitors. But the Ravens opted to be hospitable hosts, eventually succumbing to the great Gardner Minshew by the score of 26-23.

After two games, the AFC North favorites find themselves two games back of the division leading Steelers. But never fear, ball coach Harbs has got this moving forward.

“We’re going to play a 17-game season, and we will be defined by the next 15 games, so that’s going to be our objective – to play the best 15 games we can, be the best football team we can be, and if we do that, then we’re going to have a really good season, have a shot to win a lot of games and get in the playoffs and make a run, so that’s what we have to do.”

So, as we wait to see how the Ravens will be defined over the next 15 weeks, let’s talk about how they’re defined after the first two. The Ravens are a sloppy, poorly prepared, error-prone team that looks like they are in preseason mode. The defense seemed to have a solid plan until the fourth quarter. And as they’ve done more than any other team with two-score plus leads heading into the final frame, they wilted. When the 4th quarter rolls around, the Harbaugh Ravens are like the Wicked Witch to Dorothy’s bucket of water.

“Who’s got it better than us?”

Well, today, Gardner Minshew and the Raiders along with 23 other teams with better records than the cellar-dwelling Ravens.

THE GOOD

Derrick Henry struggled to get going early on thanks to an offensive line that couldn’t block The Little Sisters of the Poor. His first five carries netted a total of -3 yards. But Henry remained focus and eventually found some rhythm. His next 13 carries produced 87 yards and a touchdown. The quick pitch plays to Stanley’s side were great. Getting Henry along the edge is where he excels. More please!…Zay Flowers had 6 catches for 83 yards before intermission. He finished the game with 7 catches for 91 yards. How does that happen?…Mark Andrews had 4 grabs for 51 yards, but it could have been a lot more had Lamar Jackson not sailed a pass over the head of a wide-open Andrews who broke free from the second-level of the Raiders defense at the beginning of Q2.

The Ravens defense limited the Raiders to 27 yards rushing – just four yards in the first half…They also pressured Minshew throughout, sacking him 5 times and hitting the Raiders QB 10 times. Nnamdi Madubuike and Travis Jones pushed the pocket while edge rushers Odafe Oweh and Kyle Van Noy contributed a combined 4 ½ sacks.

THE BAD

Rashod Bateman and Lamar have struggled to develop a rapport. Jackson doesn’t have the same confidence in Bateman that he has with Andrews, Flowers or Isaiah Likely. After yesterday’s game, that might not change anytime soon. Bateman dropped a dart from Lamar that caromed off the receiver’s hands and into the waiting arms of Raiders LB Robert Spillane. At the time the Ravens had a 16-6 lead with good field position (44-yard line). Seven plays and 3:28 later the score was 16-13.

Marlon Humphrey is paid to be a shutdown corner, but opponents see him as a target – a weak link that will eventually make a mistake. Humphrey had 10 tackles and that’s not a good sign for a corner. The Ravens need to get Nate Wiggins back on the field as the starter along the perimeter and bump Humphrey inside…After all the pregame talk, you might have expected a better outing from Kyle Hamilton who through two games is not the same player as the 2023 edition. Maybe DC Zach Orr hasn’t figured out the proper way to deploy his unicorn defender the way his predecessor Mike Macdonald did…the Ravens secondary was supposed to be the league’s best. Through two games, they are statistically the NFL’s worst.

pic.twitter.com/rQGc422qoz

— Spencer Schultz (@ravens4dummies) September 16, 2024

THE UGLY

The offensive line has been, still is and will probably continue to be the team’s Achilles heel the entire season. As the age-old saying goes, “You can’t make chicken salad out of chicken shit”, and that’s exactly what the right side of the Ravens O-line is. And that just might be an insult to chicken shit. Daniel Olay-Lay is not a starting-caliber NFL player. You know it, I know it, the Ravens opponents know it, Lamar Jackson certainly knows it and so too does everyone on the planet not named John Harbaugh, Eric DeCosta or Mr. & Mrs. Faalele. Is Ben Cleveland really THAT bad? Is Harbaugh’s doghouse still a thing? …Patrick Mekari hasn’t been much better than Olay-Lay. Once again, opposing edge rushers move Mekari as if he’s on skates. I’m still waiting for him to finally nail that triple axel… Roger Rosengarten was much better manning up on Maxx Crosby, but the Ravens brain trust seems to think a rotation of Mekari and Rosengarten makes more sense. The visual evidence tells a different story.

Daniel Faalele can’t get to Maxx Crosby in time on a stunt as he shuffles his feet, causing a sack in one of the biggest moments of the game pic.twitter.com/jSEMNcFxQz

— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) September 15, 2024

The bigger picture across the offensive front is frightening. What if something happens to Ronnie Stanley and/or Tyler Linderbaum? This youth movement was an awful idea, particularly when the youth includes a 2023 7th-round pick coming of an ACL injury; an over-drafted player discovered by Jim Harbaugh during a football academy (those Harbaugh brothers sure do stick together) and a 2024 2nd-round pick who rotates with a UDFA.

That’s how DeCosta wants to protect his $275M QB? That’s how he hopes to get the most out of the team’s investment in Derrick Henry? Instead of improving Jackson’s chances to succeed, DeCosta, through his actions or lack thereof, is asking his franchise quarterback to carry the team on his back and make the extreme weaknesses magically disappear. They won’t, and they might get worse if something isn’t done.

What he’ll probably do is go out and sign another safety. But I digress.

Meanwhile, his quarterback will be running for his life and is unlikely to dress for all 17 weeks. And that will simply place DeCosta in a better position during the 2025 NFL Draft to select a defensive tackle.

Special teams are supposed to be a team strength. That’s where Harbaugh is supposed to excel, right? Well, the team looks confused by the new kickoff rule which forces them to start drives deeper in their own territory than opponents. Meanwhile, Father Time is catching up to Justin Tucker who seems to be the only kicker in the league missing from 50+. And then there’s Jordan Stout – another 4th-round pick who seems to shank a punt whenever the team needs him to crush one. He’s like a Shankapotomus when the pressure is on.

The Ravens had 11 penalties for 109 yards – AT HOME. Is that the sign of a well-coached team? And here are a few other stats that might suggest the Ravens won the game, but this Ravens team seems quite capable of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

• Ravens had 383 yards of offense to the Raiders 260
• Ravens had 151 yards rushing to the Raiders 27
• The Ravens had 5 sacks: the Raiders 2
• Turnovers were 1 each

What is going on?

[Related Article: Ravens Report Card]

COACHING

Offense

Let’s start with Todd Monken. Anyone playing the Raiders must find a way to at least slow down Maxx Crosby. Instead, Monken gave him a launching pad. There was little in the way of deception with the cadence; there were times when the Ravens O-line passed off on Crosby; there were other times when they were dominated in one-on-one matchups. And Monken did next to nothing to slow down that relentless freight train wearing 98. The Ravens did little in the way of shallow crossers, slants, screens – ANYTHING to get the ball out of Lamar’s hands more quickly and schematically slow down the pass rush.

.@Raiders went into @Ravens and @CrosbyMaxx got real busy disrupting the Raven offense. The following is some of the destruction #RaiderNation #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/NnY09h2WuD

— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) September 16, 2024

Henry was gaining traction as the game wore on. Up 23-16 with 7:46 left in the game, the Ravens faced a 3rd-and-1. The play screams King Henry. Instead, the Ravens opt to get cute with Charlie Kolar behind center flanked by Henry and Ricard. With pre-snap movement from Henry, 3rd-and-1 became a failed 3rd-and-6 leading to a Stout punt. (Side bar: That cute play is one that Andrews used to run…another sign that the All Pro tight end isn’t right!)

Defense

Zach Orr has gotten off to a slow start, just as his predecessor Mike Macdonald did as the team’s defensive coordinator. And just like Macdonald early in his tenure as DC, Orr’s defense wilted when it mattered most. This is a team that seemed so proud of its secondary’s quality and depth, yet Gardner Minshew found a way to rally the 8 ½ point underdog and will them to victory. Gardner f-ing Minshew. Unbelievable!

Harbaugh

I’m of the opinion that John Harbaugh has taken the Ravens about as far as he can. They compete. They win a lot of regular season games. They can make it to the playoffs and boy does John create an inviting culture for his players. But I don’t see how he can guide them any further, particularly after the massive losses of assistants Joe D’Alessandris, Anthony Weaver, Mike Macdonald and Dennard Wilson. I’d love to be proven wrong. But I don’t think it will happen.

He’s outcoached regularly. His clock management is pathetic. It’s like every other coach has a state-of-the-art Apple watch equipped with apps to help manage the play clock while John sticks with his trusty sundial. And his strategy with challenges goes something like this: “I’ll throw it and maybe something good will happen but if not, at least our players get a little rest during the review.”

We don’t have to see the remaining 15 games to determine how the team will be defined. We already know. The Ravens are a talented albeit underachieving team due to coaching inadequacies and an awful offensive line that was dead on arrival.

Harbaugh is a history buff. He can quote Winston Churchill. He’s memorized scripture from The Bible. Well, here’s a little history for you John. The Ravens have started (0-2) on the season four other times in their history. During those seasons, not only did they miss the playoffs, but they also didn’t finish with a winning record. But we’ll wait to see how you all define the team 15 weeks from now.

Fans are screaming for Harbaugh’s head. On one hand that seems a bit premature. But change must happen, even if it’s as simple as taking away Harbs’ little red hanky. Steve Bisciotti enjoys the benefits of continuity in his organization. But this team, guided by a man whose teams shit the bed during big games; a team that is regularly outcoached when it matters most; a team that regularly outsmarts itself, is treading in dangerous territory. And the owner is apparently struggling to tell the difference between continuity and complacency.

Player of The Game

Last week I teased the notion that Megan Fox would be replaced by a newcomer to represent the Player of the Game. But I’m not feeling a POTG this week. I considered either Oweh or Van Noy, but after a demoralizing loss like that, it’s best to wait a week – or maybe more (hopefully not) to anoint the new POTG namesake.

Instead, we’ll remember Jacoby Jones, the touching tribute and Flowers TD celebration, both in his honor.

Zay Flowers with a nice tribute to Jacoby Jones on this celebration. pic.twitter.com/E3rPYYXlKW

— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) September 15, 2024

The Ravens put together an emotional tribute for Jacoby Jones, who passed away two months ago

RIP #12 pic.twitter.com/FVXspdDiD3

— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) September 15, 2024

The post Who’s Got it Better Than Us? appeared first on Russell Street Report.

Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2024/09/16/the-good-bad-ugly-and-the-megan-fox/ravens-lose-to-raiders/