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GOOD, BAD & UGLY: It’s Over!

Monday, December 22, 2025 14:33
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Patriots Author Another Ravens 4th Quarter Meltdown

It’s over! The Ravens just finished Week 16 in the NFL and for them the 2025 season is undeniably over. Spare me the mathematical formulas that illustrate how the Ravens remain alive in the race for the AFC North. It’s over. Enjoy your Christmas. Keep the receipts if you are gifting any Ravens swag. It has been a slow, miserable death but do yourself a favor and accept that it’s over, thanks to the Patriots.

In any big game on John Harbaugh’s watch, this “collective”, to borrow from Mike Tomlin, just flat out chokes. In 2019 the beneficiaries of the Ravens choke job were the Titans. In 2020 it was the Bills; 2022, the Bengals; 2023, the Chiefs; 2024, the Bills. And now in 2025 it has been a shit show from the jump, and the beneficiaries have been the visitors at M&T Bank Stadium where the Ravens have gone (3-6) in this season. What a way to celebrate the franchise’s 30th Anniversary with the franchise’s worst home record ever. What a party it has been!

We’ve heard rumblings about how devastated the team was following the opening day loss in Buffalo when they collapsed in the 4th quarter – a meltdown that defines the Ravens. It has become their shameful identity. And in a way, it’s a testament to their intestinal fortitude. They collapsed after Week 1?

When games matter the most, the Ravens regularly make critical mistakes in key situations; the coaching staff suffers from vapor lock and make unexplainable tactical errors; star players fall flat on their faces; and the team’s ultimate star, Lamar Jackson, just goes into bizarro world and does things that defy reason, bely his talents and in the worst of times, at least on some level, makes you question his commitment to the team.

With the season on the line, the Ravens star quarterback can’t dress in the second half due to a back bruise and/or rib injury? How many times have we seen other QBs tough it out and do their best to carry a team that needs him? Jackson wants to be considered among the game’s greats yet there have been others who battled through significant injuries to lift their teams to victory. Off the top of my head, Patrick Mahomes, Joe Montana, Peyton Manning, John Elway, Bert Jones and even Aaron Rodgers come to mind.

In previous GBU’s, I’ve opined that the Ravens lack an identity. I was wrong. Their identity is that of a team that can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. And this has been going on for a while. The players come and go but Harbaugh and his cronies remain. Games like Sunday night’s and many before are the canvas upon which they paint their legacy. They even did their best to blow Super Bowl 47 and if not for the redundant fades to the right corner of the end zone to Michael Crabtree courtesy of brother Khaki Jim, that second Lombardi never returns to Baltimore.

Harbaugh’s teams have:

  • Blown double-digit leads NINE TIMES since 2022, the most in the NFL
  • Blown leads of 7+ points TWELVE TIMES since 2021 – also an NFL “best”.

“Yes, it’s been a theme for the past couple years, honestly. It’s frustrating at this point to keep having the same conversations with you guys, and I’m sure it’s frustrating on your end to keep asking these questions. It’s redundant, and [there are] no excuses at this point. You said we had six losses at home. Is that right? Yes, that’s terrible. Our fans, whoever’s supporting us coming out to these games – it’s not like the attendance has dropped off at all – there’s people still out at these games on a Sunday night. It’s cold outside, the stadium’s packed out, people have work tomorrow, and we’re not making it worth their while at the end of the day. So, that’s on us to right that wrong. But, yes, we still have a chance to get in the dance. So, we have to assess the opportunities we have going forward and do what we can to get in said dance.”

Kyle Hamilton On if he feels like this game was a microcosm of the team’s struggles with turnovers and defensive stops late in the game

WOW!

Yes, it has been a theme for the past couple years. And it’s frustrating at this point to keep having the same conversations with you guys.

I wonder how Steve Bisciotti feels. He’s been watching this shit-show for over a decade. His team has cobbled together rosters that should win but they don’t. When is enough, enough? How can they roll out this same tired product next season with the same cast of characters and expect things to be different? How can Bisciotti sit on the sidelines and watch this franchise circle the drain?

I’ve defended Steve. But doing nothing would prove that his desired levels of organizational continuity have more like fat cat complacency. And I really struggle to believe that’s true, but the signs are all around us.

What will Bisciotti do if anything? Is being an NFL owner so lucrative now with TV money pouring in more than ever before and the league’s marriage with Vegas so insanely compatible that he doesn’t need to lift a finger? In my heart of hearts, I don’t believe Steve is wired that way but lately, his actions are far more voluminous than my opinion.

The same mistakes made by the same people. Lamar goes from MVP to MIA. Zay Flowers and Derrick Henry fumble during critical moments. Mark Andrews, looks washed yet the Ravens decide to give him a new three-year, $39.3 million contract extension for Christmas, including about $26 million guaranteed for his dedication to the team and his work ethic when a company watch for years of service would have been more appropriate and lighter on the salary cap.

But back to Harbaugh…

Following the game in the locker room, Marlon Humphrey was asked about John’s message to the team these last few games. His reply was at the very least, interesting:

“To be honest, I have no idea what just got said. I’m still processing everything, so I can’t really answer that.”

Terms like, “John has lost the team” or “Harbaugh’s message isn’t being heard” pop up often when a team looks confused and out of sorts. But then there are other times when many players look to be playing with passion and intensity. So, the signals are mixed until I hear words like Humphrey’s.

Maybe those playing hard are just built that way. Maybe a few are playing for their next contract. It’s still possible for players to ball out but not necessarily because their head coach has suddenly become the Ravens answer to Tony D’Amato.

The antithesis of Harbaugh stood on the opposite sideline in the form of Mike Vrabel, a 3-time Super Bowl winner, a 2007 All Pro linebacker who also coupled as a red zone target for Tom Brady with 10 career catches and 10 TDs. He was schooled in the NFL’s answer to Harvard University – the New England Patriots, under Bill Belichick and beside Brady.

He’s feisty, charismatic and given his resume, he commands a locker room. And his staff has made a miraculous difference in the career ascent of Drake Maye. His voice is loud and new, and he has mastered the finer nuances of the game as illustrated by the way he managed the game clock during the waning moments of the Ravens most recent fourth quarter debacle.

I skimmed through the transcript of the Patriots postgame presser and found this comment from linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson about New England’s preparation for the Ravens on Sunday night.

On his punch out in the fourth quarter: “Yeah, we were working on it all week. Something we emphasized heavily was getting the ball out. We know they had a couple of speed skaters on their side, but the ball getting loose from the side of their body. So, obviously, that’s time for us to make a play.”

On what he meant by “speed skaters”: “The ball just gets very loose from their body, so if you ever watch a speed skater and how they move and their body, it’s how a couple of their ball carriers move with the ball. So, we already knew going into the game that was going to be a possibility.”

That preparedness!

Do the Ravens game plan similarly by focusing in on an opponent’s weaknesses and exploiting them? The Patriots were thin across the defensive front, down a key linebacker and they were gashed on the ground by the Bills the week before. Yet they took Henry out of the game for the entire fourth quarter up by 11 points? A quarter during which the load they call The King REALLY wears down an opponent? Apparently, Harbaugh has forgotten some of the nightmarish final frames that his teams have experienced in the past when trying to defend Henry.

It’s time Steve. It’s time to put down your 7-iron, step up to the podium and make a change. Bring your 7-iron with you if it makes you feel better. And I don’t want to hear a, “Who are we going to hire?” response. Back in 2008, the Ravens hired Harbaugh after being rejected by Jason Garrett. Harbaugh wasn’t Bisciotti’s first choice. Garrett was and he wasn’t even a good choice. Yet it all worked out, and it has been a fine, albeit underachieving 18-year run. BUT. IT. IS. OVER.

Or at least it should be.

Let’s put the Harbaugh 4th quarter wicked witch from Oz meltdowns aside for a moment. Here’s a little perspective.

After the Bills skull-dragged the Steelers at home just 3 weeks ago 26-7, with Buffalo rushing for 249 yards and Pittsburgh posting just 166 yards of offense, chants of “Fire Tomlin” roared through Acrisure Stadium. Yet somehow, the Steelers dusted themselves off, fixed their defense without T.J. Watt, reinvigorated the offense with some challenge introspection and are now on the verge of capturing the AFC North title.

That’s leadership. That’s coaching. And no one is going to tell me that Tomlin’s roster is better than Harbaugh’s. Comparatively speaking, Tomlin can turn a Burger King hamburger into chateaubriand while Harbaugh salvages the equivalent of a happy meal from imported French-bred, milk-fed veal.

That season finale should be fun when the Freddie Mercury lookalike Mason Rudolph guides the Steelers to victory over the checked-out Ravens.

Mason Rudolph
Photo Credit courtesy of X

THE GOOD

Offense

The Ravens had a great opening drive going 65 yards on 5 plays in 2:39. Following Marlon Humphrey’s interception at the 5 yard line, the Ravens went another 64 yards on 9 plays in 4:47 until Henry lost his third fumble of the season…Other than the fumble which the Ravens got beyond, Henry had a great evening picking up 128 yards rushing on 18 totes (7.1 YPC) and 2 scores…

Before fumbling right on cue in a high-pressure situation, Zay Flowers had 7 catches for 84 yards and a nice 18-yard run for a score behind some well-choreographed blocking…speaking of which, I’ve been beating on Daniel Faalele since training camp but let’s give credit where it’s due. He did a nice job springing Henry on the Q1 TD run.

Tyler Huntley held serve for the Ravens. He didn’t make any critical mistakes, and he guided his team to take a 24-13 early fourth quarter lead. He did his job well under intense scrutiny…DeAndre Hopkins showed last night that he’s been highly underutilized in 2025. Shocker! He did have a drop to stall a drive, but he made a really tough contested catch while toe-tapping the boundary.

Defense

Kyle Van Noy brought some heat along the edge forcing Maye to step up a few times but there was nothing in terms of interior pressure, so the efforts went for naught. He had a nice PD covering Hunter Henry on a go route along the numbers to the right…Alohi Gilman played inspired football, contributing 8 tackles and a PD…Kyle Hamilton was solid with 5 tackles, 1 TFL and a PD…Dre’Mont Jones was the most active pass rusher contributing a legit sack…Ar’Darius Washington who has a knack for making plays, also had a sack.

Washington’s role is limited (probably a free agent loss this offseason) given the draft status of Malaki Starks who for my money has been a disappointment most of the season. When defending the west end of the field, Starks can be found atop a barstool, maybe at the end of the bar, at Friends Grille in Pigtown…Nate Wiggins had a nice outing with 2 PDs and decent coverage throughout, particularly given the doctor’s office waiting room time Maye had in the pocket…Trenton Simpson had a nice game, looked explosive while contributing a sack and another TFL.

Special Teams

Nice job from the punt return team sniffing out Vrabel’s call for a fake punt.

THE BAD

Offense

Keaton Mitchell had 9 carries for 13 yards averaging 1.4 YPC more than me…I’m so glad that Eric DeCosta extended Rashod Bateman who has essentially ghosted the offense in 2025, contributing just 18 catches for 217 yards. He had the same number of catches on Sunday night as me.

Defense

Humphrey had a pick on the Patriots first possession but from that point forward he was just picked on. He was credited with a second PD which was nothing more than an early Christmas present. It should have been a DPI.

Special Teams

56-yard field goals are not easy but for someone touted to have a big leg with little wind resistance, Loops failed attempt may have hit the crossbar from 52 yards out…Jordan Stout had a 39-yard punt when the Ravens needed a better one. New England had a field goal drive that may not have been available to the Patriots had Stout kicked it deeper than the 25-yard line.

THE UGLY

Offense

Henry’s fumble was a momentum shifter…Flowers fumble was a game-ender.

Mark Andrews, another of the Ravens’ “stars” who fails to step up in crucial moments, was limited to 2 catches for 21 yards. And that lateral towards the end of the first half was a career-defining WTF moment. Since signing his new contract, Andrews has played in 3 games, has 5 catches for 51 yards, 2 drops and this highlight reel.

Defense

Drake Maye had never thrown for over 300 yards in his career. His offense was forced to pass, relegating them to one-dimensional status. Yet the Ravens gave him ample time to set and throw way too many times. Statistically the Ravens will show that they had 4 sacks. One was from Simpson who push Maye OOB just shy of the line of scrimmage. Another was registered as a sack when Devontez Walker made the stop behind the LOS on the failed fake punt.

COACHING

John Harbaugh

I’ve already said enough…well, almost. This response from Harbaugh about not using Derrick Henry in a spot that is ideally suited for him is mind-blowing. He’s the head coach but since he doesn’t possess play calling acumen, he must be a silent observer (or is he just throwing more shade Monken’s way) when the calls on the field go against (allegedly) his preferences. So, coach, should Henry have been on the field in the 4th quarter.

“Yes. I look back and I say, yes. The play call is the play call. If it works, we’re thrilled about it. If it doesn’t work, we’re not happy about it. We a first-down run the second part of that drive and got nothing. So, those get stopped, too, especially when they’re all up there on the line of scrimmage. We had an RPO call that ended up being – that could have been thrown, actually, and it was given. And they end up stopping that. I think we got three yards on that one. So, I don’t like the drive at all. Looking back, would I rather have had Derrick [Henry] starting the drive? Yes. But Derrick was kind of ready for Keaton [Mitchell] to start that drive. And then he was planning on coming in next. So, they were working that rotation. When you look back on it, I think it’s pretty easy to say, ‘Hey, he should have been in there or shouldn’t have been in there.’ But we’re rotating those guys throughout the game as two backs. But yes, [on a] game-winning drive, do I want Derrick Henry on the field? Sure, I do want him on the field.”

This response, to borrow from Tom Cruise in A Few Good Men, is galactically stupid! If I must explain why, get in line behind Harbaugh.

Todd Monken

Where do we begin? The sequencing; the down-and-distance choices; running a 170 pound back into the teeth of the defense on first down; the inability to get tight ends involved; dictating play calls with personnel packages. What’s the point of drilling down here. You’ve seen this movie more than A Christmas Story on Christmas Eve. Just chop the head of the offense off now…please. My biggest fear is that Monken will simply be a convenient fall guy while Harbaugh and Orr stay and then Coach Who’s Got it Better Than Us? (um, the Steelers) practices more cronyism and brings in another slappy who does next to nothing to undermine John’s job security (assuming he still has some).

“Do you think the Patriots have to send a thank you note to the Ravens for not putting Derrick Henry in the game for this drive?” ~ Cris Collinsworth

Zach Orr

Maye entered the game with a reputation of thriving against the blitz. So early on, Orr opted not to. But most quarterbacks thrive when they have 5 seconds to survey the field, hence 374 yards passing. Orr could never figure out whether to sit in coverage and rush four or to send more than four while failing to disguise coverages. He’s in over his head – a solid addition to any coaching staff but he’s just not ready to be a play caller and he never has been.

The Patriots had 187 yards from the 12:50 mark of the 4th quarter through the end of the game. Once again, the Ravens play-not-to-lose defense managed to do exactly that, lose – AGAIN!

FINAL THOUGHTS

  • I keep hearing that Ravens fans are spoiled. I don’t see it that way. How are fans “spoiled” when the team has just 4 playoff wins to their credit since Super Bowl 47? The truth is, fans are victims of lofty expectations from a talented roster that the coaching staff fails time and time again to effectively harness. Stop me if you’ve heard this before.
  • The Ravens were preseason Super Bowl favorites. I bought in. Did you? In hindsight, how could I have given the garbage pass rush, offensive line and a coaching staff that is regularly outclassed in big games.

Some good news…pitchers and catchers report in 51 days.

The post GOOD, BAD & UGLY: It’s Over! appeared first on Russell Street Report.


Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2025/12/22/gbu-paige-spiranac/patriots-win-28-24/


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