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Snatching Victory From the Jaws of Defeat

Monday, October 7, 2024 14:01
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Lamar Jackson player of the game

Lamar Jackson: “Slippery as a Raindrop”

Fans watching the Ravens at Bengals game yesterday who have no connection to either team, were treated to a highly entertaining game. For fans with a vested rooting interest in either team, the game triggered damage to their central nervous systems.

In the end, this is the kind of game that the Ravens are too often on the opposite end of. THEY are usually the team that snatches defeat from the jaws of victory. This time is was Bengals head coach Zack Taylor, Joe Burrow and the Bengals who opted to star in this Nightmare at Paycor.

Following a catastrophic unforced error by Lamar Jackson who fumbled the shotgun snap as the play call ticked down to zero, the Bengals took over at the Ravens 38-yard line at the 6:38 mark of overtime, needing only a field goal to win. Following a first down run by Chase Brown that went for no gain, the Bengals called timeout. On second down, Brown ran it again, gaining 3 yards. Apparently comfortable with a 53-yard FGA, Taylor eventually sent out his kicker Evan McPherson who after a botched hold, missed the attempt badly.

Now let’s keep in mind that Burrow was chucking it all over the yard at will up to this point. Let’s keep in mind that Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins up to this point, had combined for 19 catches, 276 yards and 4 touchdowns. Let’s keep in mind that when facing a 3rd-and-7 at the 35, the Bengals were already comfortable with the 53-yard FGA.

Not taking a shot down through the air and settling for the field goal try, despite success through the air all afternoon, represents criminal behavior. The Bengals paid Burrow $275M to take control of moments like these. Instead, Taylor’s (and perhaps Burrows’) hind parts tightened up like a snare drum, breathing life into the Ravens rapidly fading hopes for a comeback win. Clearly, Taylor’s ingenuity was copped from Harbaugh’s Handbook of game management, which by the way, is not recommended reading.

As McPherson’s kicked sidewinded aimlessly to the west, it opened the door for a Ravens win and a share of the AFC North lead at (3-2).

Today, all is good in the world of #RavensFlock.

But it’s my job to highlight not only the good, but the bad, ugly and the rather obvious player of the game.

THE GOOD

Offense

Derrick Henry didn’t have a particularly good game for 65 minutes. But like an MLB stud who took the collar all afternoon, he stepped up to the plate in the clutch and knocked it out of the park, ripping off a 51-yard run. Game. Set. Match. In the end, Henry finished with 92 yards on 15 carries (6.1 YPC) and a score…Justice Hill touched the ball 6 times for 25 yards, including an 8-yard reception. But three of his touches produced first downs to help keep drives alive…the Ravens tight end posse of Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar combined for 10 catches, 132 yards and 3 TD’s. Kolar’s 55-yard grab of a teardrop from Lamar on a deep seam route in the third quarter was a thing of beauty…Zay Flowers made some really tough catches in traffic and collected 7 passes for 111 yards…Rashod Bateman made a great catch down the left sideline for an 18-yard gain in the second quarter to help set up a Bateman touchdown catch five plays later to stake the Ravens to a 14-7 lead…The Ravens were 10 of 15 on third down conversions and they had 520 net yards of offense, 345 by air and 175 by ground…Tylan Wallace had a couple of nice grabs for 31 yards and his block on The King’s run was the one that sprung Henry for the long gain. That can’t be understated…Todd Monken’s offense was 5 of 6 in the red zone, the only “failed” RZ attempt was when they opted to kick the walk-off field goal on first and goal from the 6 yard line.

Defense

Not a lot to get excited about regarding the Ravens defense but there were a few bright spots. Roquan Smith had a productive day with 15 tackles, several at or near the LOS. He was helped in part by Travis Jones, Nnamdi Madubuike and Michael Pierce who all had solid games in run support and when pushing the pocket. Roquan looked more like the player we’ve grown accustomed to over the past two seasons than the one who suited up for the first four games of 2024…Madubuike had a huge sack on the Bengals final possession of regulation. He also added a couple of QB pressures…On the Bengals first possession of the second half they faced a 2nd-and-3 from the 50-yard line. Broderick Washington stuffed Brown for a 3-yard loss to make it 3rd-and-6.

Kyle Hamilton was all over the field early in the game. He had a sack, tackle-for-loss and a PD to help stymie a Bengals drive…Ar’Darius Washington had a couple of outstanding open field tackles to drop receivers for minimal gains… Brandon Stephens had a terrific PD after being beaten by Higgins deep down the left sideline. That said, the talented corner STILL doesn’t turn for the ball and that deficiency in his game will continue to invite back-shoulder throws his way…Marlon Humphrey played a bit loose too often in coverage, but he made a huge play when the Ravens needed one. With the Bengals leading 38-35, with the ball at the Ravens 33 with 3:05 left in the game and facing a 2nd-and-15, Burrow looked for his best playmaker, Chase. Only this time, Humphrey played Chase perfectly, shielding the receiver from the ball and corralling it to give the Ravens the ball and a chance to win the game.

Special Teams

Justin Tucker connected from 56 yards out to tie the game at 38 with 1:40 left in the game. Tough kick into crosswinds with the game on the line. Absolutely clutch!…Jordan Stout hit some big punts when the Ravens needed them, flipping the field position in their favor. He averaged 56 yards on three punts with a net of 45.5 yards.

THE BAD

Offense

Lamar’s accuracy in the first half reminded me of Nuke LaLoosh from the Durham Bulls. It caused him to miss some opportunities in the passing game…The Ravens faced a 2nd-and-4 at the Bengals 47 with 4:27 left in the first quarter, leading 7-0. Monken opted to empty the backfield! Second-and-4 is an ideal opportunity to open the playbook and keep the defense guessing. Emptying the backfield undermines that advantage. The result was a sack and a loss of three. One play later Stout was sent on to the field to punt.

Defense

Odafe Oweh was rather quiet, save for his two penalties to help the Bengals cause. One was a neutral zone infraction in the first quarter; the second a hands-to-the-face penalty in the second half…Stephens was beaten regularly by Burrow. It’s never a good sign when a corner is tied for the most solo tackles on the day (8).

THE UGLY

Offense

Facing a first-and-10 from their own 2-yard line, Derrick Henry was dropped in the end zone for a safety thanks to some severe miscommunication on the right side of the Ravens offensive line (sound familiar). The game’s momentum shifted drastically at this point and the Ravens never seemed to get it together again until the fourth quarter…Down 31-21 facing a 1st-and-10 at the Bengals 47, Daniel Faalele was guilty of holding to make it first-and-20. If not for the heroics of Lamar, that holding penalty could have sealed the Ravens fate.

Defense

The Ravens’ secondary was pathetic. Marcus Williams has been awful the entire season. He’s supposed to be 100% healthy yet he looks clueless. He played from the Ohio/Kentucky border and still was unable to provide over-the-top support on a pass from Burrow to the great Andrei Iosivas who hauled in a 39-yard pass at the 11:21 mark of the 3rd quarter on a 3rd-and-10 pass that soared through the sky like a Ray Guy punt. Earlier in the game Williams was torched by Ja’Marr Chase for a 41-yard TD with 15 seconds left in the first half. Chase ran a deep post as Williams looked like Jose Canseco tracking a fly ball. On Chase’s second touchdown, a complete comedy of defensive errors, Williams wasn’t exactly a willing tackler. He looked like he mistakenly entered the valley of the leppers and Chase was one.

The Bengals started the game 1 for 5 on third down attempts. They finished 8 for 14. In other words, before conceding on their final possession for a FGA, they went 7 for 8, one of which was a 3rd and 14 conversion on the Bengals first series in the second half…The Ravens defense also chipped in with these philanthropic results:

• Yielding 6.8 yards per play
• 442 net yards of offense allowed
• 371 net passing yards
• Burrow’s passer rating was 137.0
• Bengals were 3 for 3 in the red zone

Special Teams

Last time I checked, John Harbaugh’s coaching acumen lies in special teams and for the most part, his teams are generally among the NFL’s leaders. Well, that hasn’t exactly been the case in 2024 and on Sunday, it got even worse. Other teams will attempt, with success, to force the Ravens to return kickoffs. Chris Collier had two returns TOTALING 21 yards. On one return, he looked like Gunnar Henderson charging a ground ball that he booted out of bounds at the 8-yard line. The Ravens prefer to just let Justin Tucker kick it into the end zone for an opponent’s offensive start at the 30-yard line. They have absolutely no idea how to take advantage of the new kickoff rules. Did I say that special teams is Harbaugh’s “specialty”?

Leading 14-7 at the 6:03 mark of the second quarter, the Ravens forced a Bengals punt which landed around the 20-yard line and bounced down to the Ravens 2. Tylan Wallace HAS TO come up and make that catch. One play later, following the safety, it was 14-9 Ravens and the Bengals with the ball. In Wallace’s defense, he was filling in for the injured Deonte Harty as the punt returner. But c’mon man, this is basic shit!

COACHING

Todd Monken

The Bengals invested their resources into stopping Derrick Henry, probably believing that Lamar couldn’t beat them with his arm. And until the last play of the game from scrimmage, the Bengals did exactly that. Eventually, Monken adjusted, using 12 personnel to spread the field and open up the passing game. Combining shotgun with snaps from under center, Monken unleashed a variety of looks and calls that involved the entire offense. Nine different receivers caught passes from Lamar. The throws varied from short to intermediate to deep shots and it kept the Bengals’ defense on its heels. The way the game unfolded probably isn’t the one Monken planned for but his in-game adjustments were on-point. Todd pressed most of the right buttons. And as tempting as it may have been to let Lamar chuck it all over the place during the game’s final possession, Monken instead went to a play that has worked extremely well this season – the quick pitch left to Henry.

Zach Orr

During the previous five games against the Bengals, the Ravens have contained the highly explosive Cincinnati offense. They’ve done so with a combination of varied looks, post-snap adjustments and back-end zone coverage to force Burrow & Co. to opt for short to intermediate throws. They also accomplished this with Mike Macdonald as their play caller.

Enter Zach Orr.

Orr chose to take the Wink Martindale approach to pressure Burrow and just like the Bengals QB had done in 2021 with Martindale’s aggressive approach, he shredded the Ravens secondary. There’s just too much talent on the defensive side of the ball for Orr’s unit to have a performance like yesterday. The Bengals made it look easy thanks to a scheme that played right into the Bengals strengths.

It’s back to the Etch-A-Sketch for Orr but at this point, I can’t help but think that he’s just not ready to be a defensive play caller.

Zach Orr playbook

John Harbaugh

Harbaugh should skip his presser today and go straight to the MegaMillions Lottery machine and by a single ticket. If his luck yesterday is any indication, he’ll be holding the winning ticket. He was a mess – again! Time and time again, Lamar saves his ass!

Up 7-0 in the first quarter, Bengals TE Mike Gesicki hauled in a pass at the Ravens 25-yard line that was ruled a catch on the field. The replay seemed to indicate that Gesicki might not have had complete possession when his first foot touched down. An incomplete ruling would have forced the Bengals into a 3rd-and-10. Harbaugh opted not to challenge the call. He’s challenged many calls in the past that had no chance. This one did.

Then, late in the second quarter, a calamity of Coach Harbs errors came rushing in.

Facing a 3rd-and-5 from their own 19, leading 14-9, the play clock had enough time on it to run it down to the two-minute warning. Instead, the Ravens ran the play – a 4-yard carry by Lamar moving the game clock to 1:54 and a stoppage for the 2-minute warning. Knowing that a delay of game would be saved by the 2-minute warning, why not go to the LOS and try to draw off the defense, a penalty that would earn the Ravens a first down? But they didn’t and it was then fourth down.

Surely the Ravens would punt, right?

Wrong!

Instead, they brought out Charlie Kolar to take a direct snap and advance the ball 2 yards for the first down. Bullet dodged. Who besides Brandon Staley, the Chargers former head coach fired in 2023, would take such a chance that early in the game? Well, apparently Coach “Who’s Got it Better Than Us?”.

After two plays that produced zero yards, you might think that the Ravens would concede and try to go into halftime with a 5-point lead. So after the Hill run for 0 yards, they would either let the clock run or force the Bengals to use a timeout. Instead, the Ravens used one at the 49 second mark of Q2. You can’t even make this stuff up.

So instead of coming out of the timeout with a play that could keep the clock moving, the Ravens fire a low percentage deep pass down the field before bringing out Stout to punt. Stout his a 67-yard bomb, to no avail. Twenty-five seconds and 79 yards later, it was 17-14 Bengals.

The Ravens won the game despite the menacing presence of Harbaugh whose coaching arrogance is off the chart.

Can someone please lure Jerry Rosberg out of retirement to help his friend?

Paige Spiranac

THE PAIGE SPIRANAC AWARD

Lamar Jackson is one of those gifted, ultra-competitive players who never seems completely satisfied with his effort. Instead of the Superman-like plays that separate him from practically any player on the planet, he focuses on the plays he didn’t make, particularly the fumble in overtime.

But overtime doesn’t happen without Lamar carrying the Ravens on his back. Maybe he wasn’t faster than a speeding bullet; more powerful than a locomotive; or able to leap buildings in a single bound, but Lamar was, as PBP announcer Kevin Harlan described, “as slippery as a raindrop!”

Lamar finished the day with 348 yards in the air to go with a passer rating of 119.9. He also added 55 yards on the ground, another 400-yard performance. His play fakes were excellent and at one stretch during the second half he was 8 for 8 for 130 yards and 2 scores. And that strike downfield to Kolar was a thing of beauty.

Simply put, despite a defense that nearly had to make a call to FEMA, Lamar willed his team to victory.

And perhaps the best news of all – he’s still not happy.

But this miraculous play made Ravens fans worldwide quite happy and left the Bengals and their fans broken-hearted.

ODDS & ENDS

Every game there are obvious calls that aren’t made. Every. Single. Game. Officiating incompetence across the board. Here’s another example.

Yannick Ngakoue is back. Maybe in this Ravens defense under the tutelage of Chuck Smith, he can be a productive situational player. His get-off here is quite impressive.

This burgeoning camaraderie between Lamar and Henry has to put a smile on the face of every Ravens fan.

As Bill Belichick might say, we’re now on to Washington. The Ravens open as 6 ½ point favorites at home. If you’re going to the game, expect a decent influx of burgundy and gold. The DC faithful finally have something to cheer about in their (4-1) Commanders.

[Related article: Ravens Stock Report]

The post Snatching Victory From the Jaws of Defeat appeared first on Russell Street Report.


Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2024/10/07/gbu-paige-spiranac/lamar-as-slippery-as-a-raindrop/


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