Ravens Shoot Off Foot...Again

Derrick Mason's drop of a pass in the endzone was one of 3 touchdowns the Ravens cost themselves in a loss against the Steelers.

The common theme in Ravens' losses against quality opponents has been the Ravens tendency to shoot themselves in the foot, costing themselves a win. This was no different last Sunday, as the Ravens choked their way to a 23-20 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Ravens had 3, count 'em, 3 touchdowns called back because of penalties or dropped passes. There was the Dominque Foxworth interception and touchdown, which was called back because of a Terrell Suggs block in the back on the return. There was Willis McGahee's TD, called back because of a Kelley Washington holding call, and then there was Derrick Mason's drop of a pass in the endzone in which he was wide open.

In total, the Ravens had 10 penalties for 103 yards and are still the NFL leaders in penalty yards, by far. And that, my friends, must be laid at the feet of head coach John Harbaugh. Harbaugh has gotten rid of players he couldn't get along with (Chris McAllister) and it's been widely known that players such as Willis McGahee and Todd Heap have been in Harbaugh's doghouse. So, if Harbaugh has the guys he wants on this team, then he must shoulder the blame for the Ravens chronic penalty problems.

Last year, the Ravens appeared to be a more disciplined team than the Brian Billick-lead teams, who seemed to do their own share of melting down (see the 2005 Lions game and the 2007 Patriots game). But now we appear to be back to a Ravens team dominated with players who play sloppy football and can't control their emotions. Like O'Niell Cousins, who hit Steelers linebacker Lamar Woodley long after the whistle blew, knocking the Ravens out of a potential game-tying field goal.

As for the impact this loss had on the Ravens playoff hopes, at the time of the loss, it was decimating. But, after the Broncos and Janguars both lost, and the Colts let the Jets win, the Ravens still control their own destiny as the #6 playoff team. So if they win in Oakland this weekend, they are still in the playoffs.

But will Harbaugh be able to reign this team in for a playoff run? That is the question.

Aside from the maddening mistakes, penalties and dropped passes that cost the Ravens this game, there were some standout performances. Joe Flacco hooked up with Todd Heap for 2 TD's and his 1 INT came on a tipped pass. Ray Rice had the first 100-yard rushing game against the Steelers in almost 2 seasons, rushing for 141 yards. And Derrick Mason hauled in 7 passes for 77 yards, the sure-fire TD pass he dropped the only blemish on an otherwise stellar day for the veteran wide receiver.

On defense, Dominque Foxworth had an excellent game, the abovementioned INT his biggest play of the day, and he was also in on several pass defenses. Chris Carr had a shaky start to the game, but stepped up as time went on. Frank Walker, as usual, was picked on all game, and failed to step up.

So, there you have it. Another excrutiating Ravens loss which came at the hands of themselves. But if they can beat the Raiders this weekend, they will still get into the playoffs and face either the Bengals or Patriots.

Remember, Oakland has beaten Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Denver this season, so assuming the Ravens go into Oakland and demolish the Raiders could make an ass out of you and me. But, the Harbaugh-lead Ravens teams have never lost to a team with a losing record.

It would just be nice if he could beat teams with a winning record a little more often.

Bear Hunters

Todd Heap caught 2 of Joe Flacco's 4 touchdowns.

The Ravens solidified their playoff hopes yesterday with a big win over the Chicago Bears, 31-7. It was a day where everything seemed to go the Ravens' way, from Joe Flacco's career best 4 touchdowns to the playoff hopeful Jaguars, Broncos, Dolphins and Jets all losing.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, however, won on the last play of their game, beating the Green Bay Packers. The Steelers, at 7-7, are still in the hunt for a playoff spot and with the Ravens traveling to Pittsburgh this weekend, things are shaping up for another epic game with the Ravens most hated rival.

As for the game yesterday, it was all Ravens all the time.

In a game that was delayed to 4:15 p.m. to give the stadium crew more time to remove snow from the premises (the MSA and MTA did an awesome job by the way), including a delayed flight from Chicago for the Bears, the Ravens forced 6 turnovers en route to their victory.

Right off the bat, the Ravens cashed in on an early Dominique Foxworth interception of Jay Cutler, as Flacco connected with Todd Heap for his first of 4 TD's on the afternoon. On the next drive, the Bears held the ball for almost 6 minutes and drove to the Ravens' 14 yard line before Jarret Johnson intercepted Cutler. Six plays and 81 yards later, Flacco hit Heap for his second TD, putting the Ravens up 14-0.

The next drive saw the Bears move the ball to the Ravens 4-yard line with first and goal, where they failed to score on a 4th down. At that point, it was clear that a win was in the cards for the Ravens.

The Ravens allowed the Bears to return a punt for a TD, and closed the lead to 14-7 at the half, but the Ravens responded immediately after halftime, as Flacco hit WR Demetrius Williams for his 3rd touchdown of the day (and Williams' first TD of the season).

On the kickoff, the Bears fumbled, and the Ravens recovered the ball and after 5 plays, Flacco hit Derrick Mason for Flacco's 4th TD of the game. After a Billy Cundiff 40-yard field goal put the Ravens up 31-7, both teams essentially packed it in during the 4th quarter.

On the ground, Ray Rice rushed for 87 yards. The receivers, Mason and Williams, each had big games, racking up 87 and 71 yards respectively. Williams, who was sitting behind Mark Clayton for most of the season has taken advantage of the opportunity he was given when Clayton was injured. In the Green Bay game a few weeks ago, he was the target of 2 deep passes in the endzone that drew pass interference penalties. Even though he didn't record a catch in that game, he was a threat on the deep ball. And yesterday, Williams got open consistently and his TD catch was in tight coverage, so tight, that the refs called pass interference on the Bears defender.

On defense, the Ravens allowed the Bears to move the ball during the first half, but they tightened the screws during halftime and the Bears only managed 62 yards of offense in the second half. They didn't allow a point, as the Bears' lone touchdown came on a special teams play.

If The Ravens win their next 2 games, they will make the playoffs as the #5 seed. But the road to the playoffs still goes through Pittsburgh, as we thought it would at the beginning of the season.

Funny how things change during the course of a season, and after the Steelers loss to the Browns a weel ago that knocked them down to 6-7, they looked to be dead in the water. But next week is sure to be another epic game between two division rivals, each with their season on the line.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Cowardly Lions

The Ravens set a franchise record for total yards (548) in their 48-3 win over the Lions.

The Ravens beat up on one of the worst teams in the NFL yesterday, like they should, winning 48-3. It was a record setting day for the Ravens franchise. They racked up the most ever yardage on offense (548), and tied their mark (48) for the most points scored.

If the Lions were a better opponent, even a mediocre team, the Ravens could rally around this game as they contend for the playoffs. But the Lions are 2-11 for a reason, and are very much the same team that went winless a year ago.

But, yesterday the Ravens went back to what worked in 2008, and that was the running game. They rushed for 308 yards and 5 rushing TD's. Ray Rice ran for 166 yards and a TD. He had runs of 52 and 59 yards. Willis McGahee also ran well in mop-up duty, rushing for 76 yards and 2 TD's, and Le'Ron McClain chipped in as well, scoring a TD on 32 yards.

Hopefully the Ravens will stay with the run as they move foward, and get away from Cam Cameron's cute throw-first offensive scheme that has gotten them in trouble in the past. The Ravens clearly have 3 capable running backs on their roster and should utilize that strength more against better teams.

On the passing side, Joe Flacco had a good game after his 3 INT debacle in Green Bay last Monday night, throwing for 230 yards and a 62-yard TD to Derrick Mason who shook off two tacklers converging on him at the same time for the score.

The defense played the way it's supposed to against a 2-11 team, allowing 229 yards of total offense and forcing 3 turnovers. They allowed some Detroit receivers to get open early in the game, which is cause for some concern, but once the game got out of hand the defense dropped back into pass-coverage from first down and took away any chance of the Lions cutting into the lead.

I won't get too excited about this win. I've seen the Ravens shoot themselves in the foot with bad turnovers and stupid penalties too many times to get excited about the Ravens going schoolyard bully on the Lions.

The 5-8 Bears might offer up more of a challenge next week, but with their playoff chances eliminated, I wouldn't be surprised to see them lay down either. Basically, the rest of the season hinges on beating the slumping Steelers in Pittsburgh. I don't want to look past the Bears, but if the Ravens consider themselves playoff contenders, they have to beat Chicago and go into Pittsburgh and handle a Steelers team that has lost 5 straight, including losses to the Chiefs, Raiders and Browns. The Steelers also face the red-hot Packers this week, so it could very well be 6-straight losses for the Steelers when the Ravens buses roll into the Steel City on December 27th.

So there you have it. The Ravens still need some help to make the playoffs, as the Jaguars are ahead of them for the 6th seed, but if the Ravens win out, I do believe they will get in.

Are they good enough to do it? Even though they shellacked the Lions yesterday, I am still not sure.

The uncertainty of the up and down 2009 Ravens season continues.

Slayed by Green Bay

The Ravens allowed 350 yards of offense to the Packers in the 27-14 loss.

The Ravens let another game get away from under them yesterday, but ironically, they never held the lead in the game. No, instead they just committed 12 penalties for 135 yards that helped the Packers on their way to a 27-14 win. Even more ironic, the Packers committed 11 penalties themselves, for a whopping 175 yards, but the Ravens still couldn't come away with the win despite the advantage.

A large part of that is thanks to Joe Flacco, who threw 3 interceptions in the game, 2 of which came in the red zone and killed scoring drives that would have either given the Ravens the lead when they were trailing 17-14, or pulled the Ravens within 3 points of the Packers when the Ravens were down 24-14.

Don't look now, but Flacco is a mediocre QB. After a lightning hot start to the season in which Flacco threw 8 touchdowns in the first 5 games, versus just 3 INT's, Flacco has now thrown 8 INT's in his last 7 games, including the 3 he threw last night. He now has 14 TD and 11 INT on the year.

His decision making has taken a step back as well, and last night saw him throw into triple coverage on one INT as well as throwing across his body on another. Maybe Flacco is suffering from the general lack of focus that the Ravens are suffering through right now, as they lead the NFL in penalties. Who knows. One thing is sure, and that is Flacco is costing the Ravens games more than he is winning them.

The Ravens gained only 185 yards of offense on their own, and couldn't get any thing going on offense all night. Ray Rice was held in check for 71 total yards from scrimmage.

On defense, the Ravens reverted back to their pre-bye vanilla defense. While they did force the Packers into 4 turnovers, they allowed 350 yards of offense, and got to the much-sacked Aaron Rodgers only once. Once! A QB who has been sacked 45 times this year. ONCE!!!

Going forward, the 6-6 Ravens are still in the hunt for the playoffs along with pretty much every team in the AFC minus the Browns and the Chiefs, but at this point, it's hard to even care anymore. The Ravens routinely find ways to beat themselves so excuse me while I go back to work instead of working out the scenarios.

The Ravens host the 2-10 Detroit Lions next week.

One for Two

After a trip to Prague, Vienna and Budapest, I'm back in the states.

On one hand, I'm happy to be back in the land of hot showers and free water at restaurants. On the other hand, I'm back at work. I'd much rather still be across the Atlantic, looking up how to say "thank you" in Hungarian, even if that means being 3,000 miles away from my Ravens.

But it didn't feel that long. During my week-long jaunt, I was able to catch the second half of the Ravens loss to the Colts at a bar called Jama Pub. It's owned by a Chicago native, and he's able to show a few games each week thanks to the American Forces Network. I am not sure if I should be thankful for that or not. The game was a classical Ravens choke job against a superior opponent that I wished I'd missed.

Flacco threw for 256 yards, but no TD's and his lone INT was costly.

In a game that many Ravens fans thought would be lost before the first quarter ended, the Ravens hung with the Colts for the entire game, despite not scoring a touchdown on the day. The defense held Peyton Manning in check for the most part, holding him to just 1 TD, and intercepting him twice. The Ravens forced the Colts into 3 turnovers on the day but still couldn't come away with the win.

After a Joseph Addai rushing TD put the Colts up 14-9 in the second quarter, the Ravens eventually took the lead at the start of the 4th quarter thanks to newly signed kicker Billy Cundiff's 5th FG of the day. The FG, however, came on a first and goal situation where the Ravens were unable to find the endzone. And after a Matt Stover FG (remember, he plays for the Colts now, sigh) put the Colts back up 17-15, the Ravens had an opportunity to win the game on their final drive.

Joe Flacco lead the team down to the Colts 14-yard line, and they were already in position to set up a potential game-winning field goal, but Flacco threw a pass over the middle which was intercepted by Colts linebacker Gary Brackett.

Game over.

It was another Ravens loss full of missed opportunities and self-inflicted wounds. Where to begin? Despite Cundiff hitting 5 FG's on the day, he missed one, which was the difference in the loss. Then there was the failed goal line stand that resulted in a FG. And then there is Flacco's costly INT, which was just another reminder that he hasn't been himself since the Minnesota game where he suffered a foot injury after being stepped on. And finally, there was coach John Harbaugh calling a timeout, then deciding to challenge a questionable call by the refs, which he lost, resulting in another used timeout.

So another season comes and goes without being able to beat the Colts.

The only bright spot of the game was Derrick Mason, who hauled in 9 passes for 142 yards.

The loss to the Colts set up a huge game at home against the Steelers the following week, after the Steelers lost to the Chiefs in a game where QB Ben Roethlisberger suffered a concussion. Safety Troy Polemalu was also still out, meaning that the Steelers would be severely undermanned coming into Baltimore. Third-string QB Dennis Dixon would be starting, and Ravens fans were frothing at the mouth for some payback against a Steeler team they had lost to 3 times the year before.

Rice rushed for 88 of the Ravens 132 rushing yards against the Steelers' #1 rush defense.

And despite being undermanned with the aforementioned injuries, the Steelers gave the Ravens all they had, before eventually losing in overtime.

It was a game the Ravens desperately needed. A loss would put them at 5-6 and essentially end their playoff hopes. But even with the win, the game showed why the Ravens are still in trouble going forward.

For one, penalties plague this team. They committed several boneheaded penalties last Sunday night, especially on Special Teams, which is Harbaugh's former specialty as a coordinator. You'd think he'd be able to reign that unit in, but they've regularly had good returns called back thanks to block in the back penalties.

Secondly, this team still has no pass rush. Dixon didn't throw very often, but when he did, he had all day. Whether it is Greg Mattison failing to design effective blitz schemes, refusing to blitz at all, or the players failing to execute, something has to be done to get more pressure on the QB.

Also, the Steelers ran the ball very effectively against the Ravens, totaling 152 yards on the ground. Thankfully, the Ravens were able to offset some of that with a solid rushing game of their own against the #1 ranked rush defense in the NFL. They gained 132 total rush yards.

And while the offense moved the ball up and down the field pretty well (393 total yards), they still failed to put the ball in the endzone consistently, which allowed the Steelers to hang around for most of the game, and eventually take the lead in the 4th quarter thanks to a Dennis Dixon 24-yard scramble for a TD.

Thankfully, the Ravens answered, eventually tying the game with 1:51 left in the 4th. They had an opportunity to win the game on a 51-yard field goal by Billy Cundiff, but after Flacco was sacked and fumbled with 25 seconds left, the Ravens had to hurry, which resulted in the ball dropping just feet in front of the goal post.

The Ravens held the Steelers in overtime, and a Paul Kruger (remember him?) interception of Dixon set up the Ravens game-winning Cundiff field goal. Dixon had played a good game up to that point, but you had to wonder when the Ravens would take advantage of his inexperience coming from his first career start in the NFL. And it was good to see Kruger, who had been inactive for most of the games this season and looking like a second-round bust, play a key part in the victory.

The win helped the Ravens as much as it hurt the Steelers, who have lost 3 in a row and are 2-3 in the division. They, like the Ravens, are 6-5.

Going forward, the Ravens still have two very tough games on the road remaining, next Monday night in Green Bay and December 27th in Pittsburgh. At 6-5, the Ravens could afford one more loss and still have a chance to make the playoffs at 10-6. But it'd be even better to run the table and basically guarantee a playoff berth at 11-5.

But the Ravens issues, and injuries, pretty much making running the table impossible.

The 2009 season was saved last Sunday night...but it still remains very much in jeopardy.