In Week 4, the Ravens suffered their worst loss this season, and that is saying something when you consider the other losses. There’s not much to be positive about. The only thing that stands out is Tyler Loop, and the garbage run by Justice Hill. Instead of The Good The Bad And The Ugly we have different levels of ugly.
Derrick Henry usage The Ravens forgot Derrick Henry, again. In the first half he had four rushing tries, with half coming on the very first drive. In the second half it looked like the team was going back to a run-based offense, but they took Henry out of the game on 3rd and 1 where they were stopped. Todd Monken’s offense, despite the success of running the ball, couldn’t keep the momentum going.
Play Calling:Neither Todd Monken, nor Zach Orr enjoyed their day. Monken abandoned running once again, as mentioned above. Derrick Henry was specifically acquired by the Ravens for big games and playoff-caliber matches, but they often forget to use him. It is not a good idea to fail to run Henry, and then run four play-actions passes. Lamar Jackson was also not set up to succeed against the Chiefs’ Blitz Packages, which hurt him both physically and conceptually.
Orr, on the other hand, can’t get his defense back on track. This year, there have been no changes made to the team’s strategy or game plan. This cannot be allowed to continue with so many injuries. Outside linebackers, edge rushers and middle linebackers are all playing middle linebacker in alarming numbers despite having five inside linebackers. Nothing Sunday made any sense.
Lamar Jackson Since Week 1, people have noticed Lamar Jackson isn’t running as much. He hasn’t been running as much since Week 1. He missed the majority of the second-half due to a hamstring problem. His right leg was wrapped by the trainer at the sidelines. He had one of the worst games he’s played in a long time before that. He had his first interception this season, and took three more sacks after seven against Detroit. Jackson’s injury doesn’t seem to be permanent, but it is expected that he will miss some games. Jackson will need to quickly return to MVP-caliber performance and elevate this team if they want to even make the playoffs or have a shot at the division.
Marlon Huffrey: Although the entire defense could be praised, Marlon Huffrey deserves special recognition. It is one of the most highly-paid players in this defense, and also one of its biggest leaders. He has been a major liability for the Ravens so far in this season. He has missed tackles and been burned in coverage multiple times, leading to huge gains. He gave it his all in Week 4 to chase down David Montgomery. It’s a problem that teams are attacking the two-time All-Pro defense back. He will not have the chance to bounce back for some time, as he was injured in Sunday’s match and is expected to miss a few more weeks.
Start with The record looks bad. Even worse is the way they got there. The Bills’ 4th quarter collapse and the Lions’ and Chiefs’ embarrassing performances were followed by a fourth-quarter collapse. Even though the Bengals are 2-1, the Steelers have a 3-1 record and have taken a strong hold on their division. The situation is bleak. Lamar Jackson’s condition is unknown. Both in terms of performance and injuries, the defense is in a state of disrepair that cannot be repaired. The offense has just put in its worst performance this year. It’s difficult to imagine this team achieving a second victory before the bye-week.
Injuries The Ravens had placed Nnamdi Madubuike, Broderick Washingon on the injured reserve before this game. Patrick Ricard was inactive because of an injury, as were Kyle Van Noy and Travis Jones. Before the end of the half, Ronnie Stanley and Marlon Hushprey were lost. Lamar Jackson and Nate Wiggins were then injured and never recovered. Six starters are now missing from a defense that was struggling to be average, while an offense, which has to win in shootouts, is without its franchise quarterback.
The entire defense has been discussed far too often at this point. This is what it is. It’s the worst football unit. The players say it every week, they know that something has to be done, but have no idea what to do. Orr’s injuries may be enough for the team to be reluctant to replace him with a new coordinator. More than half of the starters are injured, and it is not known when they will return.
John HarbaughIt could be time to abandon the ship. It should be up to the Ravens to win the AFC Championship to keep his job. Even the most ardent Harbaugh fans know that it is time to send a different message to the team. Kansas City outcoached both sides of the football, not just on one side. If a coordinator has a bad week, the blame is on him. If that coordinator fails for four consecutive weeks, you start looking at options to replace them. If one coordinator has failed four weeks in a line , and then the other coordinator is also struggling, you can skip the coordinators altogether and move straight to the top.
Harbaugh is not the first to be criticized. Fans have been yelling at Harbaugh for years because of his lackluster playoff record with a multiple-time MVP. The saving grace, however, was that they made it to the playoffs each year and looked like Super Bowl contenders in the regular season, giving them the chance at the elusive Lombardi. The Ravens’ organization is damaged by their inability to win with this team. If the head coach is truly responsible for the team’s failure, then something must change.