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THE GOOD, BAD & UGLY: He’s Got Balls!

Tuesday, November 26, 2024 14:54
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Ravens beat Chargers 30-23

Ravens Bully Chargers 30-23

Last week I wrote about the perils of recency bias in the NFL. It really is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league. Well, at least that’s how the national media sees it. This Monday morning, you were led to believe that Saquon Barkley would eventually be the MVP for the 2024 season. A day later, the talk has shifted back to Lamar Jackson as the award’s recipient. I can’t speak for Barkley, but Lamar has made it quite clear. He doesn’t give a rat’s ass about the MVP unless you’re talking, Super Bowl MVP.

Recency bias be damned, we should all be pleased to hear that Lamar has his eyes on a bigger prize. And earning the opportunity to compete for that prize is a process. We’ve all heard it said that the NFL season is a marathon, and it is. The lengthy journey consists of unexpected twists, surprises and a healthy dose of adversity. How a team navigates that journey determines if their ticket to the postseason dance card is punched. Then, the record is wiped clean, and a new journey begins – a game of sudden death.

The Ravens have played a few games when they’ve looked unbeatable. They’ve played a couple that had you wondering if they might self-implode. It’s during those trying times when a team requires leadership both on the sidelines and between them. Leadership that demands an introspective look individually and collectively. What can each player do to correct their mistakes and benefit the team?

As the Ravens headed out west to take on the Chargers, they were faced with challenges. They just lost to their archrival at Pittsburgh in an unsavory way. They were taking on a hot Chargers team 3,000 miles from home on a national stage that consists of 16 former members of the Ravens organization hellbent on sending a message to their former employer. And they were forced to do it without the leader of their defense, Roquan Smith.

A loss would put the Ravens at (7-5) and with a tough game against the red-hot Eagles coming up on a short week, the foundation of playoff aspirations could experience cracks. Solidarity might unwind and shortly after, the season too.

But there was no ducking the daunting tasks at hand, and when the Ravens fell behind 10-0 after the first quarter while “racking up” just 20 yards of offense, the cracks were waiting to manifest themselves. Enter leadership.

The Ravens’ will was tested, and they responded. Beginning with their first possession of the second quarter, five consecutive possessions resulted in: touchdown; touchdown; field goal; touchdown; touchdown. Following a 30-6 run against the league’s stingiest defense that coming into the contest allowed just 14.6 points per game, the Ravens took a 30-16 lead which they held until there were just 46 seconds remaining.

The effort wasn’t without flaws but during the game the offense got things going again against a formidable opponent while the defense, a bit nicked up, put together its second consecutive quality effort after being highly criticized as the team’s weakest link for weeks.

Just another leg in the marathon – another hairpin turn in their journey.

THE GOOD

Offense

Lamar Jackson wasn’t his best. Once again, he left yards on the field as a runner, looking to make bigger plays downfield but even when this spectacular player isn’t at his best, he can still post a passer rating of 126.5, throw for 2 scores and run for another while guiding his team to 389 yards of net offense on 6.8 yards per play. The win improves Lamar’s primetime record to 20-5, the best winning percentage under the bright lights of any quarterback since the league merger in 1970 (per @ESPNStatInfo)…Justice Hill is such an invaluable player. He can do a little of everything. Catch it, run it, block it up, Justice really is OC Todd Monken’s Swiss Army knife. Watch his block on the blitz pickup during Mark Andrews TD catch below.

Zay Flowers is quite a sparkplug! He was somewhat limited last night, but when the ball is in his hands, good things follow. Zay had two big catches to ignite drives. The 25-yard catch down the right sideline when he knew exactly where to go when Lamar broke containment and of course the 22-yard catch and run to put icing on the cake of John Harbaugh’s insane but successful decision to go for it on 4th-and-1 at the 16-yard line…Rashod Bateman is really coming along. He’s rewarding the organizational faith in him and that of Lamar. If that connection really starts to gain some dependable traction, watch out!

Mark Andrews collected a couple of key passes for first downs along with the TD catch that put the Ravens up by 7, 23-16. Andrews was also the quarterback during the sneak that converted the risky 4th down attempt at the 16-yard line.

“I told Mark, I said, ‘I’m going to push the s— out of you, so, they’ll be ready to get this work. He said, ‘I felt you.’ I said, ‘You’re damn right.’ I had to give him a shove for us to get [the 4th down conversion].” ~ Derrick Henry

Isaiah Likely didn’t post any notable stats, but he was instrumental as a blocker, and he collected the Chargers onsides kick attempt flawlessly. Time to sleep Chargers…The Ravens offensive line was solid most of the night with a few exceptions. The ailing Tyler Linderbaum allowed some penetration from LAC’s interior defenders and Patrick Mekari kept his string alive of consecutive games with a holding penalty but overall, it was a solid workmanlike effort from the group. Despite the Chargers selling out to stop the run in certain down-and-distance situations, the Ravens still converted time and time again. And let’s not forget that the Chargers’ murders row of pass rushers including Khalil Mack, Joey Bosa, Tuli Tuipulotu and Bud Dupree combined for ZERO sacks.

Defense

Malik Harrison was the best player on the field for the Ravens defense. (Not a misprint) Coming into the game Harrison was likely the target for Greg Roman’s offense. Why not? He hasn’t played all that well in limited snaps this season and his change of direction skills are severely limited. But Malik played like a possessed player last night and there are a few Chargers’ offensive players who are spending extra time in the cold tub today thanks to No. 40. He offset questionable footspeed with instincts and preparation. A performance like that only makes Malik more valuable moving forward…Chris Board was a nice interchangeable piece to complement Harrison’s limitations in coverage. Board showed solid tackling technique, and even when passes were completed in his vicinity, Board minimized the damage for limited gains and very little YAC…Kyle Van Noy had a solid game with a tackle for loss, a QB hit and a big sack for a loss of 8 yards.

Marlon Humphrey was flagged 3 times for DPI (two of which were quite ticky-tacky), two of which were accepted. That said, he was tight in coverage and effective as a blitzer…Kyle Hamilton was his usual effective self, influencing Justin Herbert to go in a different direction a couple of times. He forced Herbert to hold the ball a bit longer enabling teammates to make plays or force Herbert to hurry a throw here and there…Besides targeting Harrison, the Chargers also had Nate Wiggins in their crosshairs, and he responded well with 2 PD’s (both ending drives).

Special Teams

Jordan Stout averaged 54.3 yards per punt with a net of 48 yards. He also did a nice job to snatch and spot and errant snap during one of the PATs…Justin Tucker ripped his only FGA from 45 yards out, a step in the right direction.

THE BAD

Offense

The penalties are still out of hand. The weekly holding penalty on Mekari and then another on Tyler Linderbaum, although I’ll give a slight pass on the latter because the All Pro center was fighting through a back issue which can inspire a little clinginess from O-linemen…Pat Ricard’s leg whip penalty showed overt sensitivity from the officiating crew and took a 1st-and-10 at the Chargers 43 and converted it into a 1st-and-25 at the Ravens 25. That’s a 32-yard swing.

“I take full responsibility for the first drive. The penalty I had kind of just stopped the drive. That’s what’s been killing us, the penalties.” ~ Pat Ricard

Defense

Trenton Simpson was as stealth as Patrick Swayze in Ghost. Maybe he’ll show up on the All-22, but I doubt it. Simpson has flashed at times, but his experience and consistency run as parallel as two over-served patrons at the corner bar during their walk home…Ar’Darius Washington was off his game in this one. Usually with a nose for the ball, Ar’Darius instead had a nose for receivers’ hind parts as he was trailing in coverage regularly…Tre’Davious White is better suited for zone coverage. He looked slow last night and if not for the early Christmas presents from Quentin Johnston who seemed to be losing to himself in a game of hot potato, the outcome of this game may have changed. Johnston was wide open facing man coverage from White on a short left to right crosser as the Chargers faced a third-and-six from their own 34 with 10:56 left in the 4th and the Chargers trailing 23-16. There was plenty of open space down the right sideline. #GameChanger

Special Teams

The punt and kick coverage teams need a boost. There’s simply no reason for the Ravens to do anything but drive kickoffs into the end zone. Their inability to contain opponents inside the 30 makes this a regular failed risk.

THE UGLY

Offense

The Ravens first 10 plays from scrimmage netted 5 yards. FIVE. YARDS.

Defense

On the Chargers first possession, they were the hot knife and Zach Orr’s defense was the melted butter. Nine plays, 70 yards, 5:15, 7-0.

Overall

The Ravens were penalized 9 times for 102 yards. I’d imagine they’ll hold onto the league lead – or should I say the league’s worst in the yellow laundry department. They must stop beating themselves so much.

NOTABLE STATS

• The Chargers allowed 212 rushing yards. It was the first time a Jim Harbaugh coached NFL team allowed 200+ rush yards
• Chargers had four drops, most all season
• Jim Harbaugh is 0-3 against John (0-4 including the preseason)

Ravens at Chargers 2024

COACHING

John Harbaugh

If you’ve followed this column, you know that I’ve been hard on John this season. And last night, I thought his cheese slid completely off his cracker when he went for it from the Ravens 16 on 4th-and-1. But it worked, and now he looks like a genius. And in retrospect, if Harbaugh had done the sane thing and punted, the Chargers probably take over around their own 40 up 10-7 with 1:50 left to play in the first half. And who knows what happens during the ensuing drive and the game for that matter.

But John believed that his team could move the ball 6 inches or whatever it was. And he was right. Put the cheese back on the cracker, please.

“The downside is you give them the ball at the 16-yard line –that’s the downside – but the upside, or the thought, is I really thought we could get it. I thought Mark [Andrews] could get it with the quarterback sneak, and I just thought he and Tyler [Linderbaum] and our interior offensive line – Pat Mekari just coming off the ball way he did, and Daniel Faalele coming off the ball the way they did – I just thought we could get it, and they did, so hats off to them. It led to a 93-yard drive and got us seven points; that was a big turning point in the game.” ~ John Harbaugh

The 12-year anniversary of the 4th-and-29 conversion against the Chargers was yesterday. That conversion made a huge difference in the outcome of that 2012 game and the argument could be made that without that miraculous conversion thanks to Ray Rice with an assist from Anquan Boldin, the Ravens don’t even make it to Super Bowl 47.

Perhaps one day, we’ll look back on this ballsy call from John Harbaugh and view that play similarly.

John Harbaugh v. Chargers

I did however question Harbs’ logic with the 2-point conversion attempt when up by 7, PAT pending. I get that a successful conversion makes it a two-possession game but why give the opponent an opportunity to win the game with a TD and their own 2-point conversion if the Ravens conversion attempt fails? And it did.

Todd Monken

I wasn’t real keen on the lack of imagination in the passing game, but I give Monken mad props for sticking with the run despite being down 10-0 after the first quarter. From the second quarter on, the Ravens played bully ball and ran the ball down the Chargers throats.

Zach Orr

The soft white underbelly of the Ravens defense is the middle of the field on the second and third levels. With Roquan Smith out, you had to wonder if that underbelly would be gutted like a fish by G-Ro. And on the first Chargers drive, they were. But give Orr credit for making the proper adjustments and expertly utilizing Harrison and Board in an extremely complementary way. I also like the way he sensed that Herbert might get rattled under pressure and dialed up some exotic blitzes.

Maybe Zach is a late bloomer.

Or was Marcus Williams that bad?

The Paige Spiranac Award: Ravens at Chargers

THE PAIGE SPIRANAC AWARD

While watching Derrick Henry physically mauling defenders in LA, I couldn’t help but to think back to the days when he had done similar things to the Ravens. Who could ever forget the way he dribbled Earl “Car Wash” Thomas down the field on his way to a chunk run during the Divisional Round of the 2019 playoffs?

Henry changed the game. His effectiveness in the face of vast attention directed his way, inspired Todd Monken to keep feeding the rock to The King. Henry finished with an impressive 140 yards on 24 carries (5.8 YPC) which also served to improve the effectiveness of the team’s pass protection via play action.

This is the Ravens offensive identity, and it provides the added benefit of boosting the effectiveness of the defense, in part, by controlling the clock.

“That’s the thing, man. I don’t think it’s hard to play against that guy, and hopefully we see this team again. That’s all.” ~ Khalil Mack on playing against Derrick Henry

OFFICIATING

What a joke! Over-officiated and inconsistent to boot.

The way the officials allowed the secondary to play in Pittsburgh for both the Ravens and Steelers was a far cry from the ticky-tacky way Carl Cheffers crew officiated last night’s game. Plus, they were inconsistent. The call to non-call on Brandon Stephens for DPI at the 3-yard line was a gift that we must assume was granted because someone managing the eye in the sky from New York said that the pass wasn’t catchable. But Cheffers’ crew never communicated that. Otherwise, Stephens’ coverage foul was far more egregious than the calls against Marlon Humphrey.

And then there was this call initially ruled incomplete by the back judge. SMH!

Random Thoughts

* “We just have to keep our foot on the gas. We can’t come up for air. We have to stay down and just stay locked in.” ~ Lamar Jackson

Staying locked in is definitely advisable particularly with the bye week looming. Do the Ravens look ahead to their little break with too much enthusiasm? Since John Harbaugh’s arrival in 2008, the Ravens are (9-7, .563) before the bye and (13-3, .813) after the bye.

* The Ravens are now 4-1 (including 4 straight wins) when trailing by 10 points or more during any point in the game. The rest of the NFL. They are a cool 18-130 (.122).

* I didn’t know that actress Julie Bowen is a Ravens fan. I also didn’t know that she grew up in the Ruxton-Riderwood area of Baltimore County. And now she has a new friend.

* And to close out today’s GBU, here’s another look at the Rashod Bateman TD catch.

Happy Thanksgiving to all and thank you for your support throughout the year!

The post THE GOOD, BAD & UGLY: He’s Got Balls! appeared first on Russell Street Report.


Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2024/11/26/gbu-paige-spiranac/chargers-fall-to-ravens/


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