Baltimore Ravens Put On A Clinic In Winning Ugly Games

Sep 25, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) loses the ball after it was stripped by Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue (91) during the second quarter of a football game at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 25, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) loses the ball after it was stripped by Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue (91) during the second quarter of a football game at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /
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Now the Baltimore Ravens toppled the Jacksonville Jaguars, but they did it in the ugliest possible way:

The Baltimore Ravens had so many chance to put the Jaguars away. More than anything they had a chance to give their fans a break from a constant threat of heart failure. They had a 16-7 lead. The defense was for the most part a dominant. The offense was ineffective for most of the game. In the most unsettling way, Baltimore is 3-0. Are they the worst undefeated team? Maybe they’re not, but you have to understand that games like this fuel this conversation.

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The Ravens have a lot of good to talk about. The Ravens came into this game with the second best defense in the NFL. The defense did it’s job again. Blake Bortles is a guy who can light up any defense and he has the weapons he needs. Allen Robinson had two touchdowns. Basically, the Ravens just gave two scores to an elite wide receiver and a field goal. It feels like 17 points should never beat you.

The Ravens offense was so bad, there really isn’t an adjective for it. Where should I start? The offensive line was horrible. After impressing for two weeks, Ronnie Stanley looked like a struggling rookie. He got man handled at times and had a costly false start penalty. Marshall Yanda had another costly penalty and got beat off the line of scrimmage a few times. The entire line did a poor job. Flacco had no time and the running game was underwhelming.

Joe Flacco has to play better. The last interception was only partially his fault, his arm was hit when he threw. The problem is he saw easy passes to complete sail over his receivers’ heads. The Ravens offense was abysmal for most of the game. It seems like this team is getting away with playing below their potential. One side of the ball is shining. The other is making it frustrating. Now it is obvious. At the moment, the defense is making it harder than it has to be. When do the Ravens finally have to put together a great game to win?

Call a spade a spade, the Ravens offense have a scoring problem. They scored 25 last week. They scored 13 in week one. Today it was 19. It’s been just enough. Nothing more, nothing less. It’s only been enough because the defense has been fantastic.

Ravens fans are familiar with this style of winning. In the age of the Trent Dilfer and Kyle Boller, this was common place. Awful offense was let off the hook by dominant defense. The Ravens have to be better. They have a Super Bowl MVP under center. They have weapons. When you look at this team… when you see the results…there is just a disconnect. Something doesn’t add up. Something is a problem. When talent is not shining there is a problem. When you make things harder than they have to be, it’s frustrating.

With penalties, wasted chances to put the game away and a mind blowing Devin Hester muffed punt, you’d think I was talking about a loss. However the Ravens have put on a clinic for winning the ugly way. Winning is fun so there is something beautiful about winning close games. Every game is exciting however it just feels like we could be doing so much better.

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Give credit to the defense. Thank your lucky stars that Justin Tucker is your team’s kicker. Hope that the offense gets it together and enjoy escaping Jacksonville with a 3-0 record. The Ravens are winning ugly, and they do that better than anybody.