Ebony Bird
FanSided

Ravens Vent Session: 5 Takeaways From Week 4 Loss

By Chris Schisler

Oct 2, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens safety Lardarius Webb (21) reacts in the fourth quarter against the Oakland Raiders at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 2, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens safety Lardarius Webb (21) reacts in the fourth quarter against the Oakland Raiders at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
Oct 2, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) pressured by Oakland Raiders linebacker Khalil Mack (52) at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 2, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) pressured by Oakland Raiders linebacker Khalil Mack (52) at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Joe Flacco Needs To Step Up

Joe Flacco needs to step up. He needs to do this literally, and figuratively. Flacco still isn’t stepping into throws. You saw throws off his back foot ruin several opportunities in this game. Flacco also was pretty gun shy. There was one red zone trip in which Flacco threw a short pass to Kamar Aiken, while he had a tight end wide open in the end zone. Flacco had wide open receivers on multiple occasions and he did not pull the trigger. Flacco needs to step up. He’s the franchise quarterback. Right now, he’s not playing with the leadership and clutch play making that we’re accustomed to.

Flacco’s stat line is as deceptive as the score was. He threw for a touchdown and 352 yards but he chucked the football 52 times. A 52 yard pass to Steve Smith inflated Flacco’s numbers a bit as well. The moral of the story is that Flacco did not play as well as his stats suggest. He seems gun shy, his mechanics are frustrating me to a boiling point and the slow starts are mind numbing.

Even when the Ravens found the end zone for the first time they made it as hard as possible. Flacco could have easily hit a wide open Kyle Juszczyk for a touchdown. Instead Flacco made the fullback leap for it. The Ravens settled for Flacco sneaking it into the end zone. How hard does this team have to make it?

Home/Ravens News