Baltimore Ravens: 3 Things That Went Wrong Vs. Patriots

#1: Special Teams

Special teams are usually a strong point for the Ravens, but last night was a different story.

Devin Hester’s struggles continued and his inability to field punts gave the Raven’s bad field position. A punt he refused to catch in the first quarter put the team on their own one yard line. On the ensuing offensive play, the Patriots stuffed Kennith Dixon for a safety. This has not just happened one time, this has been a regular occurrence for Hester. He looks scared to catch punts and constantly puts the Ravens in bad field position. Keep in mind, Devin Hester owns the NFL record for the most punt return touchdowns in NFL history. This guy does it for a living.

On their next offensive possession after the safety, the Ravens drove down the field only to have Justin Tucker’s field goal blocked. The block not only stopped three points from the Ravens, but it also ended Tucker’s field goal streak at 35. Linebacker Shea McClellin  timed his run perfectly and aired over Morgan Cox for the block. To be fair, it was an impressive play by McClellin, but it should not have happened in the first place. There is no way that he should have gone untouched. The blocked field goal proved to costly as well. In the 4th quarter, the Ravens trailed 23-20 and could have really used the three points.