Baltimore Ravens defense does not deserve blame for 12-9 loss to Browns
The Baltimore Ravens defense does not deserve the blame for the 12-9 loss to the Cleveland Browns:
The Baltimore Ravens only put up nine points on the score board. If you’re a fan looking for who to blame you have to start with the offense. The Ravens had Sam Koch punt eight times. Six of those eight punts pinned the Cleveland Browns offense inside their own 20 yard line. Joe Flacco threw an interception on a short pass into the end zone. Buck Allen coughed up a fumble. That’s ten drives right there that the Ravens offense got nothing out of.
The Ravens were winning the field position battle in the first half of this game. The Ravens starting field position, especially in the first half of this game was a thing to envy. The Ravens still only managed to score nine points. The Browns may have had a very prolific day in terms of yardage, however they only scored one touchdown. The Ravens defense was bent a bit, but remained strong throughout the game.
Michael Crabtree had drops in this game that cost the Ravens dearly. He is easily the biggest scapegoat of this game. While he had six receptions for 66 yards, he killed three drives by failing to catch the football. Flacco made a horrible mistake in the red zone and missed on some open targets. The offense deserves the biggest burden from this losing effort.
Points are what matter, and 12 points shouldn’t beat you. The Ravens left a lot of points on the board. They had a goal line interception, a blocked field goal and a dropped touchdown pass that would have resulted in a less than compelling but important victory. That’s at least 13 points that the Ravens basically just threw away.
The defense got no help in this game. The Ravens got a very important stop on the first Browns possession of the overtime period. The Ravens offense had a chance to win the game. All they needed was a field goal. They couldn’t get the job done. Baker Mayfield made a great play under pressure in the overtime period that sparked their game winning drive. The defense did get beat in the final moments. It’s just impossible to be mad at a defense that came up with stop after stop.
dark. Next. Ravens lose to the Browns: The bad and mostly ugly
The Baltimore Ravens defense didn’t have a perfect game, but they gave a great effort in this game. Tackling could be better, and there are some things to work on, but the defense didn’t lose the Ravens this game. The Ravens inability to score was what did the Ravens in. The defense got a pick and four sacks and held the Browns to 12 points (with the last three points coming in overtime).