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Baltimore Ravens: 5 problems through 5 games

By Chris Schisler

CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 07: Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens reacts to play in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium on October 7, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 07: Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens reacts to play in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium on October 7, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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BALTIMORE, MD – SEPTEMBER 23: Joe Flacco #5 of the Baltimore Ravens pitches to Alex Collins #34 as Derek Wolfe #95 of the Denver Broncos pursues during the second half at M&T Bank Stadium on September 23, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

1. Inconsistency:

Inconsistency is the name of the Ravens biggest problem, which is nothing new for a John Harbaugh coached team. It’s happening in the micro view (in the game) and the macro view (week to week). Let’s take a look at the bigger picture first. The same Ravens team that stomped all over the Bills got embarrassed by the Bengals. The Ravens then dominate the Broncos, and shut the Steelers down for the most part. Their 26-14 win in Pittsburgh earned the Ravens standing among the NFL elite. Then the Ravens lost 12-9 to the Cleveland Browns. Which Ravens team is it, Mr. Harbaugh?

Let’s talk about inconsistency in a game. The Ravens got off to a 14-0 start against the Steelers. The Steelers came back to tie the game before the Ravens started controlling the game again. The Ravens got off to a bad start against the Broncos, yet shut Denver out for the last three quarters of the game. The Ravens started off hot against the Browns but couldn’t finish drives with points. They would get right, and fall flat on their face in one possession. Yes, the team that started out 13-13 in the red zone, got to the point where they couldn’t score more than 9 points against the Browns.

Next. Revisiting the Ravens WR trio after week 5. dark

One reason the Ravens offense is inconsistent is that it really only works one way. An improved rushing attack would make the offense more multi-dimensional. Joe Flacco shouldn’t have to do it all for the offense, even if he is playing well. Overall inconsistency falls on the head coach. The Ravens seem to have multiple personalities. They don’t come out with a razor sharp focus every time. Instead they have good weeks and bad weeks. That’s the kind of problem that breeds a missed trip to the playoffs. That’s why fixing this has to be Harbaugh’s biggest priority moving forward.

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