Baltimore Ravens downed by Chiefs: The good, bad and ugly
The bad:
From here on out, we still have much to talk about regarding Baltimore’s performance vs. Kansas City. Unfortunately, it will all be negative. So, for all you optimists, just go back to the first page. Let’s start with the most frustrating aspect from Sunday’s game: a lack of form tackling.
STOP DIVING AND WRAP UP.
— Ebony Bird (@Ebony_Bird) December 9, 2018
Watching the Ravens play defense on Sunday made me think I was watching Division III College Football. Instead of going for safe tackles, too many times players were throwing their pads into the opposing offensive players in an attempt for the big-hit. Turns out, these guys are much more talented than their college counterparts, and simply shed the hit and kept moving.
There was no bigger example of this than Eric Weddle. Weddle has long been a center of controversy among fans, but he showed his age big-time against the Chiefs. It goes far beyond his liability in coverage at his current age, as Weddle is no longer the safe tackler he was when he was younger.
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Unfortunately, Baltimore’s Tight End coverage continues to be a weakness. Travis Kelce may have been practically shutout in the second-half of the game, but he tore the Ravens up in the first-half. Kelce was consistently getting first downs and scored a touchdown that gave the Chiefs the lead at half-time. It’s been a repeated issue all year long, but it really hurt Baltimore vs. Kansas City.
Meanwhile, here’s some breaking news for you: The Ravens interior offensive line’s pass blocking remains godawful. Everyone not named Marshal Yanda between the tackles is replacement level at best, and regardless the team must prepare for finding someone to take over for Yanda, as he is close to retirement age. With the rediscovered success of the team’s run-game, this is an issue that has to be fixed ASAP.