The Ugly:
This game could have been a lot easier for the Ravens. They won the game 26-24 and they left points on the field. Lamar Jackson dived for the goal line and fumbled the football. What is it about the Ravens and goal line turnovers against the Browns? Joe Flacco threw an interception on the goal line in the earlier contest with the Browns. The Ravens were held to six points in the second half, in a game where field goals kept their opponent in the game. In a game where the rushing attack was working so swimmingly and the Ravens had a 13 point lead going into halftime, there was an awful lot of drama.
The Ravens could have thwarted the Browns comeback efforts at multiple impasses. The Ravens had a third down in their final offensive possession (not counting them taking a knee to ended it). Instead of letting Jackson throw the football, they elected to run an option play. Lamar Jackson’s pitch was nearly a turnover. They should have trusted Jackson to put the ball in the air and make a play. The Ravens were put into a tough situation by a combination of horrible officiating and terrible mistakes.
The Ravens could have sealed the deal with a good drive by their offense. Instead it came down to the most intense final drive in recent memory (that’s saying something in Baltimore). The Ravens won the game and it’s astonishing considering that the Browns got the momentum at the end of the first half and never really gave it back.