The Baltimore Ravens blew it. There’s really no other way to describe what just happened.
They led by 14 points at one point. They held a 27-24 lead with 37 seconds to go in the game while the Raiders were backed up at their own 25-yard line.
Yet, their defense folded at inopportune times. The offensive line’s struggles came back to bite them with a costly Lamar Jackson fumble in overtime.
The Ravens lost this game. They didn’t deserve to win it. Heck, the Raiders barely deserved to win it after their overtime theatrics.
But the Ravens only have themselves to blame for this disappointing loss.
The Ravens blew it against the Raiders in Week 1
After taking a 14-0 lead in the first half, Baltimore allowed the Raiders to claw back and make it 14-10 going into the half. Jackson and the offense struggled mightily in the third quarter and it wasn’t until the fourth quarter that things started to click again.
Jackson finished 19-of-30 for 235 yards and a touchdown in the air while adding an additional 86 yards on the ground. However, it was his two fumbles that proved to make all the difference.
The Ravens failed to protect Jackson all game with the former MVP running for his life. They lost the battle in the trenches, both on offense and defense.
Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale tried his best to generate pressure with his typically aggressive style of defense. It didn’t work.
The Ravens failed to get enough pressure on Derek Carr allowing the Raiders QB to pick apart a depleted Ravens secondary that sorely missed Marcus Peters.
There will be no time for sulking with the powerhouse Kansas City Chiefs set to visit the Ravens in their home opener next Sunday night.
If the Ravens had a tough time with this Raiders team, next week could get ugly.
This team needs to reevaluate things before next week. They need to figure out how to protect Lamar Jackson. They need to figure out how to pressure the opposing quarterback.
And they need to figure out how they managed to blow this game.