That was embarrassing. Baltimore Ravens are still somewhat in shock following the team’s disastrous fourth-quarter collapse against the Miami Dolphins in Week 2.
It was a game that seemed all but over at one point as the Ravens entered the fourth quarter with a 35-14 lead. Lamar Jackson willed the Ravens’ offense to an incredible performance and the defense had mostly held their own.
That was until everything fell apart in the fourth quarter.
Defensive miscommunication, coaching gaffes, and numerous other mistakes allowed the Dolphins to claw their way back into the game on the heels of stellar performances from the likes of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
This is a hard one to swallow for Ravens fans, and it doesn’t get any easier when taking a closer look at just how bad this loss was.
Just how embarrassing was this Ravens loss?
The Ravens entered the fourth quarter with a 98.7 percent win probability, according to ESPN. They led by 21 points to begin the quarter — an accomplishment that had led to 711 consecutive victories in the NFL.
That’s right, the Ravens became the first team in 12 years to lead by 21 or more points in the fourth quarter and lose. Entering the day, teams were 711-0 when faced with that exact situation from 2011-2022.
The Ravens broke that streak, and they did so in dramatic fashion.
Baltimore’s defense completely folded in the fourth quarter as the Dolphins finished with 547 total yards of offense — the third-worst defensive performance in Ravens history in terms of yardage allowed.
Mind you, their worst performance in team history came in Week 16 of last year when the Ravens surrendered 575 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals. Two of the three worst defensive performances in Ravens history have come in the team’s last five games.
These aren’t the Ravens of old.
What makes this Ravens loss sting even worse is just how well the team played through three quarters. Looking at a few other stats, it’s hard to believe the Ravens lost this game.
Baltimore didn’t turn the ball over, they committed just one penalty for five yards, scored touchdowns of 75, 79, and 103 yards, averaged 11 yards per pass attempt, and, of course, led by 21 points in the fourth quarter.
None of it mattered, though. They still came up short.
That’s not even talking about Lamar Jackson’s day. Jackson became the first player in NFL history to record a passing and rushing touchdown of at least 75 yards in the same game. He also became the first player to throw for 300 yards, rush for 100 yards, pass for three touchdowns, and rush for a score in the same game.
Oh, and he broke Michael Vick’s record for most 100-yard rushing performances by a quarterback in NFL history — at just 25 years old.
Jackson’s dominance couldn’t save the Ravens’ defense from falling apart, though. He couldn’t save them from a collapse that almost felt inevitable at times.
This was as ugly of a loss as you’re going to find. There are no silver linings. Just cold, hard statistical facts of misery.