Ravens crumble in demoralizing Week 15 loss to Browns

The Baltimore Ravens fell 13-3 to the Cleveland Browns in perhaps their most demoralizing loss of the season. Are the ghosts of 2021 coming back to haunt them?

The first NFL game on Saturday marked the greatest comeback in NFL history, so of course the second one was a total snoozefest.

If the Colts-Vikings game had touchdowns galore, this one had miscues galore. The Ravens recorded a missed field goal, an interception, a lost fumble, a blocked field goal, not to mention the Browns had two missed field goals themselves.

This matchup proved just as ugly as expected with the Browns scoring the lone touchdown of the game. However, the worst part of this game isn’t the score — it’s how pitiful the Ravens’ offense looked through four quarters.

Despite a resurgent rushing attack spearheaded by J.K. Dobbins, who averaged 9.6 yards per carry this game, and Gus Edwards, who averaged 7.9 yards per carry, the Ravens struggled to get points on the board.

Their first drive ended in a regrettable turnover on downs, and play after play the offense was severely crippled by the same frustrating issues from games prior. Red zone inefficiency. Delay of game penalties. Everything that could have gone wrong for Baltimore did, and the Ravens will come away from this one with a rancid taste in their mouths.

Ravens’ offense fails to deliver yet again in Week 15 defeat to Browns

Winning back to back division games with a second-string quarterback is a challenge in itself, yet the Ravens seemed to possess the talent and depth to beat Cleveland short-handed. That narrative gradually turned for the worse as the game dragged on, and the Ravens underperformed in every area on the field except for defense.

Devin Duvernay looked sloppy as a punt and kick returner, Tyler Huntley threw a groan-inducing interception in the red zone, Demarcus Robinson played way too loose with the football and fumbled, and the offense just never found its footing against a stout Browns defense.

It’s now been 11 games since the Ravens had a touchdown by a wide receiver, and it appears as though their red zone issues have even worsened — they can’t score any points at all. The ever-automatic Justin Tucker shockingly missed one and had one blocked in a weird turn of events, causing the usually graceful kicker to slam his helmet in frustration.

Finally, after two sluggish, nearly unwatchable wins, Baltimore has to suffer the real and painful consequences of its offense’s inability to capitalize on drives. This loss, as badly as it hurts, was a long time coming.

Head coach John Harbaugh said after Week 11’s win against the Panthers that if their opponent’s don’t score, they can’t win. Well, the same applies to the Ravens.

Time to go back to the drawing board and try to salvage the rest of this season.