The Baltimore Ravens led 10-0 at halftime but ultimately lost 13-10 to the Cleveland Browns. This marked the 17th time the Ravens have blown a double-digit lead since 2018, which is a league high. However, I'm here to tell you that this one wasn't like the others.
Yes, it was annoying, and there are no moral victories. Between poor offensive line play, the offense disappearing, Tyler Loop's missed field goal, and Derrick Henry's fumble, there's plenty for Ravens fans to be upset about. Remember, though, the Ravens were without Lamar Jackson and were missing their starting center.
Sure, the Browns had injuries of their own, but the standard has to be lowered when Lamar is out. Winning last week shouldn't change that. Tyler Huntley is a good game manager, but he doesn't have the arm talent of Jackson. It's not even close. As a result, the Ravens couldn't generate explosive plays. If they had Jackson, they would've won this game 10 times out of 10.
Beyond that, the Ravens' defense looked awesome. They held the Browns to 13 points, generated five sacks, and only allowed the Browns to reach the red zone once (which was right after Henry's fumble). Outside of busted coverage on a 33-yard completion to Jerry Jeudy, it was a great day for the defense, and one play shouldn't change the fact that the defense played well.
The Ravens' ability to generate consistent pressure is an encouraging sign moving forward and shows that the defense is trending in the right direction. Losing stinks, but this wasn't a catastrophic failure, like in past games. Likewise, this doesn't mean the Ravens' fourth-quarter collapses will continue.
The Baltimore Ravens' Week 6 loss isn't a sign of things to come
In many Ravens' blown leads, it feels like everything goes wrong. Frequent problems include the defense not being able to get stops, questionable play-calling, and poor blocking. While the offensive line problems were on display, the other problems largely weren't. And once Cam Jurgens returns, this problem could be fixed.
We already discussed the defense playing well. But the coaching staff didn't have any major gaffes. Jesse Minter had the defense firing on all cylinders, and offensive coordinator Declan Doyle called a good game despite the loss.
Whether it was Doyle in Week 2 or Todd Monken before him, the Ravens' OC is usually under scrutiny in these blown leads. Oftentimes it has to do with Henry's usage, but he got plenty of opportunities in the second half. Plus, Doyle tried to get his WRs open and generate big plays—it just didn't work. Huntley and the offensive line were too big of limitations.
There simply weren't many glaring problems that will carry over to future weeks. Largely, this loss was a result of not having one of the league's best QBs. And the Ravens winning two close games in their three previous wins is also evidence that this isn't the same old Ravens.
When Jackson returns (which could be next week), the Ravens' offense won't have these lackluster showings. If the defense can keep up their strong play, the Ravens could look like a true Super Bowl-level team again.
So keep your heads up, Ravens fans, because better days are ahead.
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