The surging 5-2 Baltimore Ravens find themselves in a battle here in the first half of their Week 8 division clash against the lowly 1-6 Cleveland Browns. Baltimore has come out of the gates looking flat.
At halftime, the Ravens hold a 10-6 lead over the Browns, but they’ve squandered multiple opportunities that could have had them up by a much larger margin. Call it the nuances of a divisional rivalry if you want, but this is a team that should be dominating the Browns from start to finish.
Unfortunately, a slew of missed opportunities has gotten in the way, and now it'll be a dogfight to get out of the game with a win. That's the price they'll have to pay for lacking immediacy, effort, and focus in the first half.
Missed opportunities are piling up for the Ravens in the first half against Cleveland Browns
The most egregious missed opportunity came early in the second quarter as Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense drove down the field in Cleveland territory.
Lamar Jackson dances around a bit in the pocket to buy some time and then finds receiver Zay Flowers wide open streaking down the sideline. Jackson overthrows Flowers by a couple of yards, taking six points off the board.
On the next play, Ravens kicker Justin Tucker drilled a 49-yard field goal, but Jackson’s awful overthrow can’t be ignored. He has to connect on those throws.
Tough miss from Lamar Jackson and Zay Flowers pic.twitter.com/D3W4biCkjC
— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) October 27, 2024
Earlier in the game, on Baltimore’s opening drive, they had a chance to score, either by attempting a field goal or converting a fourth-and-one from the Browns’ seven-yard line.
The Ravens opted to go for it, which was probably the right call. However, taking the ball out of Lamar Jackson's hands on a fourth-and-short is absurd. Yes, Derrick Henry is amazing, but giving him a direct snap completely takes Jackson out of the play.
The Browns' defense read the play perfectly, stopping Henry for a loss and forcing a turnover on downs. Unfortunately for Ravens fans, this missed chance was a preview of what was to come in the first half, as Baltimore seemed to squander every opportunity they had.
THE BROWNS DEFENSE STUFFS DERRICK HENRY ON 4TH AND 1 😳 pic.twitter.com/F6RFoVyl7I
— Last Take™ (@TheRealLastTake) October 27, 2024
Adding more frustration to the mix, the defensive backs continue to drop easy interceptions. It's been a problem all season long, and something has to give.
Eddie Jackson just dropped what should have been an end zone INT. Been an issue all year for Ravens DBs.
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) October 27, 2024
Baltimore should be leading the league in interceptions this season, but costly drops - like Eddie Jackson’s - have held this defense back and kept them on the field longer than necessary. Jackson had a perfect chance to pick off Jameis Winston in the end zone and end the Browns’ opening drive, but couldn’t secure it.
Instead, the pass slipped right through Jackson’s hands, allowing the Browns to capitalize on the missed opportunity and put the first points on the board.