The Baltimore Ravens had a pretty easy task heading into their Week 2 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, as both teams were coming off losses and hoping to get their first wins of the season under their belts.
Baltimore looked to parlay their strong efforts against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1 with the lackluster efforts the Raiders showed against the Los Angeles Chargers.
At first, it looked like the Ravens were doing exactly that, building on their Week 1 effort to put away a Raiders team that has no business beating a Ravens team, especially at home. It wasn't all good in the beginning, but the Ravens eventually found their footing.
By halftime, Baltimore led by three points, after three field goals from kicker Justin Tucker. While the offense struggled to put points on the board, the defense did an excellent job keeping the Raiders out of the endzone. The defense allowed just six points in the first half and shoutout to defensive end Odafe Oweh for making life miserable for Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew early and often.
In the second half, the Ravens started with the ball and in their first drive found the endzone. They finally looked like they were in a groove. From that point forward it was a relatively back-and-forth game but the Ravens were always in the lead. That is until late in the fourth quarter when the refs wanted some face time. They called an awful defensive pass interference call on Ravens cornerback Brandon Stephens that would go on to change the outcome of the game.
Obviously, it's never amazing to pin a loss on the officials, but this call was a pretty obvious non-call.
The refs' awful penalty cost the Ravens a chance to stop the Raiders
The Raiders were moving down the field, down 16-23 with just under four minutes to go in the game. A stop on third and goal from the 17-yard line would essentially force the Raiders to kick a field goal. Unfortunately, the refs got involved.
Despite being fairly clear that no penalty was committed, the referees decided Stephens committed defensive pass interference when it just shouldn't have been called at all. That's a moment when the refs should allow them to play the game. Both players are hand fighting and Stephens is looking at the ball, attempting to make a play on it.
Pass interference called here. It really looks like they are both hand fighting. Raiders get a fresh set of downs #LVvsBAL pic.twitter.com/unlJ7Rcfid
— Rate the Refs App (@Rate_the_Refs) September 15, 2024
This blown call gave the Raiders a first and goal from the one-yard line, which allowed them to score an easy touchdown the very next play. It's another awful call in a season already filled with them. When will this team catch a break? Fans are frustrated with the lack of fairness as well.
This is the call that changed the game ultimately, there just seems to be a bigger magnifying glass on the Baltimore Ravens.
— Nic Mason (@British_Raven19) September 15, 2024
Another game absolutely ruined by overbearing referees looking to be the star of the show.
Flag football league. #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/nFY7mvp44g
2nd week in a row Refs outplayed the Ravens. https://t.co/jjG1r9SVpu
— Depree Savoy (@DepreeUSMC) September 15, 2024
Why do the nfl refs hate the ravens?
— 🪶. (@Sirius_Saturn) September 15, 2024
It was a devastating blow to the Ravens' hopes of bouncing back after a tough Week 1 loss to the Chiefs. However, it was far from a well-played game by an uninspiring Ravens team, with missed opportunities and bad play calls that came back to destroy them. Now, the team stands at 0-2 with more questions than answers.