Did Ravens OC Todd Monken help or hurt the Ravens in Week 5 loss to Steelers?

It was a disgusting, disappointing Sunday in Pittsburgh for those watching live on location or streaming the game from home while clad in Ravens gear. Baltimore could have done more (much more) but they ended up on the losing end of Week 5 falling 17-10 to the Steelers in a game that, simply, they handed to Pittsburgh on a silver platter.

Now, that said, the numbers weren't that bad on Baltimore's front on both the defensive and offensive side.

The Ravens rushed the rock for 100 yards in the first two quarters. Baltimore went to halftime leading 10-3 but that could have easily been a 14-0 lead (if not much larger) had Rashod Bateman not dropped a touchdown pass.

Lamar Jackson was on his way to having one of his best games ever, but the receiving corps just wasn't on the mood to cooperate. Even then, Jackson put up 236 yards on 22 completions throwing only one (bad, let's be honest) interception.

The rushers combined for 125 yards on 25 carries and scored the lone touchdown of the day, courtesy of a short-distance run by Justice Hill. Gus Edwards racked up the most yards with 48, Jackson added 45, and Hill trailed them with 32.

All things considered, it wasn't a bad game. But man, did the playmakers on offense let poor Todd Monken down in Week 5? Sheesh... With over eight drops throughout the game, the supposed "reinforced" pass-catching room of the Ravens totally flopped.

There were drops, there were fumbles, there was an interception, and then there even was this silly Zay Flowers stumble (h/t Bobby Trosset) instead of a touchdown. Dammit.

It's obvious that Todd Monken didn't call his best game. For one, he refused to rush the ball nearly at all in the second half and the Ravens put up just 25 rushing yards in the last two quarters compared to their initial 100.

His refusal to run the ball in the fourth quarter to both kill the clock and avoid turnovers (mainly after recovering a kick) was an inexplicable decision.

The offense, under Monken's guidance, faltered down the stretch, producing no points in the final two quarters and only three in the second, with the lone touchdown coming early in the first stanza.

Despite Monken's efforts to create a more passer-friendly scheme for Jackson and his success at it (again, let's be honest here for a minute because Monken schemed receivers open all day), the pass catchers struggled to convert numerous fairly easy opportunities and targets.

Nelson Agholor dropped a potential walk-in touchdown, which later became even more frustrating as it looked very similar to George Pickens' game-winning grab.

Zay Flowers' slip on a critical play also hurt, but he committed more than one mistake/drop throughout the game.

Rashod Bateman's drop doesn't even merit commenting because it speaks for itself about how absolutely disastrous and damaging was. So much so that the wide receiver knew it and didn't talk to reporters after the game and deactivated his social media accounts.

Monken, at the end of the day, can only control so much of what happens on the field. Sadly, balls getting dropped is not one of those things.

Let's cut the man some slack, because so far he's the smallest of the Ravens' woes overall, let alone on offense.

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