The Baltimore Ravens lost a game that felt like they were going to win from the start for the third time this season. Losing 33-31 shows that it is pretty clear there were just a few small plays that cost the Ravens. These games are coming down to tiny moments that are changing the outcomes and they are not coming up with the proper response. The Colts' loss saw similar small moments cost the team, and the Steelers game had similar moments that impacted things.
What were the big plays that cost the Ravens this week?
3. The Baltimore Ravens missed a long field goal
The Baltimore Ravens offense seems to start hot, and then one thing goes wrong, and they get into their heads and cannot get out. The Ravens offense was gifted seven with a Kyle Hamilton pick-six. Then, they scored their next two drives, getting 17 quick points.
After that, they got into field goal range, but a Lamar Jackson sack turned a 49-yard kick into a 55-yard kick. Justin Tucker had the kick blocked. First, Jackson could not take a sack there. However, Justin Tucker has not been as automatic as he used to be, even with it being a 50-yard kick.
He is 69% career from 50+, and he is only 1-5 this season from deep. He is 90% for his career but just hitting on 81% this year. This is not the vintage Justin Tucker we know.
The blocked kick gave Cleveland the ball inside Baltimore territory. Cleveland gained 33 yards, which got them to the 5-yard line. The Ravens defense did well to stand, but a game that should have been 20-6 turned into 17-9.
That was the score that was taken into the half. It is hard to see Cleveland scoring before the half if Baltimore hits that field goal.
2. The Baltimore Ravens allowed a two-conversion
This is less about the one-play and more about the one-drive, or really two drives that cost the Baltimore Ravens. As we noted, the score was 17-9 due to the missed field goal by Justin Tucker. Still, the Ravens controlled the game after Odell Beckham scored a 40-yard touchdown to make the score 24-9. The route was back on.
The best defense in the NFL surrendered a 17-play, 75-yard drive after that. That drive featured three third-down conversions and one-fourth-down conversions.
Then, they gave up the two-point conversion. Had the Ravens stopped them there, they would have led 24-15, which is still a two-score game. Instead, at 24-17, the Browns were right back in it.
Even worse was seeing a six-play 75-yard drive allowed by the defense up 31-17 to follow that up.
The defense had a chance to prove that they were the best in the NFL. They allowed two drives to go for 23 plays and 150 yards to put up 14 points. That is not going to win games.
1. The Baltimore Ravens threw a costly pick-six
This is the obvious game-changing moment. It is common for some defenses to get conservative later into games with a two-score lead. The Ravens defense was watching the clock burn while they gave up all of those plays.
However, the offense had to continue moving the ball or at least protect it. What cost the team was a Lamar Jackson pick-six. Ogo Okoronkwo came in with pressure and hit the ball in the air. Greg Newsome, who was not having a good day prior to that, took the ball and returned it all the way to the end zone.
Just like that, a 31-24 lead was 31-30. Still, the Browns almost bailed the Ravens out. A missed extra point gave the Ravens a lead. The team took three minutes off of the clock and punted. They failed to put the game away.
The Colts and Steelers losses felt like a play here and there. This felt like too much of the same and too many consistent plays here and there. This loss is more concerning.