The Baltimore Ravens lost a game to the Indianapolis Colts, where fans, media, and the Ravens players had to feel like the game was won many times over. How did the Ravens watch this game slip out of their hands, and what were the plays that flipped this game?
4. Kenyan Drake fumbled and cost the Baltimore Ravens momentum
The Baltimore Ravens led 7-0 after their first drive of the game. They were moving the football at will on their first drive, and after another defensive stop, the Ravens had a chance to put it on the Colts. Gus Edwards picked up nine yards, and then Lamar Jackson hit Mark Andrews for a big 20-yard first down.
When Kenyan Drake busted open a 24-yard run, it was looking like the team would score 30 points or more in this game. However, the end of the run changed the game. Drake fumbled at the Colts' 46-yard line, losing the ball after Juju Brents recovered it.
While the Ravens were not quite in scoring range yet, they did pick up 53 yards over three plays after leading a touchdown drive the previous time they took the field. It was easy to assume that this drive was going to end in points. From there, life just started to get difficult. That probably would have been the outcome regardless, but it is hard not to think of how easy things were going right up until that fumble, and how after the fumble things started to get much harder for the offense.
This was the play that took away the Ravens' chance to open a two-score lead and put their mark on the game.
3. An improbable Gardner Minshew completion hurt the Baltimore Ravens
After the Kenyan Drake fumble, the Ravens saw Patrick Mekari lose a repetition against Samson Ebukam, which caused a punt. The Colts started to take advantage of their lead in field position after the fumble and defensive stop.
Garnder Minshew put together a nice drive but then faced third down with three yards to go at the Ravens' 17-yard line. Zack Moss was fired out of the backfield and was picked up by Patrick Queen. Queen made a great play and was on Moss tight.
However, Minshew put the perfect amount of touch on his pass and he hit his man in stride. Moss caught the pass and found his way into the end zone for an easy score. This is a game-changing play. It is hard to fault the defense, either.
They played it perfectly, but Minshew to Moss was even better. That is a tough pill to swallow. It should not be a play that defines the game, and we will highlight other reasons this game flipped. Still, if that pass is an inch lower, or just a bit off, and Queen deflects it, then we are talking about a field goal coming since it was third down.
The Ravens would have led 7-3 at the worst, but instead, the score was tied 7-7. In a game in which the Ravens lost by three points in overtime, it is tough to live down the four-point swing of this play.
2. A Lamar Jackson fumble gave the Indianapolis Colts points
The very first play after the Ravens allowed a touchdown to tie the game, the team once again gave up points. Lamar Jackson dropped back to pass, but Taven Bryan pushed Kevin Zeitler back into the lap of the quarterback.
Jackson tried to avoid the pressure but he was too careless with the football and was still trying to get the ball out and down the field. He was not protecting, and the ball was knocked loose. Kwity Paye recovered.
The Ravens' defense held up, but the drive started inside the red zone for the Colts. So, even with the defense hardly bending, three points were scored. Just like that the score went from 7-0 Ravens to 10-7 Colts. It took the Ravens a while to earn that lead back, and it was not long after the Ravens were a few plays away from cracking open a two-score lead. It shows you how these games can change one or two swings every week.
For the Ravens, there also have to be concerns about Zeitler and Jackson. Jackson has already lost a few fumbles this year, and he almost lost another in this game. For Zeitler, this is a down year, and there is no other way to view it. Can he get his play back on track, or do the Ravens have to worry about him against guys like Taven Bryan?
1. Lamar Jackson took a sack at the worst time for the Baltimore Ravens
This was one of the most costly moments of the game. The Baltimore Ravens fought and clawed and somehow found a 19-16 lead. Unfortunately, the Colts tied it up with just over one minute to go. Still, the Ravens had plenty of time and just needed a field goal. Things started well.
With 23 seconds, the Ravens go to about midfield, right at the 49-yard line. They had a first down, and Lamar Jackson rolled to his left. However, he was chased down from behind, and before he could throw the ball away, he took a 10-yard sack from Kwity Paye. This pushed them back to the 39.
Lamar Jackson was able to complete a key pass to Nelson Agholor on third down, and it set up a 61-yard field goal. Justin Tucker had a chance to make it, and maybe you can say that the miss itself is a game-changing play. Still, the kick missed by a yard or two, and Jackson took a ten-yard sack. Even as he was making up the yards, he could not pick up enough to make the kick under 60 yards for his kicker.
The Ravens saw a scoring drive end because of a Jackson sack, and a Drake fumble killed all momentum as the team moved up and down the field. Another Jackson led to a Colts field goal, and an improbable Minshew touchdown pass turned a field goal attempt into an extra point attempt. When you add up the lost points by the Ravens and gained points by the Colts, these decide the entire game.