Jamison Hensley
BALTIMORE — When Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh stepped to the rostrum on Sunday, his first phrases to reporters spoke as a lot to the exasperation of the season because the 17-3 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
“Clearly, I get a little bit uninterested in getting up right here and having this dialog,” Harbaugh stated.
The Ravens (1-5) have misplaced 4 straight video games to tie the worst begin in franchise historical past, which units up essentially the most essential bye of Harbaugh's 18 seasons in Baltimore. The Ravens' mindset this week is to scrub up the stunning errors, which have heightened the frustration degree across the workforce.
Baltimore's fix-it checklist contains areas which have gone from sources of satisfaction to obtrusive weaknesses: short-yardage offense, turnovers and move rush. Although Baltimore will get a lift from the anticipated return of injured quarterback Lamar Jackson from a hamstring damage, the Ravens perceive their margin of error is extraordinarily skinny.
“The one worse factor is 0-6, so sure, it is a huge gap,” Professional Bowl heart Tyler Linderbaum stated. “We will should bounce again and take a while to mirror on this bye week. We've got 11 video games left to attempt to run the desk.”
If the Ravens fall in need of the playoffs, certainly one of Baltimore's greatest regrets shall be how they fell one yard quick Sunday.
Within the closing seconds of the primary half, it appeared like Baltimore was going to take a 10-3 lead over the Rams when it confronted second-and-goal from the 1-yard line. However the Ravens didn't punch the ball throughout the objective line on three tries, which included two tush pushes with tight finish Mark Andrews.
“That sort of pisses me off,” operating again Derrick Henry stated of the Ravens' goal-line troubles. “That is simply unacceptable. That is not adequate, It simply looks like a repetitive factor, which is sort of irritating.”
The Ravens had been practically automated once they obtained near the tip zone final season. Baltimore scored touchdowns on 31-of-35 goal-to-goal drives (88.6%), which was the third-best fee within the NFL.
This 12 months, the Ravens have reached the tip zone on 4-of-7 goal-to-go conditions (57.1%), which ranks twenty eighth within the league.
“I might should say it has been stunning,” Harbaugh stated. “That is just like the No. 1 factor in my thoughts on offense is short-yardage and goal-line; we needs to be higher. We needs to be approach higher than we're. We have by no means struggled in these areas [before], and I do not actually perceive why we're 1760532842. So, if we need to be the sort of workforce that we've got, if we need to have an opportunity, we've got to get that mounted.”
The Ravens have a saying: When you've got the ball in your fingers, you maintain the “goals, objectives and aspirations of everybody in this system.” However, in each loss this season, Baltimore has dropped the ball.
The Ravens' 10 turnovers this season are the third-most within the NFL and only one shy of Baltimore's complete giveaways from final season. Henry fumbled in every of the primary three video games, backup quarterback Cooper Rush threw 4 interceptions and huge receiver Zay Flowers misplaced the ball twice on Sunday.
“To me, [ball security] could not be extra emphasised in observe or video games,” Harbaugh stated. “It simply could not be, however we'll should discover a solution to make it extra vital, as a result of it is taking place an excessive amount of. You possibly can't win by turning the ball over. You need to take a look at why the document is the way in which it's; begin with that.”
Final season, the Ravens solely turned the ball over 11 instances, which had been the third-fewest within the league. In Harbaugh's first 17 seasons (2008 to 2024), Baltimore dedicated the fifth-fewest turnovers.
The largest level of competition for Harbaugh is the fumbling. Baltimore has misplaced 5 fumbles, which rank solely behind the New York Jets and Tennessee Titans.
The coaches train a way known as “the Raven claw” to safe the ball. When a participant has the ball, his unfastened hand is used to grip the opposite wrist to basically lock within the ball.
“We have by no means been a fumbling workforce,” Harbaugh stated. “Now, rapidly, we fumble; that is stunning. However it's taking place approach an excessive amount of, so it has to cease. That is the duty of all people, however it's primarily the duty of the one who has the ball of their fingers, and so they all know that. And so they're very conscientious. So, it has to get accomplished.”
Final week, no place on the Ravens took a tougher hit than exterior linebacker. Baltimore traded former first-round decide Odafe Oweh to the Los Angeles Chargers on Oct. 7 after which watched Tavius Robinson break his foot on Sunday, which can sideline him for six to eight weeks.
The lack of these two exterior linebackers will damage an already struggling Baltimore move rush. The Ravens' eight sacks are their fewest by means of six weeks underneath Harbaugh.
“It has been a problem all 12 months to generate stress, so we're going to should manufacture stress,” Harbaugh stated. “Our guys are going to should step up and create stress on the four-man rush. We do it with simulated pressures, too, a number of instances; we did that within the [last] recreation. So, we've got to construct off of these issues and do the job with the fellows that we've got.”
Within the earlier two seasons, Baltimore has produced essentially the most sacks within the NFL with 114. Now, the Ravens are with out certainly one of their high edge rushers in Oweh and their greatest inside rusher in Nnamdi Madubuike, who's out for the season with a neck damage.
Baltimore at the moment has three wholesome exterior linebackers in Kyle Van Noy, rookie Mike Inexperienced and David Ojabo. Harbaugh was requested if the Ravens would look exterior the group so as to add one other exterior linebacker or promote from the observe squad.
“Sure to all the above, I'd say,” Harbaugh stated.
The Ravens perceive the problem forward of them. The final workforce to make the playoffs after a 1-5 begin was the 2020 Washington Soccer Staff.
Ravens nostril deal with John Jenkins was requested what he would inform those that have written off this workforce.
“The one factor I do know is that I come to work every single day, and I see a number of guys who're hungry, who put the work in,” Jenkins stated. “So, so long as I see that every single day from the fellows within the locker room, within the constructing and the group, it is powerful to hearken to what individuals say.”
