Getty Former Ravens QB Robert Griffin III came to the defense of his former team on MNF in Week 12.
The national media is down on the Baltimore Ravens (7-4) after their first loss in a month, a 28-27 upset to the Jacksonville Jaguars (4-7) in Week 12.
However, one ESPN analyst, seemingly fed up with scrutiny of the team when it doesn’t win, isn’t having any of it.
“Why do we only talk about the Baltimore Ravens when they lose?” Griffin asked his costars on the November 28 episode of ESPN’s “Monday Night Countdown.
Can’t ignore the @Ravens when they win and attack them when they lose.
Griffin, the Ravens’ backup quarterback from 2018 to 2020, defended his former team, pointing out that Baltimore had been on a four-game winning streak and seemingly put to rest the narrative that they couldn’t close out games in the fourth quarter.
“Yes, the Ravens could’ve been better in crucial situations,” he said. “But let’s not act like this isn’t a good football team and say, ‘Oh, they can’t get it done because these fourth-quarter losses are bad.”
He acknowledged that it was fair, “in a vacuum,” to question the team’s legitimacy but said its success should be exalted as loudly as its failures are lamented.
“All those things can be true but we can’t just ignore the Ravens when they win and only talk about them when they lose,” Griffin said before comparing what he perceived as the media’s inequitable treatment of the Ravens and their AFC rival Buffalo Bills.
“The Bills have blown leads, too. You can’t pick and choose just because you picked them at the beginning of the year,” Griffin said in a retort to costar Booger McFarland.
Jacksonville Played the ‘Game of Their Lives’ vs. Baltimore
The Ravens were a near-unanimous pick among a group of 40 pundits, but Jacksonville, led by quarterback Trevor Lawrence, clawed its way back from a 19-10 deficit in the fourth quarter.
“The Jacksonville Jaguars played the game of their lives,” Griffin said. “Trevor Lawrence played the best game of his career.”
Lawrence, who was 29-of-37 for 321 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, made several brilliant throws with pinpoint accuracy into tight windows and found the soft spots in the Ravens’ zone coverage.
Trevor Lawrence in the 4th quarter today against the Ravens.
lmao. lmfao.
Underperforming Unit on Defense Was More at Fault
Even though the offense caught a lot of flak for its continued red-zone struggles, Griffin said the defense — specifically, the defensive backfield — deserved most of the blame.
“It was bad defense by their secondary that led to that loss,” he said. “They poured way too much money into that secondary to allow Zay Jones, who is a good receiver, to go off for 11 catches and 145 yards in that game.”
Cornerback Marcus Peters had a rough day, giving up all three of the Jaguars’ touchdowns in the game. Meanwhile, cornerback Marlon Humphrey was his usual lockdown self. Neither starting safety — prized free agent acquisition Marcus Williams and first-round pick Kyle Hamilton — played because of injuries.
Bad defense leads to losses…24 hours
The return of both Williams and Hamilton will be a major boost for the secondary down the stretch but come playoff time, their cornerback depth, or rather lack thereof, will be tested by some of the top-tier teams in the AFC conference with deep pass-catching corps.
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Former QB Robert Griffin III Sounds Off on Ravens on National TV