Getty Lamar Jackson frustrated after a mistake vs. the Patriots.
The Baltimore Ravens suffered a frustrating 23-17 defeat against the New England Patriots dropping back to 6-4 on the season, and at least one analyst is sounding the alarm after what he saw on the field Sunday night.
Though the game was rain soaked and almost unrecognizable, some of the same frustrations that have shown up other times this season in Baltimore reared their ugly head again in the defeat, and that caused ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky to explain why it might be time for folks in Baltimore to start worrying.
This is NOT last year’s Baltimore Ravens. @danorlovsky7
“I’ll keep it real, their season is on the brink. Their season is on the brink of being lost.”
Orlovsky said:
“This is not last year’s Baltimore Ravens and we all need to accept that. Last year on offense Baltimore was 2 things. They were explosive and they were dominant. Explosive both in the run and the pass game. That’s not happening this year. They were dominating at the line of scrimmage. That’s not happening this year… This offense doesn’t do anything well. It doesn’t do anything that a defense is going to look at and go ‘that scares me’ or ‘we got to be focus on stopping that.’ Last year it was Lamar (Jackson) in the run game, the 3 tight end package. It was the play action game. This is not last year’s Ravens team. I’ll keep it real. Their season is on the brink. Their season is on the brink of being lost.”
The Ravens look lost on offense at this point, and though they are still in the mix in the second half of the season for the AFC playoffs, the team is a far cry from one that felt like a major pick to dominate on a run to the Super Bowl. Many think the Ravens still could be in good position to have a better year in the playoffs, but they have to make it there first which is all of a sudden no guarantee.
Either way, the Ravens have to get things together, otherwise their season could be teetering in a major way moving forward given what’s happened on the field lately in 2020.
Lamar Jackson Important to Turnaround
Jackson struggled against the Patriots, only going for 249 yards 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. The Ravens didn’t get the big plays from him on the ground, and once again it was a frustrating night for the quarterback in what’s been a frustrating season.
Last week, Jackson dropped the bombshell that he believed teams knew Baltimore’s offensive plays before the ball was snapped. If that’s indeed the case, it could be preventing the Ravens from really getting things going this season on the field. Their offense is going to have to step up big in order to find a way to combat this frustration moving forward. As Jackson goes, so will the Baltimore offense the rest of the way during 2020.
Ravens Stats Show Regression During 2020
Orlovsky raises some interesting points that prove true about the team’s woeful offensive approach in 2020. The Ravens have been up and down so far this season as Jackson and others have alluded to. The team has struggled with getting big plays and unleashing their offensive playmakers as they have in the past. Plenty of this could be due to the fact that teams know what is coming, but they might simply be watching tape as well and having a better idea of how to defend a dynamic player like Jackson and some of his key wideouts.
Statistically, the Ravens haven’t dominated at all this year. They’re putting up just 348 yards a game including a paltry 184 yards a game through the air and a respectable 164 rushing yards a game. Those facts alone will not prove all the team’s problems.
READ NEXT: Ravens TE Suffers Gruesome Knee Injury