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The Baltimore Ravens led for most of their Week 17 matchup with the Los Angeles Rams, but scored only three points in the fourth quarter to the Rams’ 13, resulting in the Ravens’ fifth loss in a row.
Fans on social media quickly pointed to offensive coordinator Greg Roman as the culprit, which has happened multiple times already this season, most notably after the Ravens offense only scored 10 points in a Week 10 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
The fury over Roman’s playcall and personnel usage even caused “Fire Greg Roman” to trend on Twitter, with fans especially critical of his inability to dial up the right play in key scenarios.
The Ravens only converted four out of 14 third down opportunities, and also failed to reach the end zone after reaching the Rams’ five-yard line twice in the game.
Baltimore finished with just 4.7 yards per play, averaging more yards per attempt on running plays compared to passing plays.
Roman’s future in Baltimore has been a frequent topic of discussion over the last two years, with some fans praising his stewardship of one of the NFL’s best offenses since 2018 and others arguing that superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson has carried the Ravens offense to success in spite of Roman.
Roman Backed By Team Observers
But Roman also received some support on social media for a strong first half in which the Ravens scored 13 points, though more than half were due to a pick-six by Ravens safety Chuck Clark.
“Really impressive play-calling from Greg Roman,” tweeted Jonas Shaffer of The Baltimore Sun, adding that both the offense and defense had been “pretty opportunistic.”
Roman also had to contend with a third-straight absence from Lamar Jackson against a loaded Rams defense, with 12-game starter Ben Powers also missing from his usual spot at left guard for a third consecutive game as well.
That’s why former Ravens editor Sarah Ellison tweeted, “Hard pass,” in response to fans calling for Roman’s firing, mentioning both injuries and Roman’s success since taking over the offensive coordinator job in 2019.
Indeed, the Ravens entered Week 17 with the fifth-most yards in the NFL, though they sat 16th in total points scored, per Pro Football Reference.
Criticism of Roman’s playcalling tendencies in high-leverage situations also has a mixed statistical basis. Baltimore’s 38.1% third-down conversion rate is 21st in the NFL, but their conversion rate on fourth down (63.6%) and in the red zone (66.7%) are both in the top three among all teams this season.
Ravens Praise Offense Despite Struggles
Two of Baltimore’s starters on offense were upbeat about their performance despite the lackluster point total during their postgame press conferences.
“I feel like we played well as an offense, overall,” said running back Devonta Freeman, “Everyone was executing plays and going to the details.”
Freeman had a solid game vs. the Rams, taking 14 carries for 76 yards, though nearly half of that total came on one 32-yard carry in the fourth quarter.
Tight end Mark Andrews told media that the offense “did a lot of great things,” but he still lamented Baltimore’s inability to close out a game that they led up until the last minute.
“When you control a game the whole game, which I felt like we did, and you end up losing, that just hurts,” he said.
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