[ad_1]
The Ravens buried themselves with turnovers, special-teams miscues and red-zone inefficiency in a 13-3 road loss to the Cleveland Browns. Their passing offense hasn’t worked for weeks, and they’re now staring up at the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC North. Will franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson return Christmas Eve to steer them back on track?
Players of the game
RB J.K. Dobbins: Dobbins was even better in his second game back from knee surgery than in his first, carrying 13 times for 125 yards. He blamed himself for not pulling away from the defense on a 37-yard run in the third quarter, but he has brought an explosive dimension back to the team’s ground game.
S Kyle Hamilton: It was a mixed day for the rookie. Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson picked on him in coverage, but he also made more big plays than anyone on the defense, with a sack, two tackles for loss and a pass defended. Hamilton does so many different things that it’s hard not to notice him.
C Tyler Linderbaum: Coming off the best game of his career, the rookie delivered another outstanding game as a pass protector. Linderbaum is already an above-average starter and could be a Pro Bowl candidate next season if he keeps improving as a pass blocker.
Snap-count analysis
The Ravens geared their defense to stop the Browns’ running attack, with defensive tackles Justin Madubuike and Broderick Washington both taking on season-high snap counts. Defensive end Calais Campbell left with a knee injury, so Brent Urban also played more than usual. Tyus Bowser and Jason Pierre-Paul again played the most snaps among the edge defenders, indicating they are the most trusted run-stoppers in the group. Second-round pick David Ojabo played just one defensive snap in his debut. Brandon Stephens played 20 defensive snaps after playing just one over the previous two weeks. He will probably get the first call to step in if cornerback Marcus Peters misses time because of the calf injury he suffered Saturday.
Running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards were highly effective, but Justice Hill played as many offensive snaps as Dobbins and 13 more than Edwards because the Ravens relied on him in passing situations. As usual, Edwards carried the ball more often than not when he was on the field. The Ravens leaned away from their heaviest sets, with wide receivers Devin Duvernay and Demarcus Robinson playing more than fullback Patrick Ricard and tight end Josh Oliver, who had taken center stage the previous week against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Amid their struggles, the Ravens at least kept their starting offensive line on the field for all 63 offensive snaps.
Number crunch
73: Consecutive regular-season games in which the Ravens had scored at least one touchdown before Saturday.
2: Ravens touchdowns in their past three games.
8.8: J.K. Dobbins’ yards per carry over his last two games, up from 3.5 over his first four.
3: Previous regular-season games in which Justin Tucker had missed multiple field goals.
Quote of the day
Running back J.K. Dobbins on the Ravens’ offensive frustrations: “We are frustrated for sure. It is on us, though. It is not on the coach, and it is not on any of the coaches. It is on us. We have to score. Like I said, we have to make plays. We are not making the plays. We are not scoring touchdowns, and somebody has to score them. I take ownership in that, too, because I am not scoring the long ones whenever they are there. I have to do that. It is on me. I have to do that, and I have to be a sparkplug.”
Next up
Atlanta Falcons at M&T Bank Stadium, Saturday, Dec. 24, 1 p.m.
We won’t know how the Falcons perform with new starting quarterback Desmond Ridder until Sunday afternoon when they face the New Orleans Saints on the road, but win or lose, they will technically remain in contention in the dreadful NFC South. The Falcons have already lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers (close) and the Cincinnati Bengals (not close) on their tour of the AFC North, though they did beat the Browns in Week 4. Their defense is one of the NFL’s worst against both the run and the pass, but their running game, featuring multiple backs and plenty of designed carries for the quarterback, is their redeeming component.
Ravens offensive snap counts
Ben Powers G 63
Morgan Moses T 63
Kevin Zeitler G 63
Ronnie Stanley T 63
Tyler Huntley QB 63
Tyler Linderbaum C 63
Mark Andrews TE 58
Devin Duvernay WR 45
Demarcus Robinson WR 40
Patrick Ricard FB 35
Isaiah Likely TE 28
Josh Oliver TE 26
Justice Hill RB 24
J.K. Dobbins RB 24
DeSean Jackson WR 20
Gus Edwards RB 11
James Proche WR 3
Nick Boyle TE 1
Ravens defensive snap counts
Chuck Clark SS 66
Marlon Humphrey CB 66
Roquan Smith LB 65
Patrick Queen LB 64
Marcus Williams FS 64
Justin Madubuike DT 46
Tyus Bowser LB 46
Broderick Washington DT 42
Marcus Peters CB 41
Jason Pierre-Paul DE 39
Kyle Hamilton FS 38
Calais Campbell DE 28
Odafe Oweh LB 25
Brent Urban DE 23
Travis Jones DT 22
Brandon Stephens FS 20
Justin Houston LB 20
Malik Harrison LB 8
Geno Stone SS 2
David Ojabo LB 1
()
[ad_2]
Source link