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The Baltimore Ravens lost to the Buffalo Bills 27-25 in the Divisional Round on Sunday. Despite another AFC North title, Lamar Jackson and his crew have fallen short of the Super Bowl once again. Despite a dominant final drive that ended in a touchdown, Baltimore fell short on a game-tying two-point conversion. Ravens fans should blame Mark Andrews, Todd Monken, and Derrick Henry for their loss on Sunday.
The Ravens got off to a hot start and went up 7-0 on an opening-drive Rashod Bateman touchdown. After a Josh Allen rushing touchdown, Jackson threw a rare interception. While that did not cost them, a fumble later in the first half put the Bills on the doorstep.
They went into the half down 11 but came out firing in the second half. They scored on two straight possessions but missed a two-point conversion. Two Bills field goals put them down eight again and they could not convert again. But it is not all on Andrews.
The Ravens have a lot to consider this offseason but the fallout from this game is far from over. Here is who is most to blame for this brutal defeat.
Mark Andrews made two colossal mistakes
The lasting image from this game will be Mark Andrews dropping the final two-point conversion. It was not a perfect throw but it was catchable and Andrews was wide open. But he could not catch the frozen-solid ball and the Ravens lost the game. But it was not the first mistake that Andrews made in the game that cost the team.
The Ravens got the ball down five points with 12:04 to go in the fourth quarter. They picked up a first down by using Andrews on a Tush Push sneak play. After a negative run on first down, Jackson hit Andrews over the middle for a big gain. After the tight end crossed midfield, Terrell Bernard punched the ball out and recovered the fumble.
The Ravens may have gone ahead in the fourth quarter if not for the fumble and would have tied the game if he caught the ball. This game could be remembered as the Mark Andrews game but was so close to being an iconic comeback for Baltimore. There is more than one person to blame for the loss.
The Ravens got terrible play-calling from Todd Monken
Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken has interviewed for multiple head coach openings. But on Sunday he made many questionable calls that cost the team a chance at tying this game. Baltimore ran two two-point conversions during the game and neither one went to Derrick Henry. After a serious run at the MVP from the running back, using him as a decoy on the biggest plays of the game is inexcusable.
The Ravens used Justice Hill a lot in this game where everyone was expecting Derrick Henry. He still got 16 attempts and two targets in the receiving game. But Hill was solid on his six carries, going for 50 yards, but the conditions called for way more running than passing. Without Henry on the field, this game was much more difficult for Lamar Jackson to win.
Derrick Henry was under-utilized and inefficient
The Ravens got their AFC North title and to the Divisional Round largely because of Derrick Henry. He had a resurgent season and carried them through early-season struggles. Even though he could have been used more, he did not break off one of his patented long runs to change this game. They needed it in the first half and fell short in the second half without that big run.
It hurts Henry that this performance came after an iconic Saquon Barkley performance. He ran for over 200 yards and a long touchdown to seal the victory and send the Eagles to the NFC Championship Game. In a season where Henry and Barkley were in the same sentence a lot, Saquon won the final battle. There were plenty of reasons Baltimore lost this game but Henry's absence and lack of pop was a significant one.
