The Baltimore Ravens have found themselves in a pivotal stretch of the 2022 season. They are fighting to hang atop the AFC North, but are attempting to do so without their starting quarterback in Lamar Jackson. They have managed to stay alive so far, but they fell apart in Week 15 against the Cleveland Browns to lose control of the division.
Going up against a Browns team that hasn't looked great since adding Deshaun Watson back into the fold, the Ravens knew they were going to have to grind out a victory if they wanted to win. But they never found their footing on offense, and committed far too many mistakes to have a chance to come out with a win.
As a result, Baltimore has fallen behind the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC North standings, and will stay there unless the Cincinnati Bengals lose to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. So with the Ravens loss in the books, let's take a look at three players most to blame for this tough loss to the Browns and see why they earned their spot on this list.
3. Demarcus Robinson
Demarcus Robinson has emerged from out of nowhere to be the Ravens top wide receiver, which has helped make up for the crushing loss of Rashod Bateman. Robinson has hauled in at least five passes in four of the past five games he's played in, which has really helped Baltimore's offense get over Bateman's loss.
Against the Browns, Robinson again was peppered with targets, and ended up hauling in six passes, but for just 29 yards, which was a fairly disappointing yardage total. Robinson also fumbled the ball twice in this one, losing one, which he was lucky to not see turn into free points for Cleveland.
Robinson's big role made it so that he has become a crucial piece of the Ravens offense, and while he managed to catch all six of his targets, he didn't do much with them, and contributed to Baltimore's mistake-filled day. Robinson has been a huge help for the Ravens offense lately, but this wasn't one of his brighter outings.
2. Justin Tucker
Justin Tucker has become the most dependable kicker in the league right now, and there's a decent chance he will go down as one of the best kickers in NFL history. So for him to end up on this list, you know something had to go very, very wrong for him against the Browns. And that certainly ended up being the case in Week 15.
Tucker is the epitome of consistency, but he did not deliver for his team in Week 15. Tucker usually can be counted on to hit any field goal from any range, but he only made one of his three field goals against the Browns. First, he pulled one wide left to potentially tie the game heading into the half. Tucker had another field goal blocked early in the fourth that prevented Baltimore from really attempting a comeback, although that wasn't fully his fault.
Had Tucker made even one of these field goals, a comeback attempt would have been a lot more likely for the Ravens. Instead, he missed a pair of field goals that ended up contributing to the desolate offensive showing for Baltimore. Tucker is still one of the greatest to ever do it at the kicker position, but this was not a good outing for him.
1. Tyler Huntley
You can't totally harp on Tyler Huntley, because he has a lot of expectations on his shoulders that aren't really fair for him to be taking on. But he was the main reason for this poor all-around offensive showing, and typically that will earn you the top spot on this list as a quarterback.
Huntley is a rather limited passer, and he showed that throughout this game (17/30, 138 YDS, 1 INT) which did not help given how strong of a game the Browns defense had. Huntley can typically be counted on to make a bit of a contribution on the ground, but he struggled there as well, picking up just 15 yards on six carries in this one.
Huntley isn't going to turn in 300-yard, three touchdown outings, but it's not unreasonable to expect him to do a little bit more to help Baltimore win. His interception was very costly, as it came in the red zone and then led to the only touchdown of the game from either side. Huntley just needs to do enough to keep the Ravens in this game, but he was unable to do that against a Cleveland team that only scored 13 points, and that earns him the top spot on this list.
Follow Us
Subscribe