Subscribe
Follow Us
The Baltimore Ravens continues to be one of the most frustrating teams in the NFL this season. On Sunday, a mistake-plagued Ravens team fell just short against the Philadelphia Eagles 24-29 in Baltimore.
One of the biggest headlines in this game, since again, was the kicking situation for John Harbaugh and company. Justin Tucker's struggles this season continued as he missed to field goals and an extra point that would have made a huge difference in a five-point loss. Both of Tuckers' missed field goals would have given the Ravens the lead in the third quarter, and an Eagles touchdown shortly after the second miss made it a two-score game.
Tucker has now missed 10 kicks this year — two extra points and eight field goals — and has missed at least one kick in all five of the Ravens' losses, all of which have come by one score. Despite the slump, star quarterback Lamar Jackson and the rest of the Ravens are still backing the legendary special teamer according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN.
“Hell yes,” Jackson said when asked if he still has confidence in Tucker, per Hensley. “He's the GOAT still. Let's get back to who he is, that's all. Whatever is going on, just block it out.”
The Ravens don't have too many options going forward. They could cut Tucker, but Harbaugh said after the game that he's not planning on doing that. Regardless, they must get better play out of that position if they want to reach their goals this season, whether that comes from Tucker or someone else.
Ravens struggling to get on the same page
The most frustrating thing about this Ravens team is that they just can't seem to get all of their units to play well at the same time.
This is the best version of the Ravens offense since Lamar Jackson has been here. He has taken multiple steps forward as a passer, even though he has had some blips in recent weeks. Zay Flowers has given Jackson a go-to guy on the perimeter, and Mark Andrews is starting to look more like his old self again. In the run game, Derrick Henry and Jackson are mauling most opponents on the ground.
However, the defense has consistently been one of the worst units on that side of the ball since Harbaugh has been the coach after the departure of Mike Macdonald. This Ravens team still stops the run, but it gives up explosive passes through the air all the time.
Now, as the defense has started to come along and play better, the offense continues to trip over themselves. The addition of the kicking struggles, something the Ravens have obviously never had to deal with over the last decade, make this team annoying in all kinds of ways.
You can see the path to the Ravens being a true contender in the AFC with all of the talent they have and the capability of all three units on the roster. However, something seemingly gets in the way each week.
