Ravens Swept by Bengals, Playoff Hopes Dim As Identity Crisis Develops

Many Baltimore Ravens followers are saying our team is one missed kick and one dropped pass short of being 6-2 this season.  “Would’ve, could’ve, should’ve” is how that saying goes. 

It seems that John Harbaugh and the rest of the gang are resorting to excuses for poor play, when they should be looking at how the team is performing on the field, and addressing the problems head-on.

Ravens fans deserve better than the type of play that transpired in Cincinnati on Sunday—a devastating 17-7 loss to the first place Bengals.

I give credit to the Bengals for playing solid football in every category, but it’s nothing the Ravens haven’t seen so far.  How does a team like Baltimore completely shut down the Broncos, one of the best teams in football, and then play as if they had nothing to play for in Cincinnati? 

It’s this question that poses the most concerns for Ravens fans everywhere.

There has been a lot of chatter in Baltimore about Greg Mattison and his competency as a defensive coordinator in the NFL.  The dialogue is well-founded when you see a defense go from first to worst in less than a season. 

However, I don’t think all of the blame rests on a single person.  In order to be successful in the NFL, you need to play to your strengths.  You need to find a blueprint that fits the team and run with it.  So far the Ravens have yet to find that blueprint this season.

Baltimore is dealing with a growing identity crisis in 2009.  Against Cincinnati on Sunday, the Ravens were uncharacteristically quick to abandon their game plan, as they fell behind 14-0 late in the first quarter. 

Flacco started throwing the ball carelessly, which resulted in two interceptions within Bengals territory.  The “run-first” Ravens then stuck to short check-down throws, due to good coverage on Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton for most of the game. 

Their offense just couldn’t develop any sort of rhythm, and subsequently lost the time-of-possession battle by 20 minutes.

I mention “run-first,” because the key to the Ravens’ success in the past has been their running game.  They carried over the same three backs from last season, and Ray Rice has developed into one of the best all-around backs in the NFL. 

Why are they shying away from the three-headed running attack which proved to be immensely successful last year?  Abandoning this formula has already proven to be costly for the team this season.

The Ravens need to find their roots again in the 3-4 defense.  Ray Lewis and company flourished in this formation, and they had much more success in stopping both the run and the pass. 

Going back to the 3-4 would allow the team to get pressure on the quarterback, while enabling the young players in the secondary to cover the opposing receivers more efficiently. 

Of course it’s easy to sit back and play armchair quarterback, without knowing what’s going on in the locker room and in weekly practices, but the concept is simple—never abandon what works.

My Outlook for the Rest of the Season

Frankly, I don’t believe the Ravens have the personnel on defense to get to the playoffs.  Major changes are needed in the secondary, and it’s just not going to happen this season. 

I’m afraid it’s going to take another offseason before the Ravens can reflect on the changes they need to make in the problem areas.  I would like to see Lardarius Webb gain more playing time, especially with the injury to Fabian Washington at corner. 

Webb has proven to be a brilliant special teams player, and has shown what he’s capable of in coverage.  He filled in well when Washington went down during the second-half of the game on Sunday.

Everyone knows that special teams play an important role during the course of a season, let alone a few close games.  Baltimore needs to invest in a kicker that can deliver under pressure. 

Steven Hauschka has failed to control his nerves during pressure situations in games where three points mattered.  This was apparent a few weeks ago against Minnesota, and this past Sunday at Cincinnati. 

This is a failure of the coaching staff—either they spend more time with the young kicker, or sign someone else to the team during the offseason.

The bright side to the Ravens’ dilemma is that they’re only two games out of first place in the AFC North.  Historically, the Bengals have trouble in November and December, and the Ravens have a chance to gain ground on Pittsburgh if they can win both matchups. 

That’s a tall order, but the Ravens and Steelers always play close.

There are eight weeks left in the NFL regular season.  That’s a lot of football left to be played, and anything can happen.  If Baltimore can fix some of the problems listed here, they have a good shot at making the playoffs—they still control their own destiny.

Unlike the pundits, I’m not going to award the division to Cincinnati just yet!