A week ago the Ravens were being talked about as maybe the most dominant team in the league. A week later, and we have a sobering reminder that like most teams, they have flaws.
Baltimore blew yet another lead in Week 10, this time to the Browns, who were down 14 points in the fourth quarter. It was Baltimore’s ninth loss in the last three years with a lead of at least seven points in the fourth quarter. That’s the most losses in those situations in a three-season span in NFL history.
At this point, I imagine Ravens fans reacting in similar fashion to Jerry Seinfeld in the episode with the rental car reservation.
“See, you know how to take the lead. You just don’t know how to hold the lead.”
Indeed. If the Ravens have Super Bowl aspirations, they should be measured against the best. They have more losses in those situations in the last three years (nine) than the Chiefs, Eagles, 49ers, Bengals, Bills and Cowboys combined (eight).
The stats coming out on the Ravens failure to close games are astonishing.
They’ve started 7-3 for a second straight season despite historic domination.
The 2023 Ravens are the 10th team since 2000 to lead in the final two minutes in each of their first 10 games. The other nine teams were 89-1. Again, this team is 7-3.
The 2022 Ravens were the sixth team in NFL history to lead by double-digits in each of their first 10 games. The other five teams were 49-1.
Baltimore’s recent failures to maintain leads might be the biggest thing keeping them from a Super Bowl (outside of a Lamar Jackson injury). On the surface, it doesn’t make much sense either. The Ravens have one of the league best run games and defenses, a formula built for protecting leads. So what’s going on here?
I watched all the plays from their biggest fourth-quarter blown leads over the last several years and came to these three conclusions:
1. Lamar Jackson turnovers
For better or…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/ravens-and-blown-leads-three-reasons-baltimore-has-had-historic-late-game-collapses/
Author : Douglas Clawson
Publish date : 2023-11-16 13:48:49
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