Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh has either forgotten about one of the prevailing criticisms of his team in the recent past, or he never heard it in the first place. The former is probably easier to believe than the latter.
There’s also the possibility that he just didn’t want to give the narrative any air, particularly the day after a pulsating 41-38 overtime win over the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Their third consecutive victory after an 0-2 start allowed the Ravens to wake up Monday morning atop the AFC North.
So when Harbaugh was asked Monday about the criticism that the Ravens tend to “panic” when they get behind by double digits, he turned the question around.
“Maybe we should get credit for the number of times we’ve come back from double-digit deficits,” he said.
Add Sunday’s game to the list. The Ravens faced deficits in the second half of 24-14, 31-21 and 38-28 before scoring the game’s final 13 points over the last 5 1/2 minutes of regulation and the overtime period. Justin Tucker kicked the game-winning 24-yard field goal in OT after his 56-yard make with 95 seconds left in regulation tied the game.
“I’d rather be up by double digits and hold a lead, but it’s good to know you can do it,” Harbaugh said.
For the Ravens, this season is always going to be defined by what they do when/if they make the playoffs. Last season’s AFC championship loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, along with early playoff exits in three of the previous four years before that, made sure that would be the case. In a few of their more confounding postseason losses, the Ravens have fallen behind early and abandoned what helped them get to that point.
A few players said following Sunday’s game that it was the type of victory that could springboard the team to bigger and better things. With their defense struggling mightily and special teams pitching in with a few gaffes, the Ravens and quarterback Lamar Jackson kept their poise to make some key plays late in the game.
Registering a comeback on the road against a desperate division rival is certainly a notable occurrence for a team with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations. However, what feels even more consequential to the 2024 Ravens’ future is the way they won.
In Weeks 3 and 4 victories over the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills, Baltimore bludgeoned the opposition with its Derrick Henry-led run game. The Ravens rushed for 274 yards and three scores against the Cowboys. They then rushed for 271 yards and two touchdowns the following week against the Bills.
After a difficult two-game start, the performances were viewed as proof that the Ravens had found their offensive identity. But the questions persisted. What would happen if a defense devoted eight or nine men to the box with the idea of taking the Baltimore run game away? Would the Ravens be able to move the ball through the air and put up points?
Cincinnati did just that, and Baltimore responded accordingly. Packing the line of scrimmage, the Bengals held the Ravens’ league-best run game mostly in check until Henry’s 51-yard run down the sideline in overtime all but put Zac Taylor’s team away. The Ravens finished with 175 rushing yards on 34 carries. Take away Henry’s one huge gain and Baltimore averaged just 3.8 yards per carry on the ground.
What the Bengals couldn’t do was stop Jackson and the Ravens through the air. While being in obvious passing situations for much of the second half, Jackson completed 26 of 42 attempts for 348 yards and four touchdowns. The Ravens’ proving ground this season will be in January and perhaps February — if they make it that far. But Sunday’s comeback showed they could win a game when their high-powered running attack is contained.
“I would just say we’re a balanced offense but still have work to improve on,” said Jackson, who previously said he believes defenses had to “pick their poison” because Baltimore’s offense can succeed in different ways. “I don’t believe we’ve reached our ceiling yet. There is still room for improvement throughout this whole season, and it’s a long season.”
That doesn’t mean you cannot recognize the positive signs. One, Jackson was super against the blitz, an area that has been an issue in the past — particularly in a few of the team’s postseason losses. Against the Bengals, Jackson was 14-of-20 for 183 yards and two touchdowns against the blitz, which equates to a 139.0 passer rating, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. Versus Cover 0 looks, Jackson was 5-for-8 for 50 yards and two scores.
Two, Jackson spread the ball around and kept everyone involved. A prominent topic coming into the Cincinnati game was the limited recent opportunities for most of the Ravens’ pass-catching group. However, Jackson targeted nine different players against the Bengals, and six of them had three targets or more. Five different players also had 30 or more receiving yards, and that included tight end Mark Andrews, who had four receptions for 55 yards after being held without a catch in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.
“Just different things, guys making plays, stepping up and catching the ball,” Andrews said. “There are so many different instances of guys getting the rock in their hand and making somebody miss, getting the yards, getting the first down. That’s awesome to see.”
A week after backup running back Justice Hill uncharacteristically led the Ravens in catches, targets and receiving yards, Jackson found other unlikely offensive contributors in No. 3 tight end Charlie Kolar, who had three catches for 64 yards and a touchdown; and No. 4 wide receiver Tylan Wallace, who had two big fourth-down catches for 31 yards.
Meanwhile, three of the team’s more typical targets — Zay Flowers (seven catches for 111 yards), Rashod Bateman (four catches for 58 yards and a touchdown) and Isaiah Likely (three catches for 13 yards and two touchdowns — remained involved.
“It’s timing. The run game was working, so are you going to stop running the ball if it’s working? But it was our time to get open, to catch passes and make big plays. That’s what we did,” said Flowers, who had 12 targets Sunday after having six combined over the previous two weeks. “It just gives us a test. I feel like you can never go wrong with having a test and just moving forward in the season, so we know what we can do.”
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And three, Jackson was able to produce some chunk plays in the passing game, many of them requiring the offensive line to hold up, the pass catchers creating separation and the quarterback delivering the ball in an accurate and timely fashion. The Ravens had seven completions for 17 or more yards.
They had already shown they could produce big plays with their running game. The ability to consistently do it through the air, which they did on Sunday, adds another dimension to an offense that looks more dangerous by the week.
“The offense runs through (Jackson),” said center Tyler Linderbaum. “He’s going to make special plays and also, just the talent that we have in that whole room. A lot of weapons, and the O-line tries to block as long as we can. It’s a special group.”
(Top photo of Rashod Bateman: Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
