What Went Wrong: Quoth the (Baltimore) Ravens, "Playoffs?! Nevermore!"

Normally, my "What Went Wrong" stories are usually about teams who were eliminated during the playoffs, and I've done those stories regarding NHL and MLB teams. The NFL is interesting, as the short schedule allows for close races that make in-season eliminations quite gripping. This was definitely the case regarding the Baltimore Ravens, and it still mystifies me as a football fan. Two-thirds through the season, the Ravens were at the top of the entire American Football Conference after an ugly win over the Cleveland Browns, but as we would see in the weeks that followed, it would be their last. So how did this catastrophic collapse happen? Here's a look at Baltimore's last six games of their season.

Week Thirteen (@ PIT): The Ravens entered their first meeting against the rival Pittsburgh Steelers at the top of the conference, but in Pittsburgh, they were being dominated handily by the Steelers. Even so, Lamar Jackson led the charge for the Ravens to come back late, and it was capped off by a TD pass to cut their deficit to one with just 12 seconds left. Overtime was clearly inevitable, as an extra point would tie the game. However, despite having the greatest kicker in NFL history in Justin Tucker, head coach John Harbaugh decided to go for two, and Jackson's pass to tight end Mark Andrews (the #1 go-to target all season) failed. Steelers held on and won, 20-19, and that decision to go for two was to blame for that loss.

Week Fourteen (@ CLE): The Ravens suffered a blow to their offense, as Jackson would be sidelined due to injury, allowing Tyler Huntley to start at QB in Cleveland. The loss in Pittsburgh, coupled with the New England Patriots' victory, knocked the Ravens out of the #1 spot, but they still led the AFC North entering their second meeting against the Browns. The Browns smelled the blood in the water; they were looking to avenge their failure to defeat the Ravens two weeks earlier (despite intercepting Jackson four times), and they were doing a good job of that. Of course, nothing comes easy for the Browns, as Huntley led a late comeback, but couldn't finish it. Browns won 24-22, handing the Ravens their second straight loss.

Week Fifteen (vs GB): Despite back-to-back losses, the Ravens remained in first place, but dropped to the #4 position. The good news, however, they were heading back home. The bad news came in the form of who was also heading to Baltimore: Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. And they would receive worse news: Jackson still wasn't cleared. So for the second straight week, Huntley led the charge, and despite being at home, we would see early fourth down conversions from the Ravens that would fall short. Even so, the game ended up being high-scoring and competitive, with Huntley even scoring not one, but two TDs on the ground--the second one cutting their deficit to one with 42 seconds left. So again, they were in prime position to tie the game, and you would think that Harbaugh learned his lesson, right? Wrong. Again, he decided to go for two, and again, it was a pass play to Andrews, and once again, it didn't connect.

The decision is a perfect example of this saying: "The definition of insanity is attempting the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result." But there's a different wrinkle here. Say that attempt is successful and Baltimore leads 32-31. Rodgers has 42 seconds left and a timeout in his pocket. Did Harbaugh seriously think he would have had this game won? Ask Kyle Shanahan (or literally anyone) what happens when you leave time on the clock for Rodgers.

Week Sixteen (@ CIN): So for the 2nd time in three games, the Ravens lost due to a decision to go for two instead of kick a game tying PAT, and it cost them big time. Not only were they out of first place in the division due to the Cincinnati Bengals winning that week, but due to tiebreakers, the Ravens were now behind the playoff line. However, they would have a golden opportunity to get the division lead back, as they were in Cincinnati facing the Bengals. But the problems continued for the Ravens; not only was Jackson still out, but Huntley tested positive for COVID-19, and that forced the Ravens to start Josh Johnson at QB. Johnson had a good game, throwing for 304, but that was small potatoes, as Joe Burrow had over 500 yards of his own. This one wasn't close, Bengals won 41-21, handing the Ravens their fourth straight loss.

Week Seventeen (vs LAR): Here's how bad the Ravens were doing. After eight games, the Ravens were 6-2, and the Miami Dolphins were 1-7. Entering the final two weeks of the season, both teams were 8-7, and the Ravens were actually behind the Dolphins due to a head-to-head loss to Miami in Week 10. The Ravens would be at home for the final two weeks, but they first had to deal with a surging Los Angeles Rams team. Baltimore actually had the Rams on the ropes, leading for the entire first half and taking a 16-7 lead into the fourth quarter. But the Rams would come back, and down 19-14, Odell Beckham Jr came through with a 4th and 1 conversion, followed by his go-ahead TD. The two-pointer failed, but the Rams defense shut the door and won 20-19, dropping the Ravens to .500 even.

Week Eighteen (vs PIT): Even at 8-8, the Ravens remained alive in the playoff race, but they were the lowest team in the hunt. Not only did they need to defeat the Steelers, but they also needed the Indianapolis Colts and the Los Angeles Chargers to lose, and they needed the Miami Dolphins (who were eliminated a week prior) to lose or tie as well. This was an outright elimination game, as the Steelers' playoff hopes were also faint. During this game, the Colts actually lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars, but it was downright ugly throughout. It was 3-3 at halftime, but Latavius Murray's 46 yard TD made it 10-3 for the home Ravens. Chris Boswell's FG made it 10-6, but despite Pittsburgh's defense holding on, it remained 10-6 for a long time, until Chase Claypool's TD gave the Steelers the lead. Justin Tucker tied it with 1:13 left, and overtime was needed. Ravens won the toss, but failed to score, and Pittsburgh's drive led them to FG range, where Boswell nailed a 36-yarder to win it for the Steelers.

So with that, the Baltimore Ravens went from 8-3 and leading the entire AFC, to finishing 8-9 and missing the playoffs on the final week. The crazy thing: even if they had won, they still would have been eliminated, with the Dolphins' win being the only thing that would have eliminated a potential 9-8 Ravens team. There were quite a few factors in the Ravens' disappointing season, but the main one was their 1-5 divisional record. In actuality, the Ravens should have been completely winless in division play, as Lamar Jackson threw four interceptions in that game against the Browns, but Cleveland couldn't capitalize. Harbaugh's obsession with two-point conversions also played a factor, and honestly, a collapse like this should result in a pink slip for Harbaugh (the Dolphins fired head coach Brian Flores for less). Overall, this was a very stunning fall from grace for the Ravens, and they have plenty of time to figure things out and try for a better result for 2022.

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