Drops.
If we’re finding one word to sum up the Ravens 29-24 loss to the Cleveland Browns yesterday, that one word alone can sum up the whole game. Drops on offense, big drops on defense, which culminated in the Ravens dropping the game.
The day started out as with Lamar Jackson commanding the offense down the field until Derrick Henry was stopped on a 4th and 1 on the Browns 10 yard line off a running back direct snap. The Browns used that momentum to propel their offense down the field and end the drive with a field goal to take the lead. The rest of the first half was back in forth, both offenses being stopped and while tacking in a field goal for each respective side. The first touchdown of the game came with 24 seconds left in the first half as Kyle Hamilton sacked Jameis Winston and forced a fumble on the Browns own 20. This led to a Lamar Jackson to Nelson Agholor 10-yard touchdown pass to help the Ravens take a 10-6 lead going into halftime.
The second half saw the Jameis Winston led Brown drive down the field and end it with a David Njoku 25-yard touchdown catch. A play in which he wrestled the ball away Ravens safety Eddie Jackson (who had a day to forget). The Ravens followed up as they had a long drive of their own ending in a Mark Andrews touchdown to put the Ravens up 17-13 with 4:33 left in the third quarter. After the Browns followed with a score drive of their own to take the lead back 20-17, this is where missed opportunities became the story of the day.
Rashod Bateman dropped a ball off a 60 yard throw by Lamar Jackson that would have been a big swing in the game. Eddie Jackson had two dropped interceptions that were even highlighted by the announcers. Despite the Ravens having so many missed opportunities, they still had a 24-23 lead with less than three minutes left in the game. But just as Ravens fans were beginning to think the mistakes couldn’t get any worse, Kyle Hamilton dropped game ending interception with a minute on the clock. But as is the story of the game, the drop lead to a Browns touchdown on the very next play and led to the Ravens dropping the game 29-24.
The Ravens have some soul searching to do this week as the Denver Broncos (5-3) led by rookie Bo Nix come to Baltimore next Sunday at 1pm.
Charm City Sports 