Let’s start the way we have to… What a season. What a freaking season. We might not be happy to say it today, but Ravens fans cannot walk away from the run these Ravens made with any regrets.
But that is plenty of sappiness. Real football talk to follow.
The Ravens were simply one-upped tonight. They were in this game until the bitter end - six minutes to play, even - and it is hard to complain about a game that stayed so close for so long. A game that was winnable in so many ways until that six minute mark.
The Blame Game:
Darren Stone: 40%. Steep, I know, but deserving. Stone cost the Ravens upwards of 30 yards of field position on the most crucial drive of the game. Instead of starting near their own 45 yard line, the Ravens started all the way at their own 14. And instead of needing to game between 20 and 30 yards to get into field goal range, they suddenly needed more than 50 yards. It changed everything. All because Stone wanted to get a lick in that didn’t faze his man anyway. When the Ravens hit the field, Flacco and the entire unit were pressured to pass and get big yardage. And that pressure is a big part of why Troy Polamalu wound up in the endzone just minutes later.
Wide Receiving Corps: 25%. The blame here is for a few reasons. First and foremost, for their inability to get open. Flacco was rushed often, sure. But just as often Joe Cool had mountains of time in the pocket and no one to throw to. Good teams, good receivers, can use time to get open. The Ravens were not able to do that. Part of it should be a credit to the Steelers pass defense. Part of it falls on the Ravens receivers.
But in addition to their inability to get open, the receivers deserve some blame for just being lazy. There were multiple times - multiple - where Ravens runners were taken down by defenders that should have been blocked. Hines Ward may be hated, but he does his job as a blocker. To Mark Clayton and Derrick Mason: you need to run, and hit your defender. Don’t just assume he is going to let you block him. Read the rest of this entry »

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