Takeaways From the Season-Ending Divisional Round Loss
The Ravens changed a lot of narratives in their wild-card win over the Tennessee Titans, but Saturday's 17-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills presented new challenges and some familiar storylines that Lamar Jackson and company will have to overcome.
"Jackson won't have to listen to the talk about not winning a playoff game anymore," Press Box's Bo Smolka wrote. "But coming home from Buffalo and staring at the offseason, that will be a hollow victory.
"At this point, the Ravens know they need to put him, and them, in position to take the next step. Last year, the Ravens assessed themselves after their stunning loss to the Titans and knew they needed to upgrade their run defense. This time around, it's easy to look at a passing game that ranked last in the league and identify it as an area of concern."
On a night where the offense struggled to find consistency, the defensive performance was strong. Defensive Coordinator Wink Martindale's unit held a high-powered Bills offense to just 220 yards. A Buffalo team that scored 20 points in 10 straight games coming into the divisional round was held to just 10 offensive points.
But it was the offense that struggled throughout much of the first half, just like the previous two playoff losses. The unit put together its best drive on its first attempt of the second half, but that's when Jackson threw his pick-six and he was knocked out of the game two offensive snaps later.
"Two straight years, we've seen the Ravens overwhelm defenses for much of the regular season and then look mistake-prone and punchless in the postseason," The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec wrote. "Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta and [John]Harbaugh need to figure out why that is and how they can help their 24-year-old quarterback."
"For two years now, they have built one of the most efficient, disaster-resistant systems in football for when common sense breaks down like it did on Saturday," Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr wrote. "They were on a historic pace rushing the football. And for the second straight year, they have sustained a loss that is all parts inexplicable and heartbreaking in the playoffs."
It's fair to question some aspects, but you can make the argument that the Ravens already have the majority of the pieces for a Super Bowl-caliber offense. They have a franchise quarterback under center and the league's top rushing attack over the last two seasons.
Pundits believe the next step is finding an offensive balance.
"Baltimore must find a balance between being the team that can simply exhaust opponents into a team that can bludgeon them in multiple ways; to shapeshift like their opponents did and come out looking stronger," Orr wrote. "Jackson, clearly, is ready to explore those possibilities. After Saturday, Baltimore's front office will be too."
The Ravens ranked last during the regular season, averaging 171.2 passing yards per game, but still finished as one of the NFL's highest-scoring teams. Marquise 'Hollywood' Brown said the Ravens need to be able to throw and move the ball through the air.
"Whenever you're the No. 1 rushing [offense] and the 30-something passing [team], that's not right," Brown said on Sunday. "That's not balanced. We got to find a way to balance our game."
How can the Ravens do this? Penn Live's Aaron Kasinitz says it could start with acquiring more receiving talent.
"With many pieces from a top defense likely to remain in place in 2021, the Ravens have the chance to consider how to score more points in the most important games," Kasinitz wrote. "More specifically, the objective should be to improve a passing game that ranked 21st in the NFL in yards per dropback.
"Acquiring a top-flight receiver could help, or maybe the Ravens will aim to invest in more offensive line muscle. Another pass-catching threat at tight end to pair with Mark Adrews might also aid Jackson."
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January 18, 2021 at 09:51PM
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Late for Work 1/18: After Loss, Pundits Say It's Time to Upgrade the Passing Attack - BaltimoreRavens.com
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