Ravens-Jaguars Postmortem
One year after the Ravens completely melted down and gave the Dolphins the only victory of their season, both teams have managed to turn their fortunes around and will meet in the playoffs next Sunday.
The Ravens ended the season in style by blowing out Jacksonville at home. I have to admit I was a little nervous at the end of the first quarter, but after the first half the game appeared to be all but over. Mark Clayton had a huge game, pulling in almost every ball thrown at him. The catch he made on that high wobbling pass on the first drive was unbelievable. I still don’t know how he tracked that ball down. Clayton seems to be emerging as a receiver and—just like the rest of the squad—seems to be peaking at the right time. We finally have a balanced offense that is a good compliment to our stellar defense. The puzzle hasn’t been this complete in years, if ever.
Ed Reed took the lead in the NFL for the most interceptions with the two he snagged from David Garrard, but I’m not sure why he felt it necessary to pitch the ball when he was stopped. His first pitch to Haloti Ngata did mange to give the Ravens a few additional yards, but the fumbled pitch in the fourth quarter was absolutely unnecessary and poorly executed. Maybe he wanted to share the wealth or maybe they have been working on it in practice? If that’s the case then they need to work on it a lot more. Pitching to Ngata, while amusing, probably wasn’t the most productive decision.
When the Ravens take the field on Sunday they will be facing a much different Miami team than they saw in week 7. Miami has been on the upswing, and after their big win over the Jets they seem poised for a big game.
The Ravens are a different team as well. That week 7 victory was the first game this year where the Ravens seemed to come together as a team. Both teams are playing near the peak of their game and it should prove to be a good matchup.
I think the Ravens defense will prove to be too strong for the ’Fins offense. With the amount of pressure that the Ravens can bring, I think Chad Pennington may be forced to make the rare bad decision and turn the ball over. I am a little concerned that the Ravens are forced to go on the road for the duration of the playoffs and that the teams they could face, aside from the Dolphins, are all teams that they have lost to in the past. The Ravens certainly have a tough road ahead of them but they have also proven that they are a tough team. If they stick to their game plan and keep the mistakes to a minimum I think they have a shot.
Either way it’s just great to have at least one more week of Ravens’ football.
Hey I think the Jags just turned the ball over again just now.
Also, don’t forget about that awesome Smith to Flacco back to Smith play that got us 50 yards. We tried it earlier in the year and it failed, and the commentators went nuts about how Cammeron was getting to clever for his own good. We did it again and it worked, and man that thing is nice.
That Smith to Flacco to Smith play was incredible.
I don’t think that the pitches were practiced. After Reed tossed it to Haloti, they showed him on the sideline. Both Rex Ryan and Harbaugh were in his face and, in my opinion, didn’t look too happy. I understood the laterals last year. We didn’t have an offense, the defense felt like they had to put up points whenever they touched the ball. But this is a differnent year. WE HAVE AN OFFENSE, BABY!
Bring on Miami.
I agree that the pitches are stupid, but Reed won’t quit doing it, and as long as it doesnt ruin the game, I like the attitude. But seriously, Reed, cut it out.
Good Luck against the Dolphins on Sunday. This is absolutely a very winnable game for the Ravens, but it those Dolphins are tricky…you never know what they’ll pull out next.
Neal…Nice re-design. I like it!