[Baltimore Sun] Mike Preston’s Ravens mailbag: Answering questions about blown leads and more | COMMENTARY
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Baltimore Sun columnist Mike Preston will answer fans’ questions in the middle of each week throughout the Ravens season. A week after the Ravens (1-2) suffered a demoralizing home defeat to the Las Vegas Raiders, they jumped out to a big lead behind Derrick Henry and held on the beat the Dallas Cowboys in Texas on Sunday for their first win of the season.
Here’s Preston’s take on a handful of questions from readers:
(Editor’s note: Questions have been edited for length and clarity.)
Can you try to explain, in 10,000 words or less, why the Ravens play so poorly in the fourth quarter? This has been a problem for many years, through several offensive coordinators, several defensive coordinators, and one head coach. — Bob in North Carolina
It’s a total team effort. Fans like to point at one area. They say it’s coach John Harbaugh or quarterback Lamar Jackson. They say it’s the secondary or the Ravens don’t get a good pass rush. It’s a composite of problems.
The goal of any coach is to get his team to the final four minutes of a game, and then the playmakers are supposed to take over. Well, in some ways, Harbaugh has achieved that goal. Even though the Ravens are 1-2, Harbaugh has compiled a 172-109 record and gone 12-10 in the postseason. His decision-making in the final four minutes over the past couple of seasons has been questionable, but the overall body of work has been impressive.
Who have been the consistent playmakers on the roster? Go ahead, name them. Give up yet? It’s long been Jackson but he hasn’t been clutch in crucial situations, which is why he has a 2-4 record in the postseason. But it’s not just Jackson and the run-oriented, play-action offense, either. The Harbaughs, including brother Jim now with the Los Angeles Chargers, love to run the ball — which is great, but if the Ravens don’t get a lead or have to come back in the fourth quarter, they struggle. Why? Because they have a lot of top-heavy offensive linemen who can knock players off the ball but struggle in pass protection. That’s been a problem for the past six years. The Ravens can bring in all the new offensive coordinators they want, but the passing game struggles unless Jackson improvises even in throwing the long ball.
Defensively, the Ravens became too predictable under former defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale, so they replaced him with Mike Macdonald. He oversaw the NFL’s best defense a year ago but now coaches the 3-0 Seattle Seahawks. What we’re seeing right now with Baltimore is in many ways a team in transition.
The Ravens lost their three top defensive coaches from a year ago, and it takes time to replace them. They have a new coordinator in Zach Orr, and that will continue to be an adjustment probably until the midseason. The big problem is that the Ravens’ secondary tires in the fourth quarter and the group has no clue where they are supposed to be. In fact, it has become embarrassing.
Regardless, with new additions on offense (especially the line) and defense, it will take time to jell. Some fans have written the Ravens off already at 1-2, but there are 14 teams with 1-2 records including San Francisco, Miami, New England, Indianapolis, Cleveland and the Los Angeles Rams. There is still a lot of football left to play. Here’s my advice to fans: chill.
What type of leash do you give Justin Tucker as he experiences the first genuine slump of his career? What will Roger Rosengarten’s role be moving forward after the offensive line had success without him in Dallas? What is going on with Mark Andrews? I know formations are more run-heavy now and he’s been a successful blocker, but he’s pretty much nonexistent in the pass game. — Grant from North East
Sorry, Grant, Andrews has not been successful as a blocker. The Ravens’ tight ends don’t always want to block and that can make running the ball hard.
Rosengarten will be in the lineup soon enough. Again, the Ravens were only playing the Cowboys. Mekari’s body can’t hold up the entire season, so expect Rosengarten to be in the rotation soon.
As far as Tucker, kickers have to play their way out of a slump like hitters in MLB. Once you hit one or two in a row, the confidence comes back. At this point, he has earned the trust of Harbaugh to work out any technique issues. Maybe the leg isn’t as strong as it has been, but he deserves time to work out any kinks.
Missing three kicks in three games is unsuual for Justin Tucker, but the Ravens aren’t giving up on their longtime kicker. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff)
Small sample size, but are the Ravens lamenting not re-signing Patrick Queen? His motor and interior presence have been missed. — Max N. Panoff in Miami
I don’t think so. Queen had two productive years in Baltimore but didn’t take off until the Ravens traded for inside linebacker Roquan Smith during the 2022 season. But once the Ravens signed Jackson to a long-term megadeal in April 2023, it was always going to be tough for them to keep good players such as Queen, outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney and safety Geno Stone. All were free agents and were going to make good money in other places. When teams believe they have a franchise-caliber quarterback, it’s a major decision they have to make, and these are the ripple effects.
Right now, Queen is third on the Steelers with 14 tackles and he’ll do well with coach Mike Tomlin. He plays every snap and plays faster every game. He has a presence with Pittsburgh. Defensively, the Ravens have been solid with Trent Simpson and Malik Harrison on the outside, but they do miss Queen. Like everything else in the NFL, it was a business decision.
Should the Ravens have used the money they gave to Madubuike to fix the O-line? — @jsamaroo6 on X
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Nope, Madubuike led the Ravens in sacks with 13 last year and has gotten better every year since joining the club as a third-round pick in 2020. He has reshaped his body and several teams were ready to make him big offers if he didn’t re-sign with the Ravens. It was a good, sound business move. Without him, the Ravens would be in big trouble. Don’t always look at the statistics. He has a presence in the locker room and on the field as a leader. Few players have worked as hard as Madubuike.
With respect to the very questionable “roughing the passer” call against Odafe Oweh, what actions can the Ravens take? Is the officiating for every game reviewed by the league office during the week? If the call was wrong (which it was in this example), does the league correct the various crews? Are the Ravens notified that the call was correct or incorrect and why? Just curious. — Dan H in Elkton
Dan, I think you answered all your questions. It was a terrible call, and all games are reviewed by the league office. The Ravens will be notified of the decision one way or another. Who knows, the league office might see something we didn’t see but the officials blew this one.
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