The Ravens went from bad to worse on Sunday as the Los Angeles Rams sent a once-promising Baltimore season further into the abyss.
The Rams held the Ravens out of the end zone for a 17-3 win that sent Baltimore to 1-5. In the course of the game, the Ravens twice failed to score on a tush push, replaced ineffective quarterback Cooper Rush with Tyler Huntley and got booed by the home fans in Baltimore.
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It added up to what looks like another nail in the coffin of a season that started with Super Bowl aspirations. And it’s only Week 6.
Cooper Rush was benched on Sunday in a game in which he was credited with two turnovers.
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / Reuters)
The Ravens played again on Sunday without All-Pro quarterback Lamar Jackson, who missed a second straight game with a hamstring injury. For the first time since Jackson’s injury, the Ravens managed to establish the run. But it didn’t result in a touchdown or an offense that looked remotely competent as a whole.
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The only solace in Baltimore is Jackson’s expected return after a Week 7 bye. Head coach John Harbaugh announced after the game that Jackson is expected to return in Week 8 against the Chicago Bears along with All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith. Whether the season is salvageable at that point seems less likely by the week.
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Ravens derailed after tush pushes fail
Baltimore managed to keep things close in the first half against the Rams and faced a chance to go into the halftime locker room with a 10-3 lead after setting up first-and-goal inside the 5-yard line late in the second quarter. A Derrick Henry run on first down put the ball inside the 1. But then disaster struck.
Instead of giving the ball to Henry again on second and third down, the Ravens twice ran tush-push plays with tight end Mark Andrews carrying the ball. The Rams stuffed both runs and appeared to come up with a fumble recovery on third down before officials blew the play dead late, declaring that forward progress had been stopped.
The Rams still came up with the stop. They stuffed Henry behind the line of scrimmage on fourth down, and the game went into halftime tied at 3-3. From there it was all Los Angeles.
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The Rams scored touchdowns on each of their first two drives to start the second half. The Ravens lost fumbles on their first two possessions. The second Ravens turnover of the half and third of the game on a botched handoff from Rush to Zay Flowers drew boo-birds from the M&T Bank Stadium stands.
With Los Angeles holding a 17-3 lead in the fourth quarter, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh had seen enough of Rush.
The Ravens benched Rush in favor of third-string quarterback Tyler Huntley early in the fourth. Huntley sparked a 74-yard Ravens drive into the red zone. But the possession broke down when a fourth-down incompletion resulted in a turnover on downs.
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That was Baltimore’s last, best hope. And in a game where Baltimore fans booed the home team, they fled the stands long before the game’s final snap.
Ravens dominate ball, but not scoreboard
The Ravens actually outgained the Rams in total yardage, 296-241, and held an overwhelming advantage in time of possession at 37:55-22:05. But that edge on offense resulted in just three points.
The Ravens turned the ball over three times and had four other possessions end on turnovers on downs. They averaged just 3.9 yards per play and repeatedly failed to come up with plays when it mattered most.
A week after throwing zero touchdowns and three interceptions in his first start of the season in a loss to the Texans, Rush completed 15 of 19 passes for 72 yards (3.8 yards per attempt). He threw an interception and was credited with a fumble on the botched handoff to Flowers.
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It adds up to what the Ravens hope is his last start of the season as Baltimore rests its hopes on a miracle rally from a 1-5 start upon Jackson’s return.
