The Baltimore Ravens suffered a devastating 17-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday after many believed they could’ve won it all this season. Here are the three Ravens most to blame for the loss.
Offensive coordinator Todd Monken
Baltimore had the league’s best rushing attack in 2023, averaging 156.5 rush yards per game. But running backs Gus Edwards and Justice Hill collectively carried the ball just six times for 23 yards. Of course, QB Lamar Jackson plays a large role in the run game as well. However, even he had just eight carries for 54 yards in the game.
Instead, the Ravens opted to pass the ball 37 times. It was a head-scratching decision by their new offensive coordinator after the Chiefs allowed 182 rushing yards against the Bills in the divisional round of the playoffs last week. The team hired Monken last offseason after he won back-to-back national championships as the OC of the Georgia Bulldogs. But his play-calling fell short this year.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson
There’s no question that Jackson is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. He’ll likely win his second NFL MVP award this year to prove that. But in the biggest game of Jackson’s career, he fumbled and threw a terrible interception into triple coverage in the end zone with the game on the line.
Jackson is now 2-4 in his playoff career and has thrown as many interceptions (six) as he has touchdowns. His postseason struggles continue to define his career, and if he never wins the games that matter, he’ll never earn the respect he deserves.
Flowers has arguably been Baltimore’s best playmaker this year. That continued Sunday when he had a team-leading five catches for 115 yards and a touchdown. But he made a crucial mistake, fumbling the football at the goal line in the fourth quarter.
If Flowers would have held onto the football and scored, the Ravens may be the ones heading to Las Vegas. However, Monken and Jackson should still carry the load of the blame for the loss. Flowers scored the team’s only touchdown of the day and he’ll only learn from his rookie experience in the playoffs.
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