Ravens Season Comes to a Bitter End

The Ravens showed the heart of a champion in a Wild-Card game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Starting quarterback Lamar Jackson missed his sixth straight game with a knee injury and didn’t even travel with the team.

Backup Tyler Huntley overcame a shaky start and made solid plays to keep the Ravens in the game. But it was Huntley’s fumble in the fourth quarter that was the difference.

Huntley had the ball knocked from his hand trying to extend the ball on the Cincinnati 2-yard line and defensive end Sam Hubbard recovered and ran 98 yards the other way to help provide a 24-17 victory.

“We felt like we had a good call; it was a push-sneak play,” coach John Harbaugh said. “It wasn’t executed just the correct way. Tyler went over the top; that’s a ‘burrow’ play – he has to go low on that. That’s the way the play is designed. So, that was two [plays] to get it. [If] you take it off the line of scrimmage, there’s a chance – you might score – but there’s a chance they get you in the backfield, [and] now it’s hard to get it on fourth down.

“So, two to get it there from inside the one [-yard line]. We felt like that was the best call; we just didn’t execute it right.”

If Greg Roman is still employed by the #Ravens on Tuesday because Harbaugh is protecting him, then they should both be gone. Not championing John’s dismissal, but if he refuses to remove Roman, then he’s endorsing the prehistoric offense, the existence of which = failure. https://t.co/cBRmewGOON

— Tony Lombardi (@RSRLombardi) January 16, 2023

The Ravens appeared shell-shocked after the play and never fully recovered.

Huntley’s long heave as time expired could not be corralled by James Proche and the Ravens were headed back to Baltimore.

It was a heartbreaking end to a tough season when the Ravens were often their own worst enemy.

Over the course of the season, they blew several double-digit leads that snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. They never fully took advantage of their fourth-place schedule.

“I’m proud of these guys,” Harbaugh said. “We played a great football game. We had a couple plays that we should have executed better, I guess. Obviously, it’s turnovers in the end is the thing that gets you, but it’s hard to play a perfect game in this type of environment. Obviously, the biggest play is the quarterback sneak; that’s the play that turns the game. That’s a 10 – at least – point swing, maybe a 14-point swing if we go for it and get it – at least a seven-point swing. So, it is what it is.”

However, the Huntley fumble was probably the biggest gut punch because it wasted such a great effort by the defense and ended their season.

Now, the heavy lifting begins.

The Ravens will have to make a big decision to make with Jackson, who is a free agent. Baltimore can try to reach a long-term deal with him, place a franchise tag on him, and/or possibly consider a trade to land multiple first-round picks.

Will Harbaugh retain embattled offensive coordinator Greg Roman, who failed to get the passing attack revved up?

“The whole picture of this season is incredible teammates,” rookie center Tyler Linderbaum said. “I just love the guys on this team and all the things they’ve done for me. It’s a tough way to go out.”

Huntley is also a free agent, so the Ravens try to retain him as some insurance if the Jackson situation does not work out.

These are all questions that will be answered in the coming days, weeks and months.

It certainly won’t be dull in Owings Mills.

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