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There are not any awards for ‘shoulda, woulda, coulda’ in sport. ‘What-ifs’ can stay in followers’ and gamers’ reminiscences ceaselessly, however the finish outcomes stay the identical.

All of that stated, Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens will really feel like they ought to be 5-0 at this level within the NFL season, not 3-2.

In Week Three, after sacking Indianapolis Colts backup quarterback Gardner Minshew ultimately zone to realize a security and take a 19-16 lead at house with two minutes to go… the Ravens ought to have held on to win. However they gave up a game-tying discipline objective and misplaced in extra time.

In Week 5, after Jackson led the Ravens to a 7-0 lead in Pittsburgh and put collectively a 15-play drive to go up 10-0, it ought to have been 14-0 however Mark Andrews and Rashod Bateman could not maintain on ultimately zone.

With a first-and-goal, up 10-8 with 5 minutes to go, they ought to have put factors on the board. However a goal-line interception and a protracted George Pickens landing later, they dropped to 3-2.

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Highlights of Baltimore’s painful Week 5 loss in Pittsburgh

In a league infatuated with Mike McDaniel’s mysterious Xs and Os, Patrick Mahomes’ dominance and Christian McCaffrey’s unstoppable Niners, the Baltimore Ravens ought to have put themselves within the contender combine.

They only want to start out taking good care of enterprise.

The large image

We should not ignore the very fact the Ravens have a profitable document in such a crowded convention, and have already got two AFC North division wins below their belt.

They began their season by dismissing the Houston Texans and knocking off the Cincinnati Bengals. After that deflating extra time defeat to Indianapolis in Week Three, they bounced again to crush the Cleveland Browns earlier than final week’s loss.

Total, the numbers paint an image of a well-balanced crew. On offense, they’re thirteenth in complete yards, albeit 18th in factors. Their working recreation may be very sturdy (fourth with 146 yards per recreation), however the passing recreation could possibly be a lot better (189 yards per recreation – seventh-worst).

Baltimore’s protection is flying. They’ve allowed simply 266 yards and 15 factors per recreation, each second-lowest within the league. They’ve the second-most sacks, with 18 by means of 5 video games.

Nevertheless, it’s mishaps and poor execution from the assault which have plagued head coach John Harbaugh’s crew to date, and if they do not get it fastened soo, they may fall too far behind the Dolphins, Payments and Chiefs, who’ve the flexibility to attain shortly and put up 30-plus factors in any given recreation.

Take final weekend as a primary instance.

Social media provides loads of standalone clips, however watch this brief video of Jackson placing the ball on the cash for his receivers, just for them to fail to safe catches on a number of events.

Ravens pass-catchers have been credited with seven drops towards Pittsburgh final Sunday, three of them showing to be clear touchdowns had they held on.

If the Ravens ran up the rating sooner, or have been in a position to transfer the chains extra effectively, then we seemingly would not be speaking about Jackson’s worst throw of the day – his end-zone choose within the course of Odell Beckham Jr that allowed Pittsburgh again into the sport.

The field rating doesn’t inform the story of how effectively he’s performing, each as a passer and a runner.

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Highlights of the Ravens towards the Bengals in Week Two

Though he has simply the Twentieth-most passing yards to date (1,030), he’s making good selections and for probably the most half, placing the ball precisely the place it must be. He’s fifth in completion share (69.9) and that’s regardless of the crew being plagued with drops, as proven above.

Along with his passing, he is nonetheless including wonderful worth as a runner, with 265 yards on the bottom (5.6 per try), 4 touchdowns, and 18 first downs (Eleventh-most throughout all gamers).

It’s that dual-threat dynamism that noticed Jackson named NFL MVP in 2019, making him the one participant exterior of Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers to win the award within the final 5 seasons.

That yr, Jackson threw for 3,127 yards and 36 touchdowns with a 113.3 passer ranking, and added 1,206 yards and 7 touchdowns on the bottom.

This time round, the quantity merely is not there but – regardless of him making particular performs recreation in, recreation out.

There are two extra examples from Baltimore’s win over Cleveland in Week 4:

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Jackson and Zay Flowers join for a 43-yard achieve towards the Cleveland Browns

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Tight finish Mark Andrews soars to catch a landing go from Jackson

Within the first play, Jackson shows his persistence, velocity and shiftiness, however all whereas behind the road of scrimmage, permitting him to maintain his eyes downfield and select Zay Flowers. On the second, the sixth-year QB couldn’t have put the ball in a greater spot for tight finish Mark Andrews.

Regardless of a delay and the actual risk of a departure from Baltimore over the summer season, Jackson lastly acquired his long-term, $260m contract, and to date, he is proving to be greater than price it. He simply wants some assist.

What now?

Again in early September, Sky Sports activities NFL’s Cameron Hogwood recognized Baltimore’s first-year offensive coordinator Todd Monken as some of the necessary folks within the league heading into the season.

Rising pains have been to be anticipated because the Ravens transitioned from a run-first, energy unit to at least one that appears to unfold the sphere and join on explosive performs downfield.

Nevertheless, head coach Harbaugh wants that transition to occur shortly. Over an impressive 16 years in cost, there is not any denying his success. Eleven profitable seasons, 150 common season victories, a Tremendous Bowl within the 2012 season.

The final 5 years have been crammed with heartbreaking endings.

Jackson has not but had his playoff coming-out occasion but, and the quarterback-head coach pairing know they should put that proper.

Flowers is a rookie, Beckham is coming back from an harm and in his first yr with the crew, veteran Nelson Agholor is new to the roster too. Third-year wideout Rashod Bateman missed a big a part of final season with a foot harm. Proper now, one or all of them have to step up and stand out.

When Baltimore face Tennessee at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday within the final of this yr’s London video games, they will not have any ideas of January video games, or perhaps a February recreation. They will not be occupied with how they ought to have 5 wins or what may occur down the road.

However to ensure that them to succeed in that final objective and be on the sphere in Nevada on February 11, the Ravens merely have to care for enterprise, each week.