Here’s what The Baltimore Sun sports staff had to say immediately after the Ravens’ 22-19 overtime loss to the visiting Indianapolis Colts in Sunday’s Week 3 game at M&T Bank Stadium.
Brian Wacker: This is a loss that will sting. Despite struggling to hold onto the ball — from Kenyan Drake getting stripped, to a miscommunication and errant snap from center Sam Mustipher to quarterback Lamar Jackson — the Ravens still had several opportunities to put the game away and did not. Not after forcing quarterback Gardner Minshew out of the end zone for a safety near the end of regulation, and not after stopping the Colts on their opening possession of overtime and taking over at Indianapolis’ 48-yard line.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was accurate, completing 22 of 31 passes, but he threw for just 202 yards. That he also led the team in carries (14) on a day when Colts running back Zack Moss rushed 30 times was also problematic. Gus Edwards ran well, with 51 yards, but got just 11 carries before exiting in the fourth quarter to be evaluated for a concussion. It appeared there was pass interference against the Colts on the fourth-and-3 pass to Zay Flowers in overtime that fell incomplete, but the Ravens had ample opportunity to put the Colts away and instead went just 6-for-16 on third down and failed to find much if any consistency beyond their opening drive. That came back to bite them.
Mike Preston: The Ravens had every chance to win this game and they blew it against a lesser talented team. Coach John Harbaugh said the team will move on to Cleveland, next week’s opponent, but these are the kind of losses that hurt postseason positioning. A week ago, the Ravens physically beat up Cincinnati. On Sunday, they lost to the Colts. The Colts. Oh my.
Childs Walker: The Ravens suffered a haunting defeat thanks to their repeated inability to pick up yards when they had chances to put the game away. Their last five drives produced 65 yards and no points. They could not have started much better. Kyle Hamilton, who played brilliantly, sacked Gardner Minshew to end the Colts’ first two drives. The Ravens marched 80 yards the first time they had the ball. They squandered a chance to go up 14-0 when running back Kenyan Drake fumbled deep in Indianapolis territory, and their afternoon was uncomfortable from then on. Shoddy ball handling in the form of a Lamar Jackson fumble and a poor snap by center Sam Mustipher was the chief problem, but the offense failed in every way imaginable as the Ravens picked up just two first downs in a six-drive span.
Where was the team from the beginning of the game? The Ravens’ downfield passing game was nonexistent. They turned to their running game to regain momentum, with Jackson’s incredible ability to evade tacklers on full display. But they could not pick up the first downs they needed to put the game away in the fourth quarter and overtime. This was a major step back after the Ravens looked so sharp a week earlier in Cincinnati.
C.J. Doon: That’s a tough one to swallow. The Ravens had so many chances to put this one away, including early when they looked poised to up 14-0, only for Kenyan Drake to fumble in Colts territory. Even kicker Justin Tucker came up short on a potential game-winning 61-yard field goal attempt at the end of regulation. The offense gained just 11 yards on two overtime possessions, though the Ravens have a legitimate gripe about the lack of a pass-intereference call on rookie Zay Flowers on fourth-and-3 with 3:25 to go. Tip your hat to Colts kicker Matt Gay, who set an NFL record with four field goals of 50-plus yards, including the 53-yard game-winner.
To make matters worse, the continued onslaught of injuries, this time to outside linebacker David Ojabo (ankle) and running back Gus Edwards (concussion), creates very little margin for error heading into two straight AFC North road matchups against the Browns and Steelers.
Tim Schwartz: Ouch. The Ravens had no reason to lose this game at home to a Colts team led by a backup quarterback, but here they are at 2-1 after a stunning defeat. For the first time in a long, long time, Justin Tucker wasn’t the best kicker on the field. Matt Gay making four field goals from beyond 50 yards is impressive, but Baltimore had every chance to win this game and found ways not to. They fumbled this one away, despite being touchdown favorites at home. Reminiscent of the Ravens of 2021 and 2022.
Originally posted on baltimoresun.com