789 replies to this topic

[You Play to Win the Game]

Not enough talk about some key defensive players who had some real bad plays that led to total momentum for Tennessee. Including Humphrey. Very disappointed in him yesterday.

[You Play to Win the Game]

Going to take a while for me. This is just brutal.

[Slidemaster]

The Ravens beat the Titans 8 out of 10 times. Yesterday was one of those 2. The Chiefs will more than likely destroy the Titans next week and the NFL misses out on its dream Lamar vs. Mahomes matchup and what would be a really good final four.

I think the Titans just saved the Ravens the embarrassment of losing by 20+ to the Chiefs. I know I'm more pessimistic than the average bear, but it feels like they were totally unprepared for the playoffs.

[TwentyThirtyFive]

Not enough talk about some key defensive players who had some real bad plays that led to total momentum for Tennessee. Including Humphrey. Very disappointed in him yesterday.

This defense was a little overrated. The offense keeping the ball for so long combined with jumping up big on teams masked some issues. Id like to see them have more of an edge and toughness. Not a classic Ravens defense. They were finesse and a bit soft.

[DJ MC]

I think the Titans just saved the Ravens the embarrassment of losing by 20+ to the Chiefs. I know I'm more pessimistic than the average bear, but it feels like they were totally unprepared for the playoffs.

 

We lost to them by five in Week Three when we weren't as good a team as we were going into the playoffs. I think this is as bad a take as any you've offered today.

 

Both us and the Chiefs got punched in the mouth. The difference is that they were able to recover and we weren't. If we had, you certainly wouldn't be considering this. That's why perspective matters.

[cprenegade]

I have to agree that the coaching staff deserves a lot of the blame for this loss.  I know a lot of things went wrong in terms of dropped passes and turnovers, but the coaching staff is responsible for seeing what is going on and making adjustments.  They did a poor job of that as well as in game management.  Going for it on 4th and 1 early when only down by 7 was essentially a turnover.  In that situation you have to ask yourself is it more important to keep the drive alive versus what happens if you turn the ball over on downs at that position on the field.  Jackson was pressing and the game plan seemed to put more pressure on him at a time when it was more important to take the pressure off of him and let the game come to him.  

 

Not punting and giving them an opportunity with a short field put the Ravens in a hole. Still, with all that went wrong it was only a one score game.  Not getting at least 3 and cutting that lead to 5 sucked most of the life out of the crowd and when Henry broke off the 66 yard run, it killed what little life was left.  The Ravens were the most prolific rushing team in NFL history, and they went away from that.  Sometimes Harbuagh seems to get caught up in the emotion of a game instead of looking at the big picture.  Roman went pass happy and I really can't explain that.  Most of the game was not out of hand, no reason to abandon the run.  The defense got exposed as vulnerable to the run, but I think Martindale has done what he could all season long with an average front 7.  The secondary is the strength of the defense but unfortunately one critical mistake after the missed 4th and 1 gave Tennessee a touchdown.  

 

Another team today faced adversity.  Kansas City got behind worse than the Ravens, down 24-0.  Fans had to be thinking this is going to be another Andy Reid team that blows it in the playoffs.  But their coaches didn't panic and neither did their team.  In fairness, KC is a team that is in better position to rally from being down than the Ravens are.  The Ravens do their damage by getting out in front and controlling the game.  When something like last night happens, they aren't built to do what KC did today and it showed.  But the point is that KC didn't panic and kept playing their game.  The Ravens did not do the same.  

[mdrunning]

I have to agree that the coaching staff deserves a lot of the blame for this loss.  I know a lot of things went wrong in terms of dropped passes and turnovers, but the coaching staff is responsible for seeing what is going on and making adjustments.  They did a poor job of that as well as in game management.  Going for it on 4th and 1 early when only down by 7 was essentially a turnover.  In that situation you have to ask yourself is it more important to keep the drive alive versus what happens if you turn the ball over on downs at that position on the field.  Jackson was pressing and the game plan seemed to put more pressure on him at a time when it was more important to take the pressure off of him and let the game come to him.  

 

Not punting and giving them an opportunity with a short field put the Ravens in a hole. Still, with all that went wrong it was only a one score game.  Not getting at least 3 and cutting that lead to 5 sucked most of the life out of the crowd and when Henry broke off the 66 yard run, it killed what little life was left.  The Ravens were the most prolific rushing team in NFL history, and they went away from that.  Sometimes Harbuagh seems to get caught up in the emotion of a game instead of looking at the big picture.  Roman went pass happy and I really can't explain that.  Most of the game was not out of hand, no reason to abandon the run.  The defense got exposed as vulnerable to the run, but I think Martindale has done what he could all season long with an average front 7.  The secondary is the strength of the defense but unfortunately one critical mistake after the missed 4th and 1 gave Tennessee a touchdown.  

 

Another team today faced adversity.  Kansas City got behind worse than the Ravens, down 24-0.  Fans had to be thinking this is going to be another Andy Reid team that blows it in the playoffs.  But their coaches didn't panic and neither did their team.  In fairness, KC is a team that is in better position to rally from being down than the Ravens are.  The Ravens do their damage by getting out in front and controlling the game.  When something like last night happens, they aren't built to do what KC did today and it showed.  But the point is that KC didn't panic and kept playing their game.  The Ravens did not do the same.  

I agree with much of what you're saying, but Houston did everything in its power to help Kansas City get back in the game. There was the ill-advised fake punt from their own 35 (or wherever it was exactly) with Houston leading 24-7, which gave Kansas City great field position. They then followed up that beaut with a fumble on the ensuing kickoff which perched the Chiefs virtually on top of their goal line. 

 

When a team comes back from a deficit that large that quickly, a lot has to go right. But more importantly, the other team almost has to be an accessory. Tennessee never tried to give the game back to the Ravens.

[cprenegade]

I agree with much of what you're saying, but Houston did everything in its power to help Kansas City get back in the game. There was the ill-advised fake punt from their own 35 (or wherever it was exactly) with Houston leading 24-7, which gave Kansas City great field position. They then followed up that beaut with a fumble on the ensuing kickoff which perched the Chiefs virtually on top of their goal line. 

 

When a team comes back from a deficit that large that quickly, a lot has to go right. But more importantly, the other team almost has to be an accessory. Tennessee never tried to give the game back to the Ravens.

 

Yeah, that fake punt was the equivalent of the Ravens going for it at their own 45.  If it works it's great, but when it fails it's consequences are multiplied by about 10 in what it costs you.  It's like betting 1000 to win 100.  You might think the 100 is a given, but when it fails and you realize you are out 1000 the recovery from that mistake is often insurmountable.  

[Slidemaster]

We lost to them by five in Week Three when we weren't as good a team as we were going into the playoffs. I think this is as bad a take as any you've offered today.

Both us and the Chiefs got punched in the mouth. The difference is that they were able to recover and we weren't. If we had, you certainly wouldn't be considering this. That's why perspective matters.

Exactly. They recovered. We didn't. Saying I'd think differently if we had is akin to saying "we might have won if we hadn't lost." The fact is we weren't ready to play and it was exposed.

What happened in week 3 is largely irrelevant.
The team I saw yesterday played nothing like the team we saw most of the season. They weren't ready. K.C. was. I don't think it would have been close even if they had gotten to play. In reality, they were probably a better team all season that ran into a little more bad luck than we did.

Not that it matters - We'll never know for sure.

[SportsGuy]

The Ravens beat the Titans 8 out of 10 times. Yesterday was one of those 2. The Chiefs will more than likely destroy the Titans next week and the NFL misses out on its dream Lamar vs. Mahomes matchup and what would be a really good final four.

Remember, Tenn has already beaten KC this season and they did it in a shootout.

That being said, I think the Ravens win 6 or 7 out of 10. Tennessee is a legit team.

They are very similar to the Ravens playoff teams of the past.

[Mike in STL]

I think Brian Billick said it best back in 2000.

“F*** the Titans!”

Still applies.

[DuffMan]

Is it too soon to compare this team to the Washington Capitals?  I kid mostly but another flameout or two in the playoffs and I might start to think that.   I'm  pissed about this loss, but I'm not worried about this effecting Lamar's psyche or that the team will become chokers because of it.   I am pissed because like the Caps (before they won the Cup) this renders next regular season meaningless which means we have to wait almost a year before the team can prove themselves.

[Slidemaster]

Is it too soon to compare this team to the Washington Capitals? I kid mostly but another flameout or two in the playoffs and I might start to think that. I'm pissed about this loss, but I'm not worried about this effecting Lamar's psyche or that the team will become chokers because of it. I am pissed because like the Caps (before they won the Cup) this renders next regular season meaningless which means we have to wait almost a year before the team can prove themselves.

I'm right there with you. Nothing they do in the regular season has any meaning anymore.

[DJ MC]

Is it too soon to compare this team to the Washington Capitals?  I kid mostly but another flameout or two in the playoffs and I might start to think that.   I'm  pissed about this loss, but I'm not worried about this effecting Lamar's psyche or that the team will become chokers because of it.   I am pissed because like the Caps (before they won the Cup) this renders next regular season meaningless which means we have to wait almost a year before the team can prove themselves.

 

You mean other than the two championships and two other conference championship appearances? Yeah, exactly the same.

[SportsGuy]

I'm right there with you. Nothing they do in the regular season has any meaning anymore.

Except the NFL is structured in a way that you have to do well in the regular season to actually make the playoffs.

It has a ton of meaning.

The Caps analogy doesn’t work as well there because about half the league makes the playoffs..the regular season is much more meaningless for hockey and the NBA.

You want a top 2 seed.

[JordanKough]

I'll just say this, what a terrible game plan on both sides of the ball. I don't have the heart to go watch it again but you'd think the Ravens coaches were game planning for the Titans for at least 2 weeks, given they already had a lot of film on Houston and Buffalo given their recent games against them. 

 

And then instead we get this crap. So many terrible decisions. 9 rushes for our RBs? Where was the motion? Where was the PA? Where were the stacked boxes with single high man press? I'll break down what I thought were just terrible coaching decisions later but this game is 100% getting away from the game plan early and losing any sight of creativity. 

 

I think the Ravens built a game plan around Andrews and Ingram and realized they weren't healthy. That, I think, was also mind numbingly stupid. 

 

Until the 4th TD was scored we were easily within reach the whole game. The 3rd quarter should have come out with an even stronger ground and pound look and we go right to the air...

 

Tenn. front four is better than I thought but they are still the same exact team as you would expect and we still weren't ready. This loss is 100% on Harbaugh, Roman, and Martindale, IMO. 

[Mackus]

I agree with the idea that next year's regular season doesn't matter aside from setting them up for the playoffs.  It may be fun at times if they have a few (or many) huge blowout wins over good teams, but it won't be the same as this year and all year long we'll just be counting the days until we have a chance for some postseason redemption. 

 

But I disagree with the idea that this year's regular season was rendered meaningless by the choke job in the playoffs.  This was still a magical regular season.  Every week they gave us something jaw dropping.  That period from the Pats win through the 49ers win was the most amazing stretch of football I've seen.  The stakes weren't as high as either Super Bowl run, but the performance was enthralling.  And it was all so unexpected, so for me at least it remains as a notable and wonderful time, even after the disappointment of the total failure of the playoff game.

[You Play to Win the Game]

I don't think the coaching staff took the Titans all that seriously. That's the bottom line here, IMO. 

 

If they haven't voted for COTY year, this should cost Harbaugh that honor.

[DuffMan]

You mean other than the two championships and two other conference championship appearances? Yeah, exactly the same.

Obviously those count, I was referring to this version of the team.

[Slidemaster]

Except the NFL is structured in a way that you have to do well in the regular season to actually make the playoffs.

It has a ton of meaning.

The Caps analogy doesn’t work as well there because about half the league makes the playoffs..the regular season is much more meaningless for hockey and the NBA.

You want a top 2 seed.

In other news, grass is green and water is wet.

Of course it matters as far as making the playoffs is concerned, but the team and the fans should be far beyond being satisfied with making the playoffs. At this point, every season should be considered a failure if it doesn't result in making better progress in the playoffs. That is what I meant. And you knew it. Give me a break.