The Baltimore Ravens have continued to struggle and lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Saturday’s matchup. It also doesn’t help that Joe Flacco wasn’t very good.
BALTIMORE — Baltimore needed a win against Pittsburgh to put them at the top of the AFC North. The Steelers were able to beat down the Ravens and lost 26-9.
The Ravens were completely beaten down by the Steelers in the first half. They went down 19-0 and were marred by poor play from their quarterback. They missed opportunities and had a fumble from Alex Collins in which Ben Roethlisberger and his Steelers offense capitalized on with a touchdown.
Baltimore flashed in the second half, scoring a touchdown from Flacco to Mike Wallace. However, the Steelers were able to run the ball through a Ravens defense, that was touted as one of the best in the NFL through the first two weeks. Le’Veon Bell rushed the ball 35 times for 144 yards (4.1 yards per attempt) and two touchdowns.
Baltimore had three turnovers on the day, two coming from the arm of Flacco and the one aforementioned fumble from Collins. This is the 13th straight game where Flacco has thrown an interception. He finished 31-for-49, passing for 235 yards, one touchdown and two interception.
Flacco Has Played Poorly
The 32-year old quarterback has not improved from his 2016 campaign by one iota. In fact, Flacco has regressed and it is showing predominantly in his footwork. Since injuring his knee in 2015, Flacco has not been the same quarterback. He continues to not square his body with his throws and just make overall poor decisions.
Last week, he defended the offense.
It is understood that Flacco has lost Marshal Yanda and Alex Lewis, who would have been penciled in at both starting guard positions. It’s also understood that Flacco hasn’t attempted to throw the ball deep many times this season. Issues with the quarterback like these contribute to how poorly the Ravens have been on offense.
Currently, Baltimore ranks 31st in points (15.0 per game), 30th in total yards (269.8/game) and 32nd in passing yards (142.5/game). Juxtaposed with the rushing offense, which ranks 9th in the NFL (127.2/game), it’s obvious that theirs a problem with Flacco’s play.
There are a number of things that Baltimore could do. They could bench Flacco, but it wouldn’t make much sense considering that Ryan Mallett is worse. Baltimore could fire offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, who runs a West Coast system, that doesn’t Flacco’s or the receivers’ skill sets. They could even wait it out. If something doesn’t change soon, heads will roll.
It’s time to put up or shut up for the Ravens and their quarterback.
(Photo Credit: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
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