The Baltimore Ravens finished the 2021 season with an 8-9 record, including six-straight losses to end the year. Many had high expectations for the team before the campaign, but injuries, a COVID outbreak, as well as inconsistent play-calling and execution ended up being the downfall of the team, as they missed the postseason for the first time since 2017.
Baltimore started their season out with a disappointing overtime loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1, but went on to win eight of their next ten games to pull their record to 8-3, claiming the top spot in the AFC at the time in the process. However, things came crashing down shortly thereafter, as the team lost their final six games, effectively putting themselves out of the playoff race.
The injuries that the team suffered were no joke. They lost running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards as well as cornerback Marcus Peters just days before the season started, and they continued to see players go down for weeks, months, or even the season with guys such as quarterback Lamar Jackson, fullback Patrick Ricard, wide receiver Rashod Bateman, offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley, cornerback Marlon Humphrey, safety DeShon Elliott and many others missing significant time throughout the year.
Even if injuries were a big part in the Ravens’ down year, there were problems with both execution and play calling during games. Early on in the year the Baltimore defense had issues with tackling and giving up big plays, which contributed to a few of their early losses. Meanwhile, as the season progressed the offense began to struggle immensely as they kept losing players, and the defense would run into trouble late in games when they needed stops.
From a play calling perspective, both offensive coordinator Greg Roman and defensive coordinator Don Martindale had to change up their schemes with how many new players they were adding in with the losses that they were sustaining. However, situational play calling by both was questionable at times, and Roman’s offensive unit had troubles getting out of the huddle quickly, with the play clock nearing or even hitting zero on many occasions before the ball was snapped.
Baltimore’s season also could have gone very differently if they had gotten different results on just a few plays over the course of their final six contests. The Ravens lost five of their last six games by a combined eight points, with the only exception coming in Week 16 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Head coach John Harbaugh decided to go for two-point conversions to win games instead of play for overtime, something that the team struggled to convert on late in the year. Baltimore was an aggressive team in 2021, but wasn’t able to capitalize in key moments during their six-game losing streak.
All in all, the Ravens couldn’t find any magic during the second half of the season. Their injuries can’t be overlooked, but they also failed in moments where they needed to succeed with the postseason in their reach, especially after their 8-3 start. It was a disappointing year outcome wise, but they did the best they could with the hand that they were dealt.
Grade: C