NFL Week 2 takeaways: What’s wrong with the Ravens? And what’s right with the Saints and Bucs?
Ted Nguyen, The Athletic
Mike Macdonald’s Seahawks go to 2-0 on the same day the Baltimore Ravens go to 0-2 after giving up 20 second-half points to Gardner Minshew and the Raiders. Is this a potential brain-drain situation brewing in Baltimore?
The Ravens were bound to take a step back, losing a talent on the offensive line, the defense (Queen, Clowney) and losing MacDonald, who is the best defensive play caller in football in my opinion. Still, this was a bad game for them to drop. Derrick Henry is having a rough time getting going because he’s never been nimble enough to deal with penetration. When he gets downhill he’s dangerous, which we saw a glimpse of but, he might have a lot of inefficient carries behind this line. The Ravens were in control for most of the game and then Davante Adams and Brock Bowers took over. The pass interference call on Brandon Stephens against Adams was definitely questionable but Baltimore shouldn’t have let it get close. The Ravens always seem to figure things out even if they start slow, and they have the talent to get back into the race, but starting 0-2 is extremely difficult to come back from historically.
2024 NFL season, Week 2: What We Learned from Sunday’s game
Bobby Kownack, NFL.com
Ravens aren’t playing Ravens football just yet. Baltimore let its opponent hang around far too long in this one and paid for it with an 0-2 hole to start the season. The defense played well for nearly the first three quarters, especially Odafe Oweh (2.5 sacks) and Kyle Van Noy (2.0 sacks), but late lapses allowed Las Vegas to steal one. The Ravens, last year such a defensive force, gave up four consecutive scoring drives — 20 points — to close the game.
They looked off offensively, as well. At halftime, the rushing attack had managed just 21 yards, with Derrick Henry staring at a 0.7 yards-per-carry average on seven attempts. He rebounded to finish with 84 yards and a score, but Baltimore seemed to still be searching for an identity that could work consistently rather than taking it to the Raiders. Justin Tucker notably continued his struggles from deep. He erred on a 56-yard attempt in the second quarter, and counting last week’s 53-yard miss, is now 1 of 7 on 50-plus yard attempts since the 2023 season began. Those obviously aren’t automatic, but Tucker is among the greatest kickers of all time. His miss was huge in a game decided by three points.
NFL Research: The Ravens, who have never made the playoffs after starting a season 0-2, are now 0-2 for the first time since 2015.
NFL Week 2: Biggest questions, takeaways for every game
Jamison Hensley, ESPN
Describe the game in two words: Another collapse. This marks the Ravens’ fourth loss after leading by double digits in the fourth quarter since 2022. This ties the Bears for the most in the NFL in that span, according to ESPN Research. The Ravens can only blame themselves for that fourth-quarter collapse. A false start by running back Derrick Henry on the Ravens’ version of the “tush push” stopped Baltimore from converting a third-and-1. A pass interference penalty by cornerback Brandon Stephens set up the Raiders’ game-tying touchdown.
Eye-popping advanced stat: Justin Tucker, the most accurate kicker in NFL history, is having trouble with longer kicks. Tucker, 34, missed wide left from 56 yards, which makes him 1-for-7 from 50 yards over the past two seasons. He had been one of the best from distance. In his first 11 seasons, Tucker’s 57 field goals from 50 yards or longer ranked second over that span.
Report card: Position-by-position grades for Ravens’ 26-23 loss to Raiders
Mike Preston, The Baltimore Sun
Special teams
At the beginning of last season, the Ravens couldn’t make proper decisions on when to return kickoff and punts, and they have the same problem this year. Justin Tucker missed a 56-yard field goal attempt, which sailed wide left. The biggest mistake might have come near the end of the game when Jordan Stout shanked a 24-yard punt, which allowed the Raiders to start their game-winning drive at the Baltimore 43-yard line with 2:21 remaining. For years, special teams have helped carry the Ravens, but those units need to improve from here on out. Grade: C
Coaching
The Ravens started off strong, but M&T Bank Stadium lacked energy. There were a lot of empty seats and a lot of Raiders fans behind the Las Vegas bench. Coach John Harbaugh failed on two challenges, and the Ravens didn’t make any serious adjustments on offense or defense in the second half. Despite the NFL being a pass-happy league, the game is still won on the offensive and defensive lines. If there are weaknesses, the coaches have to make adjustments, and the Ravens haven’t made any in the first two games. Losing to the Raiders in the home opener is almost unforgivable. Grade: D
Raiders 26, Ravens 23: Instant analysis from a shocking loss
Chris Korman, The Baltimore Banner
Eric DeCosta fixed the wrong thing
Signing Derrick Henry was fun. How could you not get excited about having him plunge into a defense that also has to account for Lamar Jackson? It just made sense, as a concept, and as a thing that would add buzz to an offseason that saw beloved players leave in free agency.
The reality, as pointed out by Ravens coach John Harbaugh to the CBS broadcast team, is the Ravens have been very good at running the ball without a marquee back for years. And that’s in part because of the way Jackson keeps a defense conflicted but also because Baltimore always tended to the offensive line and had enough talent there.
That’s not even close to the case this year, and it is ruining the entire plan. Although it’s possible that Roger Rosengarten acclimates fully at right tackle and somebody who is not way too tall to play guard will emerge to play right guard, those feel like risky bets. And the Ravens are already in a hole they haven’t been in since 2015.