Tom Zambeno

After catching up and watching the game replay, I’m honestly a little confused by how much #Ravens fans are overreacting to the #Browns loss. Here’s why: 1. Tyler Huntley VASTLY limits the ceiling of this offense. Huntley is a game manager at best. That’s not a knock on him, it’s just the reality of who he is as a quarterback. He struggles to consistently push the ball downfield, doesn’t throw with anticipation, and limits what you can realistically ask this offense to execute. I never expected a productive offensive performance with him under center, especially against this defense. 2. The Browns defense deserves some credit. Even with a few guys out, Cleveland still has a very talented, well-coached defensive unit. The Ravens had some early success schematically, but the Browns adjusted after the first quarter and made life increasingly difficult. Sometimes you have to acknowledge that the opposing defense played a good football game. 3. The Ravens defense played a PHENOMENAL game. Outside of a handful of third-down blunders, I thought this was another extremely encouraging performance from this unit. Deshaun Watson threw for just 164 yards. The Ravens generated FIVE sacks, the pass rush was consistently disruptive, and the tackling continues to improve. Kyle Hamilton was outstanding, and the defense looked fast, physical, and disciplined for most of the afternoon. There are still things to clean up, particularly in critical situations, but the overall trajectory of this defense is extremely encouraging as we approach the middle of the season. 4. The Ravens made critical mistakes that ultimately cost them the game. Derrick Henry’s fumble, the missed field goal, and the late defensive breakdowns were all costly. Those are mistakes you simply cannot afford to make in a close divisional game. But there’s a difference between identifying a handful of costly mistakes and acting like the entire team is fundamentally flawed. 5. CONTEXT MATTERS. The Ravens are 4-2, playing without their two-time MVP quarterback, and just lost a divisional road game by three points. Is it frustrating? Absolutely. Should the Ravens have won this game? Without question. But I’m far more interested in the encouraging developments on defense than I am concerned about an offense being led by a backup quarterback with obvious limitations. Get Lamar Jackson back healthy, continue building on what we’ve seen defensively, and clean up the situational mistakes. I still feel VERY good about where this team is headed. Not every loss needs to trigger a full-blown crisis.