The Baltimore Ravens walk out of Pittsburgh with their heads down after losing 17-10 to the Steelers. They came in as clear leaders of the AFC North, and walked out leaving questions about who will emerge as the authority in the division.
It clearly remains wide open, with the 1-3 Bengals just a game down in the loss column entering their Week 5 game.
One has to believe the Ravens are better than this. Purely based on talent on-paper, they are, with the Steelers loss widely viewed as uncharacteristic for Baltimore. Nevertheless, a loss is a loss, and the Ravens need to point the finger somewhere.
Not mentioned on the forthcoming list is Zay Flowers, who did remain a factor in the game despite missing some targets, and Odell Beckham Jr. who you really just don't expect to be a world-beater at this stage in his career after injury recovery. Both didn't play great, but shouldn't draw the lion's share of the blame for this one.
These three people stand out as the most at fault for the bad loss.
Todd Monken
Looking at the second half of the game, the Ravens had the lead or had the game within reach the entire time. With the Ravens flirting with double-digit drops on the day, one would think that they might have, with the lead and the game winding down, tried to mix in some rushing plays to burn clock and also get drives extended down the field.
Instead, offensive coordinator Todd Monken kept trying to direct his team to pass the ball. Those wound up resulting in incomplete passes, an interception, a strip-sack fumble and more dropped passes.
Take, for instance, the Ravens drive that started with just over seven minutes left. Baltimore was up 10-8, but went three-and-out after two pass attempts and one rush. A fumble on the return got Baltimore the ball right back. The following three plays? A rush for three yards. A pass for negative yardage. An interception.
Great use of a second chance!
Baltimore's sole touchdown drive of the day featured four rushes and just three pass attempts. Yet, the clearly weak passing game took centerstage most of the crucial points of the game.
Monken, though, should carry the least of the blame of anyone on the list. Players didn't play, and we'll get into two most to-blame players next.
Rashod Bateman
Rashod Bateman is one of the several figures of "what-if" ball from Sunday afternoon for the Ravens. Had his grip been a bit stronger, the Ravens very well could have won this game.
Bateman was targeted three times but could only corral one pass for eight yards, essentially serving as a non-factor on the afternoon. He dropped one pass in the end zone and easily could have made the outcome of this one completely different when it was all said and done.
Bateman, in general, has been somewhat disappointing this season with fewer than 20 yards per game after securing 40+ marks in that category his first two seasons.
Despite his season so far and this game in particular prompting concern, he refused to talk to the media after the game, underscoring his bad afternoon and giving it even more of a sour taste.
Bateman was late to join the Ravens in training camp, starting the year on the PUP list as he suffered from soreness related to Lisfranc surgery recovery. It's unclear if that has anything to do with his struggles so far this season.
Nelson Agholor
If Bateman's one endzone drop didn't do it for you, can I interest you in two would-have-been-scores from Nelson Agholor? Had he been able to secure those two opportunities, the Ravens would have won this game handily. Add on Bateman's, and the Ravens actually look quite dominating in the "what-if" scorebox.
Agholor's drop issues have been publicized in the past, with five drops in 2020, three in 2022, and four in 2019. He had none this season before today, but the two drops that could have created 12 points will sit in the front of Ravens fans' minds for the foreseeable future.
You're not going to win when your quarterback places a pass like this and it goes right through the hands of your receiver:
Agholor is not the WR1 on the team, but he is a situational receiver you hope can be available when the higher-priority weapons draw stronger coverage matchups. You have to have great concern over the viability of the offensive setup if even in a matchup against a defense that has given up 25.0 points per game coming into the afternoon, Agholor can't get anything done.