Baltimore Ravens Disappoint in Sloppy 20-13 Loss

Oct 5, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flaco(5) in the first half against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports

Injuries, penalties and turnovers were the story for the Baltimore Ravens in a 20-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. A couple of lucky breaks on Colts’ turnovers kept the Ravens in the game until the very end, but they never truly had a chance to win.

The struggles were most pronounced on offense, as the passing game played its worst game of the year. The offensive line struggled to protect Joe Flacco, who was sacked four times and pressured on almost every snap.

Despite the passing game’s struggles, the Ravens passed the ball on more than two-thirds of their plays. Gary Kubiak has shown an alarming tendency to abandon the ground game when trailing, the only blemish on his otherwise wonderful performance so far as offensive coordinator.

As much as fans and analysts will want to blame Flacco for the loss, he had virtually no help. The receivers dropped several balls, he was constantly under siege and there was no ground game to reduce the pressure on the passing game.

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The game never turned into the shootout that fans predicted, as penalties and turnovers plagued both teams throughout the game. The score was just 6-3 in favor of the Colts at half-time.

The Ravens defense, which played well in the first half, began to crack in the second half, giving up two touchdowns in the second half.

An 11-yard touchdown run from Justin Forsett reduced the deficit to seven midway through the fourth quarter, giving the Ravens a chance for the comeback.

The Colts had a chance to ice the game on their final drive, but failed to do so. Despite struggling through much of the second half, it was a big defensive play that gave the Ravens a chance to tie the game with just two minutes remaining. Much maligned safety Matt Elam forced an Ahmad Bradshaw fumble which was recovered by Terrence Brooks.

Unfortunately, the Ravens’ offense was unable to pull off the comeback. On a fourth down, Flacco looked deep for Torrey Smith, who was unable to make the catch, sealing the Ravens loss.

The lone bright spots were the performances of the Ravens’ two defensive rookies, C.J. Mosley and Terrence Brooks. Both Mosley and Brooks were constantly around the ball, with Mosley racking up 15 tackles and Brooks notching a pass defended and a fumble recovery.

The Ravens fall to 3-2 after the loss and will play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road next week.