Baltimore drops fourth in last five, falls to 3-4 on the year.
The Ravens played on the same field on which Super Bowl LII will be contested. They showed just how far they seem to be from it.
An injury-riddled, offensively-depleted team. which has relied on field goals for most of its offensive output, could manage just three of them. Meanwhile, a formerly-stout run defense proved leaky as the host Minnesota Vikings ground out a 24-16 win before 66,751 US Bank Stadium fans.
For the Ravens, it was their fourth loss in their last five games as they dropped below .500 for the first time this year.
The sense of urgency around this team grows larger now, with their next game coming up in just four days at home against the Miami Dolphins (Thursday, Oct. 26, 8:30 p.m.; WJZ-TV, NFL Network; WIYY-FM).
If nothing else, the Ravens and Vikings could claim a record-tying afternoon, combining for nine combined field goals. It is only the fifth time in NFL history that has happened in a single game–most recently in an 18-16 home win by Dallas over Washington in 2011.
But Baltimore fell to 1-9 on the road lifetime against NFC North Division teams and 0-2 in Minneapolis–one of eight NFL cities in which the franchise has never won.
The Ravens continued their customary October swoon, having lost their 11th game in their last 13 played in the month.
Baltimore has won just 40 percent of their October games, traditionally their worst month of the season.
The game took on the feel of a baseball pitcher’s duel, with not much offense and the field-goal battle breaking out early.
The Ravens’ Justin Tucker booted early kicks of 48 and a season-high 57 yards, while Minnesota’s Kai Forbath — a former Washington kicker with a miss from 39 and two blown extra points this year — converted from 52 and 51 yards to forge a 6-6 tie in the second quarter.
Tucker’s 57-yarder was his 30th from 50 or more since he came into the league in 2012, the league’s most over that span.
For the Ravens, a disturbing trend was emerging.
Also, a no-huddle approach to control the ball and win field-position battle did even more damage. Meanwhile, the Ravens had to deal with a rapidly-thinning receiver corps. Not only was the team missing Breshad Perriman (concussion) and Jeremy Maclin (shoulder), but Mike Wallace sustained a first-half concussion and was ruled out for the game. He appeared furious on the sideline as he frantically searched for his helmet.
The Ravens were outgained in the first quarter, 56-11, despite having as many first downs as Minnesota (5-2), a team playing its fourth home game in five weeks.
On top of that, the Ravens would get a mere 80 yards offense in the first half, averaging less than three yards per play, and extended a string that saw the offense fail to get into the end zone for eight straight quarters and 26 consecutive possessions.
The Ravens have scored three offensive touchdowns during this 1-4 stretch. The streak would reach ten quarters before Flacco found Chris Moore on the game’s final play for a meaningless six-pointer.
Courtesy: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Baltimore (3-4) could have been blown out early were it not for an early interception by Brandon Carr at the two-yard line–only the second pickoff thrown by Vikings quarterback Case Keenum all year.
Keenum (20-for-31, 188 yards, interception, 67.7 rating) had started for the then-St. Louis Rams and played well in a three-point loss at Baltimore two years ago. On this Sunday, he was dealing with a unit that was missing running back Dalvin Cook, former Maryland receiver Stefon Diggs and mercurial veteran Michael Floyd.
But Keenum directed the first sustained drive by either team towards the end of the first half–a 60-yard, 15-play possession that lasted seven minutes and ended with Forbath’s third field goal of the afternoon. That gave Minnesota a 9-6 halftime lead.
The drive was telling, as the Vikings stole momentum behind several third-down conversions against the Ravens’ fourth-ranked, third-down defense–one that had defensive tackles Carl Davis and Brandon Williams returning to action.
Williams (foot), who had missed four games, announced his presence early with a tackle in the backfield and a tipped pass.
Minnesota was able to penetrate the Ravens’ highly-touted run defense.
Also, the Vikings’ decision to receive the second-half kickoff paid dividends. Former Oakland running back Latavius Murray ran for 35 yards on the first play of the second half, continuing the home team’s offensive momentum even without their starting guards. A questionable offensive pass-interference call stymied the drive, leading to Forbath’s fourth field goal, a 43-yarder.
But even with a mere 12-6 deficit facing them, the Ravens’ offensive shortcomings made the gap seem even larger.
Another three-and-out gave the ball right back to the Vikings near midfield, and Murray (113 yards, 18 carries, touchdown) put a nail in the coffin with his first rushing touchdown of the season, a 29-yard burst over left guard for a 18-6 advantage midway through the third. Forbath’s conversion kick hit the upright, his third PAT miss of the year.
Tucker answered with a 47-yard kick to cut the Vikings lead to nine, but Minnesota held a 114-37 yardage edge in the third quarter alone. That kick kept the depleted, outclassed visitors at bay.
Forbath added his fifth field goal, a 34-yarder, early in the fourth, to make it 21-9, and added the record-tying 32-yard boot with about three minutes to go.
It was the final coup de grace, and the first of what could be many stiff-arms to keep the Ravens further away from the Super Bowl… a jolt felt even while playing at the same site.
