The Ravens' 24-20 loss to the New York Giants was a frustrating one because it's a third loss when leading by double digits in the fourth quarter. But as Head Coach John Harbaugh said Monday, there was a lot of good on the film.
"When you watch the tape, so many things are on there that express where we're going and where we can get," Harbaugh said.
Here's a look at what happened on some of the keys plays and some under-the-radar standout moments:
One of the big takeaways from Sunday's game is the improvement in the Ravens' called run game with the running backs. Kenyan Drake averaged 11.9 yards per carry thanks to some excellent blocking and some nifty cuts.
The Ravens offense put up 406 yards, the second-most it has this season. However, Baltimore stubbed its toe once getting into field-goal range on its first two drives.
The Ravens were also forced to settle for two short field goals (34 and 23 yards) in the red zone. Baltimore didn't run on any plays inside the red zone on either of those drives, though it was clear on the second of which (from the 5-yard line) that New York stacked the box.
Tight end Mark Andrews had a huge game with seven catches for 106 yards and a touchdown. It was clear that Giants Defensive Coordinator Wink Martindale's strategy for Andrews was to get physical with him and it often didn't work.
For much of the game, the Ravens defense played quite well. The defensive line was particularly active early on, with Calais Campbell affecting a pass with a quarterback hit and Travis Jones getting his first career sack.
However, Baltimore's defense gave up two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, the first to cap a 12-play, 75-yard drive by the Giants with an 8-yard touchdown by tight end Daniel Bellinger on a misplayed coverage.
After Lamar Jackson's fourth-quarter interception, the Ravens defense had a chance to make a red-zone stop and hold the Giants to what would have been a game-tying field goal. It briefly looked like an even better result than that when Marcus Peters intercepted quarterback Daniel Jones, but it was called back by a pass interference penalty.
Baltimore still had a chance to win the game with 1:43 left and all three timeouts, needing a 75-yard touchdown drive. After a dropped slant on first down, Jackson's passing options on second-and-10 were all tough. He pulled it down and was seemingly trying to escape the pocket when Kayvon Thibodeaux hit his hand to knock the ball loose and essentially seal the game.
