Anyone watching the AFC Championship games this weekend was reminded of one key thing after watching the Baltimore Ravens go down on Sunday.
Being able to handle pressure in big moments will be the biggest question facing Jerod Mayo in the coming years, as will whoever ultimately ends up under center here in New England.
The Baltimore Ravens ended up being a perfect example of what not to do. They had been a juggernaut during the regular season and heading into the playoffs, but on Sunday, they were exposed yet again for what they are.
They’re a team with an arrogant head coach who can’t handle it when it counts the most, along with a quarterback with all the athletic gifts in the world, but he’s clearly the most situationally unaware player in football.
Those two things were horribly apparent late in Sunday’s game between the Ravens and Chiefs, with Baltimore unable to overcome an early run by Kansas City.
After falling behind 17-7 heading into the locker room at halftime, the Ravens came out in the second half and played significantly better on offense. However, miscues and some horrific decisions ultimately sank their season.
Jackson may be one of the best athletes in the game, but his play in the second half was incredibly frustrating. With plenty of time left in the contest and needing only one score to get his team within three points, he spent the majority of the final 30 minutes playing like his team was down by 20.
With time winding down in the fourth quarter and down just 10, he had plenty of moments where receivers were open for short gains as the Chiefs focused on downfield routes, trying to take away big plays.
However, rather than take what was being given, Jackson inexplicably kept forcing the ball downfield despite having over 8-minutes remaining in the game.
There was no patience. There was no poise. Instead, there was plenty of panic, and it cost him.
Meanwhile, Patrick Mahomes was just the opposite. Despite facing enormous pressure from Baltimore’s defense, he remained patient and kept taking what Baltimore gave him. He kept completing short gains and letting his guys do the rest, frustrating a Ravens defense that did more than enough to keep their team in the game.
As a result, Kansas City kept the ball moving and controlled the clock, ending up with 37:30 in time of possession.
That’s exactly what Jackson should have done. He consistently looked off his receivers who were open short to his right, and instead kept swinging for the fences. It’s also why he ended up just 3-of-11 on third down after going deep as often as he did on early downs, which often put them in third and long.
While the Ravens did manage to hit on some big plays, Jackson should have realized that they ultimately needed points. After hitting a 39-yard pass to Nelson Agholor, which got his team down to the Chiefs’ 25-yard line, he went deep again on back-to-back plays, trying to hit another home run despite the fact there was plenty of time still left.
It was a costly strategy, as his second attempt ended up being into double coverage in the end zone for a drive-killing interception.
That throw was inexplicable. He had guys open to his right and nearly seven minutes still left to play. He just needed to be patient and make sure they finished off the drive to get his team back within a field goal.
Instead, he came away with nothing after the turnover.
His miscue wasn’t the only one, with the Ravens committing a massive turnover on the previous possession.
Rookie Zay Flowers had been a big weapon for Baltimore all year, but he cost his team dearly late in this one. He foolishly extended the ball down near the goal line as he dove into the end zone after picking up 8-yards on a 2nd-and-8 from the Chiefs’ 9-yard line on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Rather than protecting the ball and being OK with moving the chains, Flowers was careless and saw the ball get punched out on a great play by defensive back L’Jarius Sneed.
The Chiefs recovered it for the touchback, destroying a potential scoring opportunity.
That came on the heels of his ridiculous taunting penalty earlier in the drive after Flowers caught a 54-yard pass that took the Ravens down to the Chiefs’ 10-yard line.
That was significant as instead of having first and goal, the Ravens got knocked back to the 25-yard line.
To make matters worse, the rookie came to the sideline and went on to injure himself after the turnover, slamming his helmet, with Flowers ending up with a laceration on his hand.
With all of that going on, at no point – in the biggest game of their season – did Harbaugh pull his young wideout aside and settle him down.
After the Chiefs recovered the onside kick, Flowers was seen with a towel over his head sobbing, knowing that he cost his team a chance to potentially give them a shot at the end.
Unfortunately, that type of behavior has always been a staple of a Ravens team that squandered yet another terrific regular season. We can talk about Jackson’s decision-making, but that ultimately starts at the top with Harbaugh, and Andy Reid obviously won that one by a knockout.
That was apparent heading into Kansas City’s final possession. After hitting a 43-yard field goal to pull them within 7-points, the Ravens – coming out of the ensuing kickoff – inexplicably had 12 men on the field on first down.
That was followed up by a 15-yard unnecessary roughness on the next snap by Baltimore’s defense, putting Kansas City out near midfield.
Those two plays essentially defined Baltimore’s afternoon. They’re simply a badly coached team that couldn’t handle the big stage, and the better-coached team moved on.
It’s also a game Mayo will need to look at and ensure his team never mirrors, as it’s clearly a big example of what you don’t want to see at this point in the season.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
