Ravens-Chargers analysis: Baltimore's defense comes up big when needed most

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — With their offense stuck in neutral, the Ravens forced four turnovers, had a crucial fourth-down stop late in the fourth quarter and got a put-away touchdown from wide receiver Zay Flowers on Sunday night to push past the Los Angeles Chargers 20-10 and head into their bye week on a high note.

With the Ravens leading 13-10 and less than two minutes remaining, cornerback Arthur Maulet made the most of a creative blitz call from defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald and forced a throwaway from quarterback Justin Herbert on fourth-and-6. Three plays later, Flowers scored on a 37-yard end around to give the Ravens a double-digit lead.

The Ravens (9-3) entered their long-awaited bye with another week in control of the AFC’s top seed, as well as first place in the AFC North. They did so despite a quiet night from quarterback Lamar Jackson, who finished 18-for-32 for 177 yards and a touchdown against one of the NFL’s worst defenses.

After a quiet start, the Ravens took a 7-3 lead early in the second quarter on a 3-yard touchdown pass from Jackson to Flowers. They couldn’t pull away, though, and their margin was trimmed to 13-10 midway through the fourth quarter, when Herbert (29-for-44 for 217 yards) finished a seven-play, 60-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end Gerald Everett.

The Ravens moved easily into Chargers territory on their next possession, but kicker Justin Tucker missed a 44-yard field goal that would’ve pushed their lead to 16-10. It was his first miss inside 50 yards this season. That set up the Ravens’ dramatic defensive stand.

Throughout the night, the Ravens hurt themselves with mistakes in high-leverage spots. After a second-quarter scramble by Jackson appeared to cross the first-down marker, only to be ruled short, coach John Harbaugh declined to challenge the spot. Running back Gus Edwards was stopped on the ensuing fourth-and-1, and the Ravens turned the ball over on downs at the Chargers’ 27.

The Ravens also turned two first-half fumbles in favorable spots — one at the Chargers’ 34, another just inside midfield — into just three points. After a third forced fumble, with outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney ending a long Chargers drive early in the fourth quarter on a strip-sack, the Ravens’ offense followed with a three-and-out.

Situational execution was also lacking. In their first game without injured tight end Mark Andrews, a favorite bail-out target of Jackson’s, the Ravens went a combined 5-for-16 on third and fourth downs, while the Chargers (4-7) went a combined 8-for-18.

Michael Pierce of the Ravens celebrates a defensive stop during the second quarter. (Katelyn Mulcahy/)

Welcome to Macdonald’s

In case the casual NFL fan didn’t know what a Mike Macdonald-coached defense looked like, they got a pretty eye-opening introduction in prime time.

Against one of the NFL’s most talented quarterbacks, without their most talented cornerback available, the Ravens held the Chargers to just 4.2 yards per play, forced four turnovers and hassled Justin Herbert throughout the night.

Macdonald’s most important play call might’ve been the night’s boldest, though: sending cornerback Arthur Maulet on a slot blitz while dropping 300-plus-pound nose tackle Michael Pierce into zone coverage to give Herbert the slightest bit of pause.

We all thought this was a game the Ravens would win with their offense. But it was their defense that reigned, and that’s as a good sign as any after the past few weeks.

What is this offense?

Coming into the game, the Chargers had often allowed their opponents to have their best offensive performances of the season. This, the thinking went, would be a chance for Lamar Jackson to feast. Instead, the Ravens put up their fewest points since a 17-10 loss to Pittsburgh seven weeks ago.

There were moments when the Ravens seemed unstoppable. Jackson connected with his receivers on some stunning passes followed by stunning catches. Running back Keaton Mitchell showed his burst, and Justice Hill showed his shiftiness. But then there were the head-scratching moments when Jackson threw odd-looking passes into the ground, or when he dropped dimes that slipped through the receiver’s fingers. The Chargers defense has struggled to defend the pass, yet it looked like it had the Ravens locked up. It’s not the first time the Ravens have played down to an opponent.

But it seems as though there’s an identity crisis. Are the Ravens the team that shows out in the biggest challenges, or are they the one that struggles against lesser defenses? And then, of course, the Ravens pulled off an impressive play to put the game away — where was that the rest of the night?

A victory with plenty of concerns

There are two sides to this Ravens team: the one that dominates upper-tier opponents and the one that stumbles against foes that don’t match up on paper. This performance called to mind struggles against the Colts and the Steelers, in which Baltimore never got out of a funk. How can you not take more advantage of the three-turnover edge that the defense handed this offense?

In spite of a win, there are a lot of troubling issues here. The offensive line struggled to contain pressure, especially from Khalil Mack. Even when he had time, Lamar Jackson’s precision looked shaky. The play calling had some head-scratchers, such as Gus Edward’s fourth-down direct snap. Justin Tucker, the bastion of stability for so many years, missed a fourth-quarter field goal. Zay Flowers’ clinching touchdown was a feel-good finish, but through 58 minutes there was palpable tension about how this game would go. Super Bowl contenders shouldn’t be in nail-biters against a team as beleaguered as the Chargers, and the Ravens have to iron it out.

Tight end Isaiah Likely was the Ravens' leading receiver in his first game starting in place of Mark Andrews, but his totals were just four catches for 40 yards. (Ronald Martinez/)

How does this keep happening?

The Ravens had this game in hand. They were up seven at halftime, then 10 at the start of the fourth quarter, and they had every opportunity to put the Chargers away. Instead, their offense went silent in the final frame (until Zay Flowers’ game-sealing touchdown with 96 seconds left), and they came oh so close to fumbling away another game to an inferior opponent.

As has been the case time and time again this season, Baltimore’s defense was the hero, forcing four turnovers and ending Los Angeles’ comeback hopes with a stand at midfield in the fourth quarter. A better team than the Chargers would have taken advantage of the Ravens’ miscues — and there are certainly better teams on the horizon — but on this night “good” was good enough.

A daunting December looms

I used this space early in the season to say the Ravens’ offense was evolving nicely and figured to be going full throttle by ... well, around now. It just hasn’t happened that way. Yeah, the loss of Mark Andrews is huge. And Odell Beckham Jr. has seemingly never been truly all the way healthy. But the performance Sunday night was unacceptable on too many levels.

But this is the Ravens we’re talking about, and the defense handled things. Of course. Continuing to rely on that formula likely won’t work against the Jaguars, Niners and Dolphins, though.

So, yeah, the Ravens need this bye. To get healthier. To maybe make some schematic adjustments to account for injuries and realized realities. To clear their heads.

And it is hard-earned: 9-3 at this juncture, given the various injuries, is hugely impressive. Even if it still feels like we’re too often not seeing a team playing anywhere near its ceiling.