The Breakdown: Another Second Half Takes a Wrong…

When things began to snowball for the Ravens in Week 7, it became an avalanche.

After holding a 13-0 lead at halftime, the Ravens were outscored, 35-0, in the second half for a lopsided loss at M&T Bank Stadium.

Their first blowout loss of the season leaves the Ravens (4-3) at a critical juncture heading into their next game against the Buffalo Bills (5-1), who will be coming off a bye week. Baltimore is in last place in the AFC North, and while it’s not late in the season, it’s not too early for the Ravens to be concerned.

“Right now, we’re too much of a momentum team,” Head Coach Jesse Minter said. “We’re riding a wave when it’s good, and we’re riding a wave when it’s bad.

“It’s a big point in the season for us to determine what kind of team we want to be.”

Here are my thoughts on the Ravens after they couldn’t put out the fire once the Bengals got hot:

The Ravens need to improve their second half play.

Sunday was the second straight game that the Ravens didn’t score in the second half.

They were having second half issues even before Jackson was injured in Week 4. In Week 2, Baltimore scored just three points in the second half, which allowed the New Orleans Saints to rally for a 24-17 win.

“We need to make sure that we go into the game with enough plays and enough adjustments – and forward-thinking adjustments – of what teams may do so that in the second half we have a great plan to help us be able to move the ball,” Minter said.

The Ravens have led at halftime in six of their seven games, but they’ve been outscored in the second half in five games. Opponents are adjusting to the Ravens effectively, and this was another game when Baltimore didn’t have enough answers. Veteran Calais Campbell said it felt like “quicksand.” Minter used a different analogy.

“We let the game kind of snowball on us once we got going,” Minter said. “They kept rolling, they hit a bunch of explosives on us in the second half. Really not good enough, starting with me and all the way down.”

The Ravens must find a way to put the baggage of past second half drama behind them, which is easier said than done.

“Only we can change that,” Minter said. “We have control of that, and that’s what we need to understand. We have complete control over that mentality.”

The Ravens can’t rely solely on Lamar Jackson to right the ship.

The Ravens’ two-time MVP missed his third straight game after returning to practice on a limited basis during the week. There is hope Jackson will be in the lineup to face Buffalo, and his importance to the Ravens is magnified whenever he’s absent for a prolonged period.

However, giving up 35 points in a half is unacceptable regardless of whether Tyler Huntley or Jackson plays quarterback.

“He’s one of the best players in football, one of the best players to ever play the game of football, so when he’s on the field you feel a whole lot better,” Campbell said. “But we have to do better and execute, especially on defense.

“We can be so much better than we’re playing. I think everybody knows that.”

The difference between the Ravens’ defense in the two halves was startling. Cincinnati had five consecutive touchdown drives in the season half after being shutout for 30 minutes.

Joe Burrow (22-for-30, 292 yards, four touchdown passes) and wide receiver Tee Higgins (six catches, 148 yards, one touchdown) made the biggest plays. But there were times when the Ravens had defensive breakdowns that left receivers wide open. If that happens against the Bills, Josh Allen is another quarterback who can make Baltimore pay dearly.

Vega Ioane’s knee injury adds more issues for the offensive line.

Baltimore’s terrible luck with injuries on the offensive line continued when rookie right guard Vega Ioane (knee) left the game at the end of the first quarter and didn’t return.

Minter said he didn’t have an update on Ioane’s status after the game. However, losing him for any length of time would be huge. Ioane has been Baltimore’s best offensive lineman this season. After the Ravens were ravaged by injuries at center, Ioane started three games at center and helped keep the offensive line in sync.

Emery Jones Jr. took over at right guard after Ioane’s injury and veteran center Cam Jurgens made his Ravens debut against the Bengals. But if Ioane misses more time, the offensive line cohesion the Ravens have been searching for will be harder to capture.

Baltimore had five pre-snap penalties in the first half, and those unforced errors resulted in some missed opportunities. The Ravens couldn’t run the ball effectively against the Bengals, who held Derrick Henry (17 carries, 45 yards) in check. Huntley was sacked four times, making it difficult for him to connect with Zay Flowers (eight catches, 137 yards, one touchdown) after he was cooking early.

Coaches talk frequently about how important it is to win the battle in the trenches. That will be harder for Baltimore’s offensive line to do if Ioane isn’t a part of it.

The Ravens are making their path to winning the AFC North more difficult.

This loss dropped the Ravens to 0-2 against division opponents. Additionally, both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns won in Week 7 and are now 5-2.

The Ravens close the regular season with four straight games against the AFC North, but they don’t want all those games to be must-wins to capture the division crown.

Baltimore has been outscored 48-0 in the second half against the AFC North: 13-0 by the Browns and 35-0 by the Bengals. It’s hard to finish on top of the division with results like that, and it’s also concerning that the Ravens have lost five of their last six home games dating back to last season.

By contrast, both the Browns and Steelers are unbeaten at home so far. Protecting their turf moving forward will be critical for the Ravens.

Extra Points

• The Ravens became the first team in 76 years to lead by at least 13 points at halftime and lose by at least 20, according to the Associated Press. The Baltimore Colts were up 20-7 on the New York Giants on Nov. 19, 1950, before losing, 55-20.

• This is the first time Baltimore has started 0-2 against the AFC North since 2007.

• Trey Hendrickson, playing against the Bengals for the first time since signing with Baltimore, had two quarterback hits but no sacks. Hendrickson didn’t have any tackles. Mike Green had Baltimore’s only sack of the afternoon.

• All of Higgins’ six catches that went for 148 yards came in the second half. He became the fourth wide receiver to top 100 yards against Baltimore this season, joining Carnell Tate of the Tennessee Titans (145), Drake London of the Atlanta Falcons (118) and CeeDee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys (112).

• With starting safety Jaylinn Hawkins (knee) missing his first game of the season, K’Von Wallace (four tackles, one quarterback hit) and Keondre Jackson (two tackles) both saw action at safety.

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