Written by Childs Walker at The Baltimore Sun.com
) Watching the Ravens’ offense against a very good defense was just sad.
With Jeremy Maclin again sidelined by a shoulder injury and Mike Wallace knocked out of the game early by a vicious head shot, the Ravens were left with one of the least talented NFL offenses in recent memory.
The fact that they were matched with one of the best defenses in the league — stocked with skilled, speedy linebackers and safeties — only highlighted that pitiful state of affairs.
The Ravens’ collection of possession receivers, tight ends and running backs had no shot to create space against Pro Bowl-caliber players such as linebacker Anthony Barr and safety Harrison Smith.
Quarterback Joe Flacco appeared uncomfortable in the pocket from the first series and rushed throws even when he wasn’t facing immediate pressure.
In the first half, it was rare to see him attempt a pass even 10 yards down the field. With Wallace out, he simply had no one to look for on intermediate routes, much less deep shots.
Flacco came in averaging 5.42 yards per attempt, third-worst in the league ahead of only overmatched rookie DeShone Kizer and the widely derided Jay Cutler. His yards per attempt somehow sank to 4.9 against the Vikings, and that was skewed upward by a meaningless final drive.
On short routes, Flacco couldn’t find his timing with any of the team’s remaining receivers. That combined with the lack of big-play talent on the field left the offense toothless.
You can spend the next four days calling for offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg to be fired or bemoaning the ongoing Flacco era. But they’re not magicians.
Bad luck and poor drafting have left the Ravens without enough talented offensive players to compete. No short-term move will change that.
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