Raven Country

Worst Moments of Ravens' 2024 Season So Far

The Baltimore Ravens have navigated their peaks and valleys this season.

Jon Alfano

Dec 1, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker (9) watches his failed third quarter field goal attempt against the Philadelphia Eagles at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images
Dec 1, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker (9) watches his failed third quarter field goal attempt against the Philadelphia Eagles at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images / Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images
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The Baltimore Ravens have now had a week off to reflect on the season so far while preparing for the home stretch, so why not do the same here?

Baltimore has navigated the peaks and valleys of the season so far, and while there have been more highs than lows, it's been a bumpy ride to say the least. So, here's some of the Ravens' lowlights this season before they return to the field this weekend.

Isaiah Likely's Toe

We're going all the way back to the beginning with this one. In Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs, the very same team that eliminated them last season, the Ravens mounted a furious fourth-quarter comeback, and had a chance to tie or win the game in the final seconds.

On the final play of the game, Lamar Jackson made magic happen as he so often does, finding Likely in the back of the end zone to pull within one point. One problem, Likely's toe was just out of bounds. The play comes back, and the Ravens lose while the Chiefs earn their first of many heart-pounding victories this season. A gut punch to start out for Baltimore.

Collapse vs. Raiders

The Ravens have formed an unfortunate trend over the past few years of blowing late leads, and this one may have been the most frustrating. After the Ravens built what should've been a comfortable 10-point lead early in the fourth quarter, the Raiders, who entered this game as 8.5-point underdogs, scored 13 unanswered points in stunning fashion. The offense stalled, the defense couldn't get a stop when it needed to, and it was just an overall excruciating game to witness.

This loss dropped the Ravens to 0-2 on the season, and although they've recovered since then, it felt incredibly bleak at the time.

Defense Falls Apart vs. Browns

Speaking of frustrating losses, look no further than Week 8 against the Cleveland Browns.

Riding a five-game winning streak and facing a seemingly overmatched opponent, the Ravens put up an incredibly disappointing performance and couldn't stop anything on defense. Keep in mind, this was the first game Jameis Winston started for the Browns, and he carved up the Ravens' defense to the tune of 334 yards and three touchdowns. The dagger came on a 38-yard pass to a wide-open Cedric Tillman with just a minute to go.

Baltimore's pass defense has been a struggle for most of the season, but this game was absolute rock bottom. From the numerous blown coverages and dropped interceptions, the defense's flaws were on full display throughout the entire day.

Two-Point Woes

Despite all their self-inflicted wounds throughout the game, the Ravens miraculously scored with just over a minute remaining in their Week 11 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and of course went for two to tie it up. To say the play call was bad was an understatement, as Jackson took a designed run to his left that Pittsburgh immediately snuffed out. Furthermore, neither Derrick Henry nor Zay Flowers were on the field for the play, only adding to the confusion.

The Steelers would hold on for a crucial 18-16 victory, their eighth win in their last nine games against the Ravens. Losing to an arch rival is bad enough, but to have it happen like that only adds to the pain.

Decline of Justin Tucker

Maybe calling this a "moment" is a stretch, but it simply has to be here.

Tucker is arguably the greatest kicker the league has ever seen, but he's been downright bad this season. The future Hall of Famer has already missed a career-high 10 kicks this season (eight field goals and two extra points), and his struggles are costing the Ravens games. His worst performances came when he missed two field goals against the Steelers in Week 11 and two field goals and an extra point against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 13.

Seeing Tucker morph from the Ravens' greatest weapon to an outright liability has been by far the most shocking storyline of the season, and if he doesn't turn it around, it could spell disaster come playoff time.

Make sure you bookmark Baltimore Ravens on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

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Jon Alfano
JON ALFANO

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