The Ravens returned to Baltimore over the weekend with more questions than they could possibly want. Following a 30-7 thrashing at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings Friday, the team must now look inward and try to figure out how to win on the road, successfully protect their quarterback and play as a cohesive unit.
“It was a miserable performance,” head coach Brian Billick said. “It?s unfortunate to play that way [because] it?s going to require us to do some things this next week that you?d like not to do in the last week of the preseason to get corrected the things that we need to get corrected.”
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The Ravens appeared to mirror the team that went 0-8 on the road last season, often looking out of their comfort zone. Billick was clearly disturbed following the loss, and when asked if the defeat took on more importance because it came on the road, he said, “No, that performance would have gotten your [butt] kicked at home, as well.”
Quarterback Steve McNair was largely efficient, connecting on 13 of 17 short-range passes for 80 yards. Unfortunately for the Ravens, McNair?s most notable pass was to Minnesota cornerback Fred Smoot, who returned an interception for a 70-yard touchdown. The pass, intended for second-year receiver Mark Clayton, was a sideline route that Smoot jumped in front of for the score.
Billick said it was not McNair?s fault. “[That was] a blown route,” Billick said.
TheRavens committed four turnovers as a team and surrendered three sacks, something that concerned Billick. It was the second straight week that the Ravens offense could not sustain a long-term drive. Even when the team did go down field in the second quarter, the normally reliable Matt Stover missed a 46-yard field goal.
“The mental errors and mistakes that we made were perplexing,” Billick said after the game. “We?re going to be very busy over the next two days in particular, and the rest of the week, we?re going to try to find out how we can perform like that.”
The team has a short turnaround week, with three practices before Thursday?s road game at FedEx Field in Landover to play the Redskins. Billick said he was unsure if his first-team players would log more minutes in the preseason finale.
“We will determine exactly what we have to do to come back from a miserable performance like that one,” Billick said.
Like the Ravens, the Redskins entered the preseason with high hopes. Washington made the playoffs last season and many prognosticators had picked Joe Gibbs? squad to win the NFC East. So far, however, the Redskins have looked miserable. They are 0-3 in the preseason and are coming off a 41-0 rout at the hands of the New England Patriots Saturday. Starting running back Clinton Portis injured himself in the preseason opener and has not played since.
