Maybe once the Baltimore Ravens get past blaming the officials, they can point to the real problem with their team: their wretched defense.
Chargers vs. Ravens 2015 live stream: Game time, TV schedule and how to watch online
Which team will take the first step toward restoring its respectability?
The Ravens have allowed 26.9 points per game this season, which is the seventh-most in the league. They surrendered 26 points to the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night.
Much like recent seasons, the secondary has been an inconsistent mess, but the pass rush isn’t there to pick it up. Losing Terrell Suggs to an Achilles injury in Week 1 was a blow that Baltimore hasn’t been able to recover from. Elvis Dumervil, who recorded a whopping 17 sacks last season, has only brought down the quarterback twice in 2015.
The porous Ravens defense has put more pressure than ever on Joe Flacco, who's attempted an average of more than 40 passes per game. Flacco has demonstrated he's a more than capable NFL quarterback, but he can't carry a team. He needs help and right now he isn't getting any. Outside of Steve Smith, the oldest wide receiver in the league at 36, Flacco's receiving corps has been mostly a revolving door.
Despite those issues, all six of the Ravens’ losses have been one possession games. If a couple of more bounces had gone their way in the first half of the season, they could easily still be in the hunt for an AFC wild card. But instead, they’re barreling towards their first last-place finish since 1997.
The San Diego Chargers have been on the wrong side of four one-possession games themselves (though that number is slightly deceiving, as they trailed the Oakland Raiders 30-7 at halftime last week). San Diego has lost three games in a row for the first time since 2012.
The Chargers finished that season with a 7-9 record, and a similar fate seems to await them this year. San Diego's defense allows the fifth-most points per game in the league. It's sabotaged the team's season, and Philip Rivers' gaudy numbers are going to waste.
Heading into Week 8, the Chargers actually have the most prolific passing offense in the NFL. Rivers leads all quarterbacks with 2,452 passing yards through seven weeks and is on pace to break Peyton Manning’s single-season record. One of the big reasons for his success has been the emergence of third-year wideout Keenan Allen, who leads the league with 62 receptions –– which is only 15 fewer than he had all of last season.
The Chargers should be able to exploit the Ravens’ pass defense, though Flacco may have his way with San Diego’s as well. His 1,857 passing yards are seventh-most in the league.
It may be too late for the Ravens to resurrect their playoff chances, but at this stage it’s about maintaining respectability. Both of these teams were projected to be playoff contenders –– and in the Ravens’ case, Super Bowl favorites. Whether they finish out the season with pride or lay down the rest of the way will say a lot about the state of each organization. Neither John Harbaugh nor Mike McCoy appear to be fighting for his job, but owners usually don’t take kindly to humiliating campaigns. The situation isn’t at that point yet for either club, but a few more losses could push it in that direction.
How to Watch
When: 1 p.m. ET
Where: MT&T Stadium, Baltimore
TV: CBS
Commentators: Greg Gumbel, Trent Green, Jamie Erdahl
Online: NFL Game Pass
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