Was last night's game a fluke?

[SeaDee3]

A lot of teams have trouble traveling coast to coast and being sharp.
However, when you have your own destiny in your hands and all it takes is a win you wouldn't expect to get blown out. The team looked tired.

How many times have you seen a team march down the field with the opening drive and miss a FG and go in the tank? I hate to admit it but when Cundiff missed that FG I said...we are done. Amazing how you get that feeling but when we came back with a TD I thought we had some fight but Joe wasn't on and when he isn't on we can't win.

He under-threw Evans twice and he was constantly behind or high on dump offs and short passes. No timing at all. Last year NO went out to Seattle for the opening playoff game and Drew Brees couldn't hit a barn from 20 yards.

If Pittsburg wins tonight it will be wild card for the Ravens and all away games which means that the Super Bowl dream is over because they can't win on the road.

I can't figure out why we didn't blitz the hell out of Rivers. He hates to get hit and he had time to throw and he is too accurate when given that time. You can't run on the Ravens but you can pass on them big time if the QB has some time because our defensive backs are not that good other than Webb. Ed Reed is slowing down. Ray Lewis looked old.

This team is in trouble.

[Baltimore Ravens Lets Go!]

If Pittsburgh wins out and finish 13-3 but 4-2 in the AFC North Division and the Ravens win out and finish 12-4 overall but 6-0 in the AFC North, wouldn't the Ravens still have homefield advantage over the Stealers? If not, what the heck does the division record matter then?

[Brohan]

0-19 when trailing at the half on the road...no fluke.

[18-87-44-29]

No it wasn't. What you see w/this team is what you get....the 5th-6th best team in the AFC.

And considering the Colts and Jets and until recently Chargers were having sub-par years....they could/should be even lower.

[Colt19]

If Pittsburgh wins out and finish 13-3 but 4-2 in the AFC North Division and the Ravens win out and finish 12-4 overall but 6-0 in the AFC North, wouldn't the Ravens still have homefield advantage over the Stealers? If not, what the heck does the division record matter then?

Well, unfortunately, under that scenario - Cleveland could be 6-0 in division and 6-10 regular season and be home for the playoffs? Better yet, maybe Cleveland is 4-2 in division and 4-12 overall?

[RavensGrrl]

we're pretty consistent. our 4 losses are to losing teams on the road..

[can you hear me now!]

not so much of a fluke as just a bad game all around....when you consider that in the history of the Ravens they've never given up points on 5 straight possession to open a game it could be considered somewhat of a fluke...

given the ease with which the Chargers put points on the board last night, this was a game they weren't going to win...all flopping around and gnashing of teeth over one person's performance last night doesn't change that...they were doomed from the moment Cundiff shanked his kick....

bad game, put it behind you...win out and go from there....this team has won playoff games on the road...tonight's game in SF will determine the impact of last night's loss...

some people are just too reactionary to games like this....it's a team sport...just ask the packers...

[joe cool]

If Pittsburgh wins out and finish 13-3 but 4-2 in the AFC North Division and the Ravens win out and finish 12-4 overall but 6-0 in the AFC North, wouldn't the Ravens still have homefield advantage over the Stealers? If not, what the heck does the division record matter then?

Unfortunately for you the team with the better overall record would win the division and therefore have home field, at least in first round, and the team that finishes second would be the WC team and play all games on the road.

The only time the division record would come into play would be if there is a tie at the end of the season, they would use head to head and division records to break the tie. If Pit wins out they win the division and the Ravens, regardless of the fact they surprisingly beat Pit 2 times this season, will be the Wild Card!!

[Baltimore Ravens Lets Go!]

Well, unfortunately, under that scenario - Cleveland could be 6-0 in division and 6-10 regular season and be home for the playoffs? Better yet, maybe Cleveland is 4-2 in division and 4-12 overall?

I still think it is stupid. If say the Stealers lost every division game (0-6) but won all their other games and were 10-6 overall, they would win their division if no other division team had 10 wins? This makes no sense.

[bmore_ken]

Every team has a few bad games during the course of a 16 game season. Hell the Packers got beat by the Chiefs. Let's move on

[Baltimore Ravens Lets Go!]

Unfortunately for you the team with the better overall record would win the division and therefore have home field, at least in first round, and the team that finishes second would be the WC team and play all games on the road.

The only time the division record would come into play would be if there is a tie at the end of the season, they would use head to head and division records to break the tie. If Pit wins out they win the division and the Ravens, regardless of the fact they surprisingly beat Pit 2 times this season, will be the Wild Card!!

What is so surprising about them beating the Stealers twice? They should have done so last year as well if not for that one play by Troy, as otherwise the Ravens were beating them the entire game. It sure didn't surprise me. Pittsburgh is overated. If they had to go on the road in the playoffs they would be one and done.

[Frank Costanza 831]

No it wasn't. What you see w/this team is what you get....the 5th-6th best team in the AFC.

And considering the Colts and Jets and until recently Chargers were having sub-par years....they could/should be even lower.

The Colts are the worst team in the NFL and quite possibly one of the worst teams of all time. Nothing that happened yesterday changes that. 32 out of 32. Total joke of a team

[SeaDee3]

If Pittsburgh wins out and finish 13-3 but 4-2 in the AFC North Division and the Ravens win out and finish 12-4 overall but 6-0 in the AFC North, wouldn't the Ravens still have homefield advantage over the Stealers? If not, what the heck does the division record matter then?

Overall record 1st then the division record is how they settle things

[SeaDee3]

Every team has a few bad games during the course of a 16 game season. Hell the Packers got beat by the Chiefs. Let's move on

Agreed but this team has these bad games at the most crucial times. 4 to be exact.
Those are team we should have beat, at least 3 of them. Having home field through out the playoffs is big. Just check our home record.

Winning yesterday was huge. Now most likely we will be a road team for the playoffs unless Pittsburg loses tonight. If the Pats win out they will lock up home field through out the playoffs. Nothing like a nice playoff game in sunny New England. Maybe to our advantage in that case because NE can't run the ball and we can.

[Pigdog]

SeaDee3, I had the exact same reaction as you did when cundiff missed that FG. My husband says I have no faith....of course, he lost his as the game went on. But yup, I thought the missed FG was a bad omen! Set the precedent for the rest of the game...you screw up once, you keep screwing up

[SeattleRaven]

A lot of teams have trouble traveling coast to coast and being sharp.
However, when you have your own destiny in your hands and all it takes is a win you wouldn't expect to get blown out. The team looked tired.

How many times have you seen a team march down the field with the opening drive and miss a FG and go in the tank? I hate to admit it but when Cundiff missed that FG I said...we are done. Amazing how you get that feeling but when we came back with a TD I thought we had some fight but Joe wasn't on and when he isn't on we can't win.

He under-threw Evans twice and he was constantly behind or high on dump offs and short passes. No timing at all. Last year NO went out to Seattle for the opening playoff game and Drew Brees couldn't hit a barn from 20 yards.

If Pittsburg wins tonight it will be wild card for the Ravens and all away games which means that the Super Bowl dream is over because they can't win on the road.

I can't figure out why we didn't blitz the hell out of Rivers. He hates to get hit and he had time to throw and he is too accurate when given that time. You can't run on the Ravens but you can pass on them big time if the QB has some time because our defensive backs are not that good other than Webb. Ed Reed is slowing down. Ray Lewis looked old.

This team is in trouble.

No, I was at the Seattle game sitting right behind the Raven's bench and what I saw was confusion, dismay, and the inability to make game adjustments. I still believe that the players are given a great dis-service by this high school level coaching staff.

[johnpolitics]

Four flukes in one season is 3 too many.