At Atlanta
1:00 p.m. ET
Dome
| TEAM | PLAY CALLING |
PERSONNEL | GAME PLANNING |
IN-GAME ADJ |
CLOCK MGMT |
HCR |
| BAL | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8.2 |
| ATL | 6 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6.0 |
Key Coaching Decision #1: (ATL ball, trailing 7-3 / fourth-and-1, 50 / 14:09 Q2)
• Atlanta was down early in this game. Rather that pin the Ravens back, they decided to attempt a fourth-down conversion at midfield. This was unsuccessful and they had to turn the ball over on downs. The Falcons would actually score on the ensuing drive, returning a Lamar Jackson fumble for a score.
Key Coaching Decision #2: (BAL ball, leading 7-3 / fourth-and-7, ATL 46 / 13:14 Q2)
• Ravens punter Sam Koch executes a fake punt call and completes a pass to wide receiver Chris Moore over the middle for a 21-yard gain to extend the Baltimore drive. Ironically, the Ravens would have been better off punting – this was the same drive that resulted in the Falcons’ fumble return TD.
Key Coaching Decision #3: (BAL ball, tied 10-10 / fourth-and-goal, ATL 3 / 9:59 Q3)
• Ravens kicker Justin Tucker kicks a 21-yard field goal to break the tie and give the Ravens a 13-10 lead. We were surprised that they did not attempt a fourth-down conversion for a touchdown, as that appears to be the trend in the NFL.
Key Observations:
• This was Baltimore’s third straight win. The Ravens are now 7-5 heading into the final four games of the season.
• Atlanta is effectively out of the playoffs at 4-8 with four games left in the season.
• Ravens rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson threw 21 times and completed only 12 passes for 125 yards. However, he was especially effective running the football. Jackson carried the ball 17 times for 75 yards and one touchdown.
• There was an RGIII sighting in this game. Robert Griffin III got his first significant action in a game since 2016. Griffin went 2 of 4 for 21 yards passing and drove the Ravens to a field goal.
• Baltimore scored on defense. Up 19-10, Ravens cornerback Tavon Young recovered a fumble on a Matt Ryan sack and returned it 11 yards for a touchdown that made the score 26-10 and put the game out of reach.
• The Falcons offense generated only 131 yards of total offense.
• Matt Ryan is having an issue getting the ball downfield. This may or may not be correctable, but this is not a positive trend for the Falcons.
