After forfeiting a 17-7 lead heading into the fourth quarter Womens Alex Lewis Jersey , the Ravens allowed two fourth-quarter touchdowns and a field goal en route to losing 24-23 to the New Orleans Saints. In a game where the offense flashed moments of brilliance, but also stretches of ineptitude, Baltimore had every opportunity to win. They ultimately came up short due to a rare Justin Tucker missed the extra point. Baltimore’s defense had gone six games without allowing a second-half touchdown, but that streak was snapped on Sunday. Jimmy Smith had a poor day as he was victimized in coverage on several occasions. Tony Jefferson also struggled in coverage, while the pass-rush was hit or miss. Drew Brees’ quick release effectively countered Baltimore’s pressure for a majority of the day. However, the defense deserves some credit for holding an elite offense to only seven points in three quarters.Below are seven takeaways from the Ravens’ 24-23 loss to New Orleans.1. Deja Vu?Under Dean Pees, Baltimore’s defense was notorious for giving up fourth-quarter leads. Six games into the Don ‘Wink’ Martindale era, the trends showed that the Ravens’ defense would finish games strong. In their seventh game, it was a different story. They allowed 17 total points, and 114 yards on four drives — including a one-play kneel down and a drive that started in the third quarter and extended into the fourth. Unlike Pees’ fourth-quarter tendencies, Martindale was more aggressive, yet Brees picked their defense apart. Heading into Week 7, Martindale’s aggressiveness had only come back to bite him in one game thus far. However, it was clear Brees cracked the code in the fourth quarter. 2. Clutch gene Joe Flacco finished with 279 yards, two touchdowns, and an impressive 7.2 yards per attempt. He was far from perfect in this game as he had several plays where he was inaccurate Womens Michael Crabtree Jersey , but when it mattered most, Flacco was at his best. On the final drive, he went 6-for-6 (incompletion to Mark Andrews was waived off by a penalty) for 66 yards and a touchdown. Flacco was locked in on that series, but a missed extra point by Justin Tucker will be the biggest takeaway from this game.3. Put the pedal to the metalThe Ravens were leading for a majority of this game, but late in the third quarter and for much of the fourth quarter, the offensive play calling was entirely too conservative. Instead of trying to build upon their lead, Baltimore seemingly attempted to chew time off of the clock. Against premier teams in the NFL, this strategy will not bode well. Mornhinweg’s ‘vanilla play calling’ haunted the Ravens as they were unable to extend drives in a game where New Orleans was dominating the time of possession. Baltimore only had eight drives, and they failed to make the most of their limited opportunities. 4. CopycatA couple of weeks ago, I broke down what Baltimore could learn from the Saints’ use of Taysom Hill. In the last two weeks, Lamar Jackson has made a couple of splash plays from these packages. Against the Titans, Jackson had a 22-yard run that nearly resulted in a touchdown. One week later, he scored his first NFL touchdown. The Ravens’ use of Jackson has evolved since Week 1, and it has helped their offense immensely. Mornhinweg has shown theiropponents different looks, even plays where Jackson would attempt a pass. These different concepts have forced defenses to respect Jackson’s arm, and in turn Authentic Za'Darius Smith Jersey , if he hands the ball off to a running back, they have more space. 5. New offensive line combination, no problemIn an unexpected move, right tackle James Hurst was inactive for Week 7. This forced the Ravens to start two rookie offensive lineman. Despite extremely low expectations, Bradley Bozeman and Orlando Brown Jr. held their own. Each of them struggled during stretches of the game, but it was a solid showing for both of them. Bozeman outplayed veteran guard Hroniss Grasu, who played left guard when the rookie left the game a couple of times due to an injury. With Alex Lewis’ timetable to return still unclear, Baltimore’s offensive line is in good hands. The run-blocking was significantly improved this week, while the pass-protection was stellar. They only allowed one sack, and it was partly a result of the outstanding coverage downfield. 6. No time to panic, yetThe Saints are Super Bowl contenders with an incredibly talented offense. Baltimore stood toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the NFL. The Ravens were an extra point away from likely sending the game to overtime. Baltimore showed they can hang toe to toe with anyone in the league, and if Martindale can strike a better balance defensively, they will be a team no one wants to face in January. Offensively, Baltimore had mild success running the football against the best-run defense in the league, while also displaying a deadly aerial attack. Moral victories do not exist in the NFL, but the Ravens showed they are not pretenders. Baltimore’s next three games could very well decide the trajectory of their season. They have a difficult road matchup against the Panthers before coming home to face the Pittsburgh Steelers Authentic Matt Skura Jersey , and then the Bengals following their bye week. If the Ravens can go 2-1 or better, they will likely be leading the division. However, if Baltimore goes 1-2 or even 0-3, they may be en route to missing the post-season for the fourth consecutive season. 7. Second half third downs should be the story of the gameJustin Tucker’s miss will dominate the headlines, but blaming one player for the loss is a lackadaisical take. Although there is no disputing that Tucker should have made the extra point, there were plenty of other reasons why Baltimore lost. The Saints dominated the time of possession as they were four-for-seven on third downs in the second half. Baltimore was also 6-for-12 on third downs in the game, but two-for-six on third-downs in the second half. The Ravens’ offense undoubtedly underperformed for most of the fourth quarter.Baltimore will have to key in on Denver RB Phillip Lindsay Baltimore’s defense will have their hands full when prepping for Denver Broncos rookie running back Phillip Lindsay. He became the first undrafted rookie to have 100+ yards from scrimmage in each of his first two games as a pro. Lindsay rushed for 71 yards on 15 carries and caught two passes for 31 yards and a touchdown in Week 1. In Week 2, Lindsay continued his hot start with 107 yards on 14 carries. Due to his play, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh has heaped praise onto the 24-year old rookie. “Amazing, because we looked at him – we liked him,” Harbaugh said of Lindsay. “He’s a free agent guy, we had some pretty good free agent backs in here, too. It’s incredible, these free agent running backs around the league. He’s fast – that’s what stands out about him.”Baltimore had three undrafted running backs of their own in camp with DeLance Turner, Gus Edwards and Mark Thompson. All three of them were initially cut from the 53-man roster, but Turner and Edwards were signed to the practice squad. When Kenneth Dixon hit injured reserve http://www.ravenscheapstores.com/james-hurst-jersey-cheap , Turner was made part of Baltimore’s active roster. Denver has more than one rookie running back. They also have Royce Freeman, who was drafted in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Freeman currently has 23 carries for 99 yards and one touchdown on the season. Stopping both running backs will be a key for Baltimore to be successful on Sunday — both in the passing game and on the ground. “He’s quick, he’s kind of fearless. They put him in good situations, they get the ball to both rookie backs – [Royce] Freeman from Oregon, too. They get the ball outside quick on the edge couple different ways. They run a lot of draws really well, some screens, they get him in space. The offensive line has done a good job, but this kid is running and he’s making plays with his speed and his fearlessness. He’s doing it as a kick returner, [too]. He’s back there as a kick returner as well – pretty impressive.”Though Lindsay is diminutive in stature — standing in at 5’8, 190 lbs., he has had a large impact on the Broncos 2-0 start. Denver began the season with a 27-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. Then they followed up with a late 20-19 win over their division rival Oakland Raiders.