Ravens handed brutal grade for horror Rams loss

Adam Schultz

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Ravens handed brutal grade for horror Rams loss image

© Rafael Suanes

The Baltimore Ravens are in a world of hurt right now after their 17-3 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, which now drops John Harbaugh's team to 1-5.

Yes, Lamar Jackson is expected to be back from injury after the bye, but even then, things are bleak.

Cooper Rush and the offense consistently got in their own way against the Rams with turnovers and penalties, and they wasted a good Derrick Henry game as well (122 rushing yards). Such was Rush's performance that he was benched for Tyler Huntley.

For CBS Sports' John Breech has given Baltimore a "D" grade for its loss and thinks that if Jackson doesn't steady this ship soon, the season will be done and dusted.

The Ravens finally got a good game from their defense, but that went to waste because the offense made too many mistakes," Breech wrote. "The Ravens turned the ball over three times and you simply can't do that against a team like the Rams. If Lamar Jackson doesn't return soon, the Ravens' season is going to go down the drain."

More: Ravens' Derrick Henry bullish on playoff chances despite 1-5 start - 'still got time!'

Ravens must find answers in bye week

Putting it simply, if the defense plays like it did against the Rams post-bye, coupled with Lamar returning, the Ravens will win a lot of football games.

But was that an outlier or a sign of the arrow beginning to trend upward? The bye week has come, perhaps at the perfect time, with Baltimore having to figure things out and in a hurry.

Fans would have to be buoyed by the fact that the defense kept the Rams' high-flying offense to just 17 points, but offensively, aside from Derrick Henry, it wasn't that good.

With the margin for error now gone in the playoff race, the Ravens must come out of the bye and go on a run, and by run, I mean win six or seven in a row, which is achievable, but is also hard to do.

But given the start to the year, that is what is ahead of the Ravens. Can they do it? They have to.

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Adam Schultz

Adam Schultz is a freelance writer at The Sporting News. An Australian journalist with years of experience covering the Dallas Cowboys and the NFL, Adam has interviewed several high-profile athletes in Australia for various sites and brings a unique view on the NFL.