If the Baltimore Ravens are true title contenders, the most complete team in a competitive AFC North race, they sure didn't resemble one on Thursday night. Instead, they fell flat on their face and produced a confounding clunker.
Baltimore fell victim to the age-old trap game in primetime, as MVP candidate Lamar Jackson was sacked four times and limited to just 277 total yards in the team's 22-10 upset loss to the inferior Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. The Ravens' 10 points were their fewest in any of Jackson's 46 career regular season starts, per ESPN Stats & Info.
"I tend to think Jackson is just fine, and the Ravens are absolutely okay, and every team is afforded one bad game," Tyler Dunne of GoLongTD.com told the Reiter Than You show on Friday. "That definitely was a bad game, they played terribly in every aspect. So, I think they'll be okay, but it does give you a little concern because we have seen, at critical moments, the Ravens just kind of run out of gas or not really have any answers.
"I don't know if it's on Lamar. I don't know if it's on Greg Roman, the offensive coordinator. Obviously, guys like Steve Smith and some other ex-receivers have been pretty blunt about the scheme and passing game when it comes to Roman. So, I definitely think there's some red flags all over. But I still think Jackson has grown, can throw, is still an MVP candidate and they'll be okay."
The Dolphins' defense, which entered Thursday ranked 30th in the league in average yards allowed and 27th in average points, overwhelmed the Ravens with relentless pressure in the trenches. According to ESPN, Jackson faced 24 defensive back blitzes, the most any defense has ever sent at him and the most defensive back blitzes any quarterback has faced since 2015.
Following the game, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh admitted to reporters that his team was simply unprepared, and their schemes "weren't up to snuff." Overall, Baltimore finished with a season-low 304 yards, and converted on just 2 of 14 third-down attempts. Jackson also committed two turnovers, including his first-career regular season red-zone interception late in the fourth quarter.
Baltimore (6-3), which now holds a half-game lead for first place, will visit the Chicago Bears (3-6) in a Week 11 matchup next Sunday, Nov. 21. According to FiveThirtyEight's projections, the Ravens currently have a 67-percent chance to reach the playoffs and a 39-percent chance to win the AFC North.
The entire NFL conversation between Dunne and Reiter can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the Reiter Than You show on Twitter @sportsreiter and @CBSSportsRadio, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.