Browns @ Ravens (11/18/07)

[UTMCretin]

For all the chagrin over the pathetic ineffectiveness of the offense, its the defense that lost us this game by not getting any important stops (minus that drive where Derek Anderson kept falling down).

[UrbanLegendMD]

I wasn't at home today, but it was disappointing to find out we lost in overtime. At least we scored.

[UTMCretin]

Forget the weird "Bring 'em back out, boys" turn of events after the final play of regulation at Baltimore. The Nevermores gave the game away! With the score tied at 27, Baltimore had a second-and-1 on the Cleveland 29 with 38 seconds remaining, holding a timeout and with cool-as-ice place-kicker Matt Stover waiting to trot onto the field. So run the ball, and drill the clock! Instead: incompletion, incompletion, then a field goal for a 30-27 Ravens lead. The two clock stoppages on those incomplete passes left Cleveland with 31 seconds to work with; had Baltimore's coaches called rushes, then used the timeout with a couple of ticks remaining, the game would have ended on Stover's kick. (Or Baltimore would have forced Cleveland to spend timeouts, rather than letting the Browns save them for their last gasp.) After taking the 30-27 lead with 31 seconds remaining, Baltimore boomed a kickoff deep down the middle to Josh Cribbs, who had 100-yard and 90-yard kickoff returns the previous week. Where was the bloop kick, designed to come down around the opposition's 30 but not be returnable? Cribbs ran the kick back to the Cleveland 43-yard line, and I suspect you know the rest.

Just in case anyone doubted Billick's true incompetence as a head coach and an offensive playcaller.