BALTIMORE -- After the Baltimore Ravens' 28-24 loss to the New England Patriots -- which put them on the brink of playoff elimination -- safety Kyle Hamilton nodded his head when asked whether the game had been a microcosm of the season.
"It's been a theme for the past couple years, honestly," Hamilton said. "It's frustrating at this point to keep having the same conversations with you guys, and I'm sure it's frustrating on your end to keep asking these questions. It's redundant, and no excuses at this point."
The Ravens' latest loss was a three-hour reminder on what has derailed Baltimore's Super Bowl runs over the years: the questionable game plan with Derrick Henry, the concerning ball security by Zay Flowers, the failure to hold double-digit leads in the fourth quarter and the late-season injuries to Lamar Jackson.
Baltimore (7-8) can be eliminated from playoff contention if the Ravens lose at the Green Bay Packers on Saturday (8 p.m. ET, Peacock) or if the Pittsburgh Steelers win at the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. This would mark the first time since 2021 that the Ravens wouldn't qualify for the postseason.
"We're all disappointed -- it just means you have to come back," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "You don't get what you want all the time in life, even if you work for it, but you have to earn it. You have to earn it by doing the things that are required, and we have not done a good enough job of that."
WHEN HENRY SCORED a 2-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Patriots, it extended Baltimore's lead to 24-13 with 12:50 remaining. This also represented the last time Henry was on the field.
Henry was on the sideline for the Ravens' final two drives, which totaled eight plays, one first down and no points. It was a puzzling decision considering Henry was averaging 7.1 yards per carry and Baltimore was without Jackson, who was ruled out with a back injury.
Harbaugh explained that Henry's absence was based on the team's rotation. Before Baltimore's second-to-last series, Henry and running backs coach Willie Taggart decided that Keaton Mitchell would be the running back to start the possession.
"Looking back at it right now ... I would have said, 'No, put Derrick in the game,'" Harbaugh said. "But that's not really the way it works in real time."
This was reminiscent of the Ravens' 17-10 loss in the AFC Championship Game two years ago, when Baltimore handed the ball off six times to running backs against a Kansas City Chiefs defense that was vulnerable against the run.
But Henry rarely gets overlooked like this. It was the first time in five years that Henry didn't play an offensive snap in the final 12 minutes of a game decided by single digits, according to ESPN Research.
"Any player would just like to be able to have the ball in their hands and make plays for the team just to give ourselves a chance to go win," Henry said. "I think any player would have that same response, if you're a competitor, and you love the game -- and I definitely love the game -- but this didn't go our way."
BALTIMORE HAD A chance at a late comeback, getting the ball at its own 32-yard line with 2:03 left. But any hope was quashed on the second play when Flowers fumbled.
This was Flowers' third lost fumble of the season, which is tied with Myles Price for most among NFL wide receivers.
"I tried to make a play," Flowers said. "I [saw the defender] overrunning it, so I cut back, tried to get up field, get a first [down], but somebody behind punched it out."
Up until that point, Flowers was just as impactful as Henry. He caught all seven passes thrown his way for 84 yards and delivered an 18-yard touchdown run.
But his mistake in a clutch moment Sunday was like the one in the AFC Championship Game, when he fumbled near the goal line in the fourth quarter. In fact, three of Flowers' four career fumbles have come in the fourth quarter.
Ball security will be an emphasis to finish the season. Baltimore's final two opponents -- Green Bay and Pittsburgh -- rank among the top four teams in forcing fumbles the past two years.
"The ball has to be protected all the time, and that's what's coached," Harbaugh said. "So as a player, you just have to do it. You just have to get it done. And if you don't get it done, then you become known as a fumbler. And that's what the defenses point to, and they come after it. We do the same thing on defense. It's just a fact of football."
WHEN HENRY SCORED that touchdown in the fourth quarter, the Ravens held an 11-point lead and a 91.3% chance of winning. But Baltimore allowed New England to score the last 15 points of the game.
The Ravens have lost six games after holding a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter since 2019. That's tied with the Chicago Bears for the most such losses over that span.
"I think it's very simple: We didn't play winning football," middle linebacker Roquan Smith said. "I think that's what it is when it comes down to the clutch moments."
Baltimore's latest fourth-quarter collapse came against a New England team that had lost 31 straight games when facing a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter. But the Ravens have a history of faltering late.
In the season opener, the Ravens allowed the Buffalo Bills to rally from a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter for a 41-40 victory. Since 2019, Baltimore has allowed 764 points in the fourth quarter, which are the fourth most over that span.
"We just didn't do enough to close out the game," safety Ar'Darius Washington said of the loss to the Patriots. "Having an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter [and losing], that's just not what we wanted to do. That's not Ravens football, and we know that."
JACKSON IS CONSIDERED day-to-day with a significant back contusion, although this wouldn't be the first time the Ravens needed to finish a season without him.
In 2021, Jackson was sidelined for the last four games of the regular season with a right ankle injury. Baltimore lost all four games without Jackson and finished last in the AFC North.
In 2022, Jackson didn't play in the final six games because of a sprained left knee. The Ravens lost four of those six games without Jackson, including a wild-card game at Cincinnati.
Now, Baltimore has a 7.5% chance of making the playoffs this season, according to ESPN Analytics. The Ravens' odds might seem slimmer if Jackson can't return.
"You never want to see the QB, the leader of the team and the best player on the team go down like that," Henry said. "We want [Lamar Jackson] out there. We want him to be healthy, and we want him out there so we can have the best chance to win."
If Jackson can't play Saturday in Green Bay, backup Tyler Huntley would fill in for the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player. Huntley has a 6-9 record as a starter in the NFL, but he beat the NFC North-leading Chicago Bears (11-3) in October.
"Obviously, Lamar is going to put his body on the line for us, and he has done so ever since I've been here, and ever since he's been here," Hamilton said. "You don't get all the rushing accolades that he's had without taking some hits, and he's taken some hits for this organization and for some wins. We all appreciate that because he plays to the best of his abilities and to the highest extent that he can play. He just plays really hard, and it sucks to see that happen to somebody like that."
Hamilton added, "Injuries [are] part of the game. Again, [Huntley] went in there; I thought he did a great job. It was kind of a seamless transition from that point. I think it's rare around the league that a backup quarterback comes in and can run the offense that well."