EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsBALTIMORE -- Trailing by a touchdown in the final minute Sunday, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson threw the ball deep downfield toward wide receiver Rashod Bateman in an attempt to keep a comeback drive alive.But Jackson's final pass of the game sailed 5 yards past Bateman and got picked off by Saints safety Julian Blackmon. Bateman pounded the ground with both fists, which summed up Baltimore's frustrating 24-17 loss to New Orleans.A week after everything seemed to go right for the Baltimore offense in the season opener, Jackson and the Ravens have to figure out how it all went wrong. There seemed to be a disconnect, from a quizzical playcall to a head-scratching turnover to a lot of self-inflicted mistakes."We are going to stick together," Ravens running back Derrick Henry said. "Obviously, we didn't get the result we wanted; [it left a] bad taste in our mouth. It is just a little adversity. It is all about how we respond, and I know the guys are going to respond the right way [by] watching the film, correcting things and moving on to Dallas and being ready for Rio."There is uncertainty about which players will be lining up for the Ravens offense Sunday in Rio de Janeiro. Wide receiver Zay Flowers didn't play because of a hamstring injury, and left tackle Ronnie Stanley couldn't finish the game because of a toe injury.Here are the other major questions facing the Ravens' offense from Sunday's loss:Why did the Ravens throw deep on third-and-1 instead of giving the ball to Henry?The most debated playcall came with the game tied at 17 in the middle of the fourth quarter. On a third-and-1 at the Baltimore 37-yard line, Jackson launched the ball 50 yards to Chris Moore, who had the pass batted away from him.It seemed like a risky decision for first-year playcaller Declan Doyle to call a pass to Moore, who was just elevated off the practice squad. The straightforward choice would have been to hand the ball to the 6-foot-3, 252-pound Henry, who got less than 2 yards on just three of his 16 carries (and one was a 1-yard touchdown run)."It's a play that we liked," coach Jesse Minter said. "Thought we had a shot there for an explosive. Obviously, it didn't work out, so it is always going to be [everyone] looking at it after the fact."Since Henry joined the Ravens in 2024, Baltimore had a 75% success rate on third-and-1 situations entering Sunday, third best in the NFL over that span. But Henry said he wasn't disappointed that he didn't get a chance to convert that third down himself."We are going to ride with 'Dec,' man," Henry said. "He called a [play], [he] wanted to take a shot and it didn't work out this time."After Baltimore punted, New Orleans put together a 16-play, 68-yard winning drive.What was Jackson thinking on that game-ending interception?Jackson's interception with 13 seconds remaining was a rare one. It was only the second time in his nine-year career that he has been picked off in the final two minutes of regulation.The fact that Jackson's pass was nowhere near Bateman caused many to wonder who was at fault. Did Jackson wildly overthrow Bateman? Or did Bateman give up running his route?"We were just trying to make something happen," said Jackson, who was pressured from the right side after guard Olaivavega Ioane missed a block. "It was just the same group of guys out there. I feel like they were a little fatigued, and how I played it, it was a timing thing. I feel like I want that pass back, though."With Flowers inactive, Bateman led Baltimore with a career-tying seven catches for 88 yards, including a 22-yard touchdown. Asked about Jackson's interception, Bateman said there was no miscommunication."I ran the right route, looked up [and] the ball was what it was," Bateman said. "That is really what it is. It is just one of those plays that you look at it and you can't get it back. Lamar played well. I think we all played well. [There] is just a lot of cleanup to do."When will the Ravens stop committing so many penalties?When the offensive line drew a number of penalty flags last week, Minter chalked it up to the linemen's aggressiveness. When the offense continued to commit penalties Sunday, it started to look this is one of the biggest issues facing the Ravens.Over the first two weeks, the Baltimore offense has been flagged for 12 penalties for 120 yards. Only the Carolina Panthers (15) and Los Angeles Chargers (13) have committed more offensive penalties this season."Last week, we were able to overcome them, but this week we weren't," Jackson said. "So, that is why we have to clean things like that up. It starts in practice, though."In the first two games, Baltimore has totaled four false starts and four holding penalties. The costliest penalty came in the third quarter, when holding on Moore negated a 12-yard scramble."For any situation it is tough to deal with when you know you are beating yourself, but we live to fight another day," Bateman said. "It is only Week 2. None of us in here [is] fixing to sit here and stress out and cry about it. We're all grown men. We know what we have got to go do to fix it. Everybody is on that accord right now."
