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I just re-watched the end of last night's game on my DVR, and if I hear Joe Theismann call defensive tackle Haloti Ngata "Ha-la-ti Ngo-ta" one more time, I might lose it.
I know from personal experience that calling games isn't easy, and I don't often criticize fellow media members because I would hope that I'd be cut some slack when I err, which can happen from time to time.
But Ngata's a Pro Bowler and is becoming (has become?) one of the top defensive players in the NFL. It might be time to learn how to pronounce his name.
I know that a lot of people in the Baltimore area are pretty frustrated with the Ravens' performance last night, and I've been - and will continue to be - critical of a couple areas of the team's play against the Falcons.
But here's something that I think is worth considering, and you can toss it aside and continue your frustration if you choose:
Even though the Ravens played atrocious offensively for over one half of play, lost the turnover battle by two, were whistled for five more penalties than Atlanta, were dominated in the time of possession category, and couldn't get off the field defensively, they still only lost to a good (and possibly very good) Falcons team on a last-minute touchdown.
Baltimore was playing on the road in a very tough environment where Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is now 18-1 in his career.
They had to travel on an incredibly short week in which they had just two days to truly practice and prepare mentally for Atlanta.
They didn't play anywhere near their best football, and they still almost got the job done against a team that is now an NFL-best 7-2.
These are the games that the Ravens will need to win in the playoffs if they have any chance at making a Super Bowl run. They have to improve in a handful of areas, notably starting quicker on offense, shoring up their pass protection, figuring out how to fix a leaky pass defense, and closing out games when they have a late lead.
But by no means was last night's loss a bad one.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go re-watch the end of the game again and see how many times Theismann, Matt Millen and Bob Papa mix up Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan's names.
